What is the link between AHAs, like glycolic acid, bergamot essential oil, and Retinol?
Photosensitization. With them on your skin, avoid the sun to prevent redness, burns, or hyperpigmented spots. Wondering if this incompatibility has a real scientific basis? Well, you’re right to ask because it’s true, but there are exceptions. Novexpert decoding activated!
With AHAs and Retinol on the skin, the sun is a no-go
Glycolic acid (and Peels in general) as well as Retinol separate the cells of the upper epidermal layers to stimulate their renewal. The result: radiant complexion for you. The downside: since the skin’s barrier function is temporarily impaired, the skin is left “bare,” vulnerable to UV rays that then penetrate more deeply.
And this is no trivial matter because sun exposure after peeling can result in redness or irritation or overstimulation of melanocytes (the melanin factories) responsible for hyperpigmented spots.
Practically speaking, Peels and Retinol are preferably used in spring (and autumn) and in any case only in the evening, with sunscreen applied the next day if you are exposed.
Essential but definitely not in the sun
For bergamot essential oil (as with several citrus essential oils obtained from the peel), reactions with the sun occur right at the heart of the cells.
It is the furocoumarins, particularly bergapten in the case of bergamot, that make it photosensitizing. They bind to the DNA of keratinocytes (the cells of the epidermis) and absorb UV energy, causing irreversible damage to the skin (spots, premature wrinkles, skin allergies).
Fortunately, chemists have more than one trick up their sleeve and have managed to remove furocoumarins from essential oils that contain them, but it’s not automatic.
When you use essential oils, make sure they are free of photosensitizing molecules. And don’t forget to seek advice from a healthcare professional (pharmacist, naturopath) because although essential oils are 100% natural, they are not to be handled by just anyone. The golden rules with essential oils:
Pregnant and breastfeeding women, it’s a no.
For children, it’s also a no except for exceptions depending on the essential oil and the child’s age.
Cheap essential oils, keep moving!
By oral route, be extremely cautious.
For topical application, never use them pure; always dilute in a neutral vegetable oil or a cosmetic base and check the dosage.
And at Novexpert, is it always a no for essential oils?
Novexpert has chosen to exclude essential oils from its formulation charter.
Why? Because they are highly allergenic even though they are natural compounds.
This allergenic potential comes from the fact that an essential oil can contain 200 to 600 different molecules, with just one of them capable of causing an allergy (statistical law).
You can therefore understand that essential oils do not allow us to be used by all skin types, especially sensitive skin, nor to have hypoallergenic products.
Furthermore, at Novexpert we want our products to be compatible with pregnant and breastfeeding women. However, most essential oils are potentially neurotoxic and can harm the proper course of pregnancy. Indeed, they can penetrate the skin layers into the bloodstream... and therefore reach the unborn child.
Moreover, some essential oils have an effect on the hormonal system (called hormone-like). They are thus considered Endocrine Disruptors and are therefore banned from our formulation charter, and that is non-negotiable.
The sun, the sworn enemy of vitamin C? Are you sure about that?
It’s a persistent myth that we are going to debunk right now: a vitamin C formula nIt’s not necessarily incompatible with the sun!
If a brand tells you not to expose yourself after using their vitamin C serum because vitamin C is sensitive to the sun, that’s false. It’s the product itself that is incompatible with sun exposure. Why? Because standard vitamin C can only penetrate the skin and be effective at a very acidic pH, around 3, knowing that lemon juice is at 2.5, which is so acidic it’s too harsh for the skin, leaving it “bare” as after applying a peeling... do you remember what peeling and sun exposure can cause?
Thanks to our stabilized vitamin C complex, it is protected from destruction, especially by light and heat.
And to completely reassure you:
The pH of the Booster being close to that of the skin, it is compatible with all skin types, even sensitive skin.
The vitamin C booster is certified non-photoallergenic, non-phototoxic, and therefore non-photosensitive.
Our Vitamin C Booster Serum, a source of vitamin C for your skin, 365 days a year, in all weather, whatever your skin type!
Our 100% Radiant Complexion in the Sun routine, Zero risk and Zero spots guaranteed!
In the morning, the Vitamin C Booster Serum alone or before your usual cream.
In the evening, after cleansing your skin, apply the Green Tea Polyphenol Booster Serum alone or before your usual cream.
https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/Publications/Vie-pratique/Fiches-pratiques/Huiles-essentielles
https://www.economie.gouv.fr/particuliers/comment-utiliser-huiles-essentielles-en-toute-securite
https://www.anses.fr
https://www.lanutrition.fr
https://www.inrae.fr
