It's The End Of Summer: Why You Should Try An AHA Body Wash

Body washes certainly don't have the same panache as face washes, with all their various textures, formats, ingredients, multistep processes, targeted results, and the like. Body washes have decidedly fewer variations, ranging from bar and cream to gel. More often than not, the only flourish you get to have fun with is the fragrance. 

Now you can find options better suited for your skin, but these tend to be more targeted to very specific skin concerns. You can opt for creamy, hydrating ingredients for extra dry skin, soothing botanicals or colloidal oat for eczema, or salicylic acids for body acne. We don't often get encouraged to branch out to new body wash ingredients unless there's an issue attached.

Alpha-hydroxy acids are a type of chemical exfoliant that are hydrophilic, meaning water-loving. They exfoliate the skin by helping slough off excess dead cells on the surface, but because they also attract water, they add an element of hydration. This is especially true of less potent formulas or those that use lactic acid, a very gentle AHA that doesn't irritate the skin as much because the molecular size is too large to burrow. For a more potent acid, glycolic is another famous AHA. 

OK, so that's why AHAs are so great. But why in a body wash for post-summer specifically? "So AHAs are generally preferred for normal or even dry skin," says board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D. "But they're also great for sun-damaged skin because they have been proven to be effective in reducing the appearance of too much UV exposure." 

Here's the caveat: You should really only make the switch post-sun escapades. Because while AHAs are great for reversing sun damage, they can also make you more susceptible to burning2. Read: Don't use this in your morning shower before an excursion outdoors. Save it for an evening rinse when you figure you won't be exposed to too many UV rays the next day. 

Finally, since these are technically exfoliators, you should be mindful of how often you are using them. If you tend to have dry skin, stick to once a week; everyone else can manage two or three times a week.