Category Archives: Salicylic acid

R.I.P. Salicylic Acid+

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The BETA program of the Salicylic Acid+ product has reached a close. I have decided not to continue selling the product.

I have never been a big fan of salicylic acid. Over the years I’ve tried numerous salicylic acid products, always with little success. What I always came back to was benzoyl peroxide. But while a properly applied benzoyl peroxide regimen works to clear up just about anyone who follows it precisely, some people are allergic to benzoyl peroxide. Plus, many of us, myself included, get frustrated with how benzoyl peroxide can sometimes bleach fabric. It was my hope that I could introduce the latest cutting edge performance ingredients into a salicylic acid formulation in order to bump up the efficacy of salicylic acid enough to compete with benzoyl peroxide. Along with an industry leading formulator, I put together the very best salicylic acid formulation I could. However, no matter how great I could make a salicylic acid formulation, I could not get it to match up with benzoyl peroxide.

In the end, the Salicylic Acid+ product did not meet my standards of an Acne.org product. Hundreds of you were nice enough to send your feedback through the BETA feedback form and I read each and every one of your comments. While some of you really liked the product, there were as many or more of you who found it to be only partially effective. Moreover, some of you experienced extra redness after application.

I only want extraordinary products which work to completely eliminate acne as part of the Acne.org line. I believe wholeheartedly in the Acne.org benzoyl peroxide, AHA+, cleanser, and moisturizer. This Salicylic Acid+ product just doesn’t quite fit.

For those of you who liked the product, I do not know of a comparable salicylic acid product. As I said earlier, salicylic acid just isn’t benzoyl peroxide. However, feel free to read through the salicylic acid containing product reviews pages of acne.org for alternatives. Also, if you’d like to stock up, I’ll be selling the Salicylic Acid+ for one more week, until November 30, at which point it will be pulled. The product has approximately 11.5 months of shelf life left before it is expired. I also reduced the price to $10.

Answering your questions about Salicylic Acid and AHA

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I spent a lot of time working with the best formulators in the U.S.A. and together we made the best salicylic acid I’ve ever tried, but I’m coming to realize that there is only so much you can do with salicylic acid. I just don’t think it’s that great of an acne fighting ingredient, no matter how much you bump it up with auxiliary ingredients. In the end, I prefer AHA.

Salicylic Acid now available in a limited amount

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The salicylic acid that many of you asked for is now available. I will not be putting this product on the main page of danielkern.com. It will only be available through this link.

I’m keeping the salicylic acid somewhat of a secret because I made a very limited amount of it. I want you guys to give me feedback before deciding whether to make this a staple product. If you do decide to order it I’m asking for you to commit to taking a one page survey on it so we can all decide what we like about it and what needs changing and whether to make it in larger batches for the general public.

More about it:

It is a light feeling, moisturizing cream which has 2% salicylic acid. This is the legal limit. 1 1/2% of that 2% is good ‘ol regular sal acid, and 1/2% is time released. After speaking with several master formulators we decided on 1/2% time released so that we get an initial boost of sal acid and some extra lingering and being released slowly. Salicylic acid, as we know, helps peel inside the pore, keeping pores from clogging and initiating acne. I also put a ton of other stuff in this product. I included lichochalcone, a Chinese licorice root extract which is potently calming and soothing to acne-prone skin. This is the same stuff that’s in our AHA+. I also put sebum reducers to help control oil. Lastly, I put natural antimicrobials in there. My theory with this product is to attack acne from every possible angle, using all of the very latest performance ingredients on the market.

The cream absorbs quickly into the skin. It is a kind of tan/yellow color due to the licochalcone. It has a characteristic odor due to the combination of natural ingredients. This scent be a little strong when applying it, but it goes away completely in a matter of a minute or two.

My bottom line on it:

You guys know I am always completely honest. Well, here goes some more honesty…salicylic acid is not benzoyl peroxide, no matter what other performance ingredients you put in there. Benzoyl peroxide is our workhorse. It’s what will clear up acne completely when used within the Acne.org Regimen. However, I do think this salicylic acid is the best ever made if I do say so myself. It’s time released and is jam packed with other stuff that I think will really help. It’s absolutely everything I can possibly throw together to bump up salicylic acid’s effectiveness. I tried it myself for about six weeks. I used it in the morning and benzoyl peroxide at night, which was great because I could wear colored clothing during the day without worrying about bleaching anything. This regimen of sal acid in the morning and benzoyl peroxide at night kept me clear for the first four weeks or so, but then I started breaking out just a bit here and there. I prefer 100% perfect skin, so I went back to the full Acne.org Regimen with benzoyl peroxide twice a day.

Currently I keep some of this salicylic acid around and use it as a nighttime moisturizer when I’m in the mood. Because this salicylic acid is so soothing, I can use it with my benzoyl peroxide no problem.

My bottom, bottom line is really to wait until you guys give me feedback on it so we can all decide together how good this stuff is. At that point I’ll decide whether to keep making it.

Quick product update

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Salicylic Acid: I’m plodding along with this. Our manufacturer is back from vacation mid-month, so I hope to have something out in the month or two following.

SPF15 Moisturizer: I found a great formula, which is saying a lot. I’ve tried well over 50 samples–I’m pretty sure it’s actually over 60 but I lost count. At any rate, I am loving the latest formula and am just swapping out preservatives right now to get it nice and stable. Once it’s nailed down it takes a few months in FDA required stability tests, after which point I can fill.

The latest on products in the pipeline

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I still need to find out more specifics, but since I said I would post regarding the products, here’s what I know so far. Keep in mind that you never know what can pop up and get in the way of production, so the time lines are simply guesses and could vary widely.

8oz. Organic Jojoba Oil: Being filled today! I hope to have it for sale in the coming weeks/month.

6oz. AHA + lichochalcone: Finalizing artwork for labels. I’m hoping to get it filled next month and perhaps have it for sale in May or June. I can’t wait to get this out to you guys. I think it’s incredible.

6oz. Salicylic Acid + ingredients that calm and soothe acne-prone skin: We’re still pretty far off on this one. I’ve finished tweaking it to get it as perfect as I can. However, since I do not find salicylic acid as effective as benzoyl peroxide or alpha hydroxy acid, I am planning on releasing it in only a very limited amount to see what you guys think. I might not even put it on the store, and instead just let people know on the boards and on the blog where they can order it. Once, and if, we’ve decided we love it, I’ll make it in larger quantities.

Quick product updates

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New and Improved Moisturizer: After many iterations of our moisturizer with increased moisturizing ingredients (humectants) and with little improvement, I’ve decided the best way for us to move forward is to keep our current moisturizer just as it is minus the stearic acid. The stearic acid is only in the formulation at .4% however, so it will stay remarkably similar. So what do people do who want more moisturization? Add a few drops of jojoba oil. I do this myself from time to time if I want more moisturization on a particular day. I found us a fantastic local, organic jojoba supplier so I’ll be able to offer that in the coming months once I order bottles and get them filled. In the meantime, because I seem to be unable to stop myself :) , I’m working on another few moisturizer formulas with our chemists which will include alpha hydroxy acid. I’ll keep you posted on that.

SPF Moisturizer: I sampled a micronized titanium dioxide moisturizer because it is supposed to be “translucent”, but these words are really just thrown around. It is not translucent. It goes on white. The bottom line is we’re going to have to deal with some whitening if we want full spectrum protection. I’ve got several more samples coming my way.

Salicylic Acid: I am a little obsessive and decided to do further research on the best options for each of our ingredients, and changed a few things here and there. I should get sampled on the final batch Wednesday. I’m hoping it still has the great feel everyone loved when we tested it.

10% Glycolic: People are loving the glycolic so it is good to go. I gave the final OK and got pricing. It is eye-poppingly expensive to produce, but the product is pretty darn great. I’ll try to keep the price as low as I can. Buy a lot of it so we can keep prices low. :)

Organic Jojoba Oil: I just need to order bottles and caps and we’ll start filling. Bottles and caps take a couple of months to produce.