Chemical exfoliants like retinoids (Retin-A, tazorac, etc.), alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid, lactic acid), and salicylic acid, can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Be extra aware of sun protection if you are using any of these products.

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.

Chemical exfoliants like retinoids (Retin-A, tazorac, etc.), alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid, lactic acid), and salicylic acid, can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Be extra aware of sun protection if you are using any of these products.

I forgot to mention in video, if you want more info on the Salicylic Acid, click on the yellow human bean on the bottom of DanielKern.com.

Filling you guys in on today’s developments

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.

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.

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.

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.

Brandy let me know that a bunch of people are asking her what’s up with the new products. Here’s a quick update:

New and Improved Moisturizer: I got a new sample with the addition of twice the jojoba (10%) and lichochalcone (powerful anti-inflammatory, imparts yellow color). We removed stearic acid and are in the process of switching out the preservatives (to reduce any possible sting). I tried the latest sample and it is great, but I wouldn’t mind it being even more moisturizing. Therefore, we are adding an extra humectant (perhaps MP Diol) and I will try that sample soon. RELEASE DATE: Several months away. COST: Hopefully the same.

SPF Moisturizer: I tried another sample of a zinc oxide based SPF. We may be between a rock and a hard place with the SPF. I am committed to zinc oxide for its broad spectrum support, but it goes on white, and can sometimes leave the skin feeling a bit tight. I asked them to bump up the humectants again, and add more jojoba to the mix. They’ll resample me on this soon. RELEASE DATE: Your guess is as good as mine. COST: The same as the non-SPF moisturizer.

Salicylic Acid: Stability testing will be completed in early November. If it passes, we’ll print labels and put it into production at that time. RELEASE DATE: A couple/few months. PRICE: Probably about the same as the benzoyl peroxide, perhaps a bit more.

10% Glycolic: I sent out a bunch of samples to the moderators. If they approve of it, I’ll put it into production. I am in love with it. RELEASE DATE: A few months. PRICE: Probably about the same as the moisturizer.

Organic Jojoba Oil: Our testers are liking it and so am I. I am getting clear bottle samples in the mail hopefully early this week, and I’m trying to finalize what kind of cap they should have. RELEASE DATE: A few months. PRICE: Organic Jojoba is very expensive but as always I will try to keep the price as low as I possibly can.

Also, we are going to small/medium/large for all of our products. Everything will now be in 2oz. (trial and travel size), 8oz. (medium size), and 16oz. (bulk size). Acne.org will be much more open in the future to different people’s regimens, so having small/medium/large will allow everyone to mix and match as needed for whichever regimen they choose. The products will all be in curved bottles instead of tubes, and have really cool looking new packaging that Paul, Kent, Joel and I have been working on. I hope you like the new look. I promise I’ll try to stick with this look for a while.