Citric Acid

This is an automatic translation

Citric Acid is an organic acid that at room temperature appears as a white crystalline powder. It is naturally present in our body as a biochemical intermediate in the so-called "citric acid cycle". As for the plant world, it is contained in particular within Citrus Fruits, in which it is often found in high concentrations.

In the food sector it is added as an additive to foods and drinks due to its preservative, flavoring and acidifying properties.

It is part of the so-called alpha-hydroxy acids, natural acids derived from foods, also known as fruit acids or AHAs, known for their exfoliating, smoothing and anti-aging action. By removing the layer of dead cells present on our epidermis, AHAs allow better absorption of active ingredients and functional substances and therefore act as enhancers of our beauty routine.

On a therapeutic level it has antioxidant and antibacterial properties. For this reason it can be found in products used as adjuvants in case of acne, in sunscreens and, combined with other AHAs, in chemical peels.

Citric acid is often used in cosmetics as a pH regulator. Furthermore, in the cosmetic field, it has an important property: it acts as a chelating agent. It reacts and forms complexes with metal ions going to subtract them from the cosmetic formulation itself, this because the metal ions could affect the stability and / or appearance of the product. It is added in the aqueous phase of cosmetic formulations with a very low concentration. Compared to glycolic acid, one of the best known AHAs, citric acid performs a more delicate and gradual exfoliating action and for this reason it can be easily tolerated even by the most sensitive skin.

The citric acid you find in our AHA peeling is obtained from Sicilian lemon extract.