AHA—Product of nature, ally for your skin

On a cheesy TV detective show, you might have heard the hero exclaim, “Aha! So you’re the villain who’s been pilfering the Children’s Christmas Toy Fund!” But that use of the three letters a, h, a, is so twentieth century. Really savvy consumers now understand that the proper term is in all caps—AHA—and is an ingredient that does wonders for achieving a youthful, vibrant complexion.

AHA stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acid. While you could assume that it’s some sort of synthetic concoction formulated in a lab by a mad scientist, it’s actually the term for a collection of natural acids derived from the food we eat every day. You might find them on product labels as AHA, or you might find individual components listed as citric acid, glycolic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid or lactic acid. They come from citrus fruits, sugar cane, apples and pears, grapes, and sour milk. (It’s widely believed that Cleopatra was a big fan of bathing in sour milk - not sure people these days would be into that.)

When applied to your skin, AHA begins to dissolve the bonds of dead skin cells so that they can be sloughed off the epidermis more easily. AHAs are also believed to promote the formation of collagen and elastin so that, as the top layer of old cells is shed, deeper layers of skin are restored and firmed.

AHA is used in professional peels, but applying products with lower concentrations of the miracle ingredient on a regular basis will produce the same results, just a little more gradually. You’ll see an improvement in the appearance of expression lines, sun damage, and roughness. While not all of Gratiae’s products contain AHA—and they shouldn’t, it is possible to have too much of a good thing—Ultrox Expression Marks Anti-Wrinkle Serum incorporates AHA with the unique Ultrox formula does. When you look in the mirror, you’ll say, “Aha! So that’s what I’ve been missing!”