The New Skincare Trend? To “Get Glowing” (with Glycolic Acid)
There’s a new trend lighting up the skincare world right now: Consumers want to get glowing.
With terms like “anti-aging” experiencing (somewhat of) a backlash from media outlets like Allure, and celebrities like Helen Mirren declaring the “anti-aging era over,” many consumers are now focused on perfecting their overall skin health and achieving their glowiest, dewiest, most radiant skin ever.
The glow is in.
Why this sudden focus on achieving a “glowing” complexion?
First, the continued booming popularity of Korean beauty and personal care products has driven consumers to get glowing faces. Many K-beauty products are formulated to help users achieve the infamous “glass skin,” or “skin that looks clear, poreless, translucent, luminous — like a piece of glass,” according to Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, founders of uber-popular Korean beauty line Glow Recipe.
It’s the look everyone in Korea covets right now, if we’re to judge by the many images flooding Instagram.
Social media has really fed the massive consumer craving for glowing, radiant skin. The #glow hashtag, for instance, has almost 6 million hits on Instagram and #glowingskincare has over 1.2 million.
Plus, with celebrities like the Kardashian sisters popularizing a “glowing” complexion, and influential web publications like Buzzfeed and heavyweight print publications like Vogue running tutorials on how to get glowing skin, it’s clear the consumer desire to glow isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Getting that glow with glycolic acid
So, what’s the secret to glowing skin, according to everyone from beauty industry insiders to dermatologists? To include Alpha Hydroxy Acids in your skincare routine, specifically products containing glycolic acid.
The result? Glowing, luminous skin for consumers
Glycolic acid is a miraculous ingredient for promoting glow for several reasons. First of all, it’s considered one of the top ingredients for exfoliation and inducing speedy cell turnover. As the smallest of the AHAs, glycolic acid is able to most effectively penetrate the top layer of skin. By then sweeping away the damaged, unhealthy skin cells at the skin’s surface, glycolic acid makes way for newer skin cells to rise to the top of the epidermis and revitalize the user’s complexion.
The result? Glowing, luminous skin for the user, with results that happen in a hurry. Just the way discriminating consumers like them.
Even better, glycolic acid is especially effective at promoting glow because of its incredible moisturizing capabilities. By helping our epidermis shed dead cells at such a rapid rate, glycolic acid brings the healthiest skin cells to the topmost layer of the skin.
These newer skin cells then retain more moisture and absorb products like serums, tonics, and ultra-hydrating day and overnight lotions and creams more readily. The end result of all this glycolic acid magic? Radiant, glowing skin.
As consumers continue to pursue the most “glowing” skin possibly, there’s no doubt that Alpha Hydroxy Acids and their superstar, glycolic acid, will continue to reign the must-have, must-use skincare ingredient of 2018.
