How ph effects potency of beta hydroxy acids
( salicylic acid)
Why do these Methods people include salicylic acid ?
They advise using a long list of products, including Pink Clean and Clear and Neutrogena TSAL, both of which are listed as 3% salicylic acid.
(Allow me to ask... why use two products with the same ingredient? What's the logic behind that? Anyway...)
Neutrogena TSAL and Clean and Clear are not as effective as proponents of home methods might believe. Why?
Salicylic acid, classified as a beta hydroxy acid, shares a characteristic with other acids in that its effectiveness hinges on the pH level, which denotes the free available value (FAV). With a pH of 2.8, salicylic acid begins to diminish in potency at a pH of 3, ultimately losing effectiveness at a pH of 4. This decrease occurs because, as the pH increases, salicylic acid undergoes ionization, hindering its ability to penetrate hair and deliver its intended effects. Hence, it's imperative to ensure that the pH of products containing salicylic acid falls within the optimal range to attain the desired results.Now, if you multiply the percentage of free acid by the concentration of salicylic acid present in the bottle, you can calculate how much is actually available to penetrate your hair.
The pH of Neutrogena pink is not readily available through official sources or product description . However . typical facial cleansers tend to be a pH of 4.5- 6.5
Neutragena pink and TSAL %3 like other acne products are at ph 5-7
( %22.8 available of the % 3 solution) = % 0.50 so at 5+ it's useless
Hair Razors Step 2 at ph 3.0 ( %90 available of the % 4 solution) = % 3.6 Salycilic acid
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