A Totally Chill Peel — Discover AQUAREVEAL Satin Bright Water Peel For Face
If the word “face peel” makes you start taking giant panicked breaths, as your mind becomes flooded with images of Leatherface scraping off his victim’s faces in Texas Chainsaw Massacre and fears of developing a Freddy Krueger-like visage send shivers up and down your face, you are not alone. There’s something about the word “peel” that’s just frightening — at least when it’s not referencing fruits or veggies. Peeling an orange? Sure. Peeling an onion? Of course! Peeling a face? That just sounds insane. And yet here we are, discussing a face peel that’s not only a game-changer in terms of skin care but is completely mild and pain-free. See, a quality facial peel will simply slough away dead skin cells for a more thorough and intense exfoliation. It’s not actually burning through layers of supple, smooth, radiant skin. It’s not leaving your face raw or bloodied. It’s simply sweeping off all that debris that’s actually preventing your skin from looking its very best.
Now, admittedly, some facial peels can be incredibly harsh depending on the concentration of salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or retinol. I’ve had great experiences with the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel, and I’ve now found another favorite: the AQUAREVEAL Satin Bright Soft Water Peel For Face ($58 at Birchbox.com, SpaceNK.com, and Bloomingdales.com). As the “Aqua” part of its name might indicate, this is a water-based peel and it has a delightful gel-like consistency that’s refreshing and soothing.
How does it work? Well, after you cleanse your face and neck, while your skin is still damp (but not soaking wet), you apply a bit of the gel atop your face and massage it along different areas, using circular motions. As you do so, you’ll likely notice that you’ll start feeling what feels like tiny sticky beads or little gummy tapioca balls. That, as it turns out, are dead skin cells being sloughed right off your face. You can continue massaging the product on your face for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your skin’s tolerance and on the level of exfoliation needed, and then rinse off. The whole experience is fast and painless, and you’ll be amazed by how smooth your skin looks, how luminous and youthful it appears.
Usually, even the mildest peels involve some degree of discomfort (and a few minutes of restless foot-tapping as you count down the seconds until you can rinse the product off), but there’s none of that with the AQUAREVEAL. In fact, it’s gentler than any mechanical facial exfoliant I’ve tried (and by mechanical exfoliants, I’m referring to those scrubs with grainy substances like pumpkin seeds, ground-up coffee seeds, crushed dates, and so forth). I haven’t experienced any redness, unpleasant tingling, burning, or irritation of any kind during or after each session — and I’ve been using this product for months now.
So what makes AQUAREVEAL so unique? Well, first, there’s the water base, which really helps leaps and bounds in terms of gentleness, but every ingredient in the formula serves a purpose. The product contains no sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances or dyes, or phtalates, and it’s 100% vegan, with 95% of the ingredients being all-natural. Here’s a run-down of exactly what’s in this peel and why it’s beneficial to the skin!
Water — In addition to yielding a lighter and more fluid consistency, a water-based skincare product such as this one has the benefit of being quickly absorbed by the skin and of not triggering any breakouts (as oil-based products sometimes can).
Orange water — Extracted from the bitter orange fruit, this water is not only soothing but it also works as a gentle tonic, helping the skin reach its optimal moisture balance. Apparently, Marie Antoinette applied orange water to her face every single day!
Sage leaf extract — This herbal remedy has conditioning properties as well as anti-microbial benefits (which some attribute to its thujone content), so that it can help to eliminate any potential acne breakouts. Moreover, sage contains flavonoids that have antioxidant benefits (some actually absorb the sun’s UVB rays and functioning as a sunscreen, protecting the skin from photoaging).
Rosemary leaf extract — This herbal extract is often used in products aimed at eradicating acne or balancing oily skin because of its impressive astringent properties. Rosemary extract manages to control sebum production without going so far as to dry out the skin. But there’s more! Rosemary extract helps to stimulate circulation, which in turn leads to the skin cells functioning at a faster rate and producing all those collagen and elastin fibroblasts needed to keep skin firm and bouncy.
Aloe leaf juice — It’s hydrating, calming, soothing, and pretty much as great an anti-inflammatory as they come!
Hyaluronic acid — One of the most popular ingredients in skincare, hyaluronic acid has the power to hold and bind up to 1,000 times its weight in water, making it a formidable humectant. Those of us with dry skin, then, will always relish seeing this ingredient!
Oligopeptide-68 — Designed to purify the complexion and brighten skin tone, Oligopeptide-68 is typically comprised 12 amino acids such as glycine, leucine, tyrosine, serine, threonine, glutamine, and arginine. Its genius lies in its ability to inhibit tyrosinase, the enzyme that produces melanin and is the culprit of hyperpigmentation (otherwise known as dark spots or manchas). This is actually one of the most effective skin brighteners I’ve ever come across since its liposomes are time-released so that the peptide continues working long after you apply it.
Hydrogenated lecithin — Lecithin is a phospholipid which, in strictly scientific terms means that it’s a naturally occurring substance that surfaces when the diglycerides of stearic, palmitic and oleic acids (those fatty acids we often hear rattled off when discussing anti-aging products) link to the choline ester of phosphoric acid. Lecithin is typically found in a variety of foods such as egg yolks, soybeans, milk, yogurt, salmon, black beans, corn and peanuts. It’s also normally found in our skin cells — in fact, it’s the primary lipid component of our skin cell membranes — and it plays an important role in cellular metabolism. Skin cell membranes are particularly vulnerable to damage from free radicals and environmental toxins and, once the phospholipids in these membranes are damaged, skin cells are marching towards death. Applying lecithin, then, can help to restore those damaged phospholipids and retain the integrity of cell membranes. In other words, it can help to keep skin moisturized, unblemished, and wrinkle-free. Now, lecithin in skin care products is typically derived from either soybean or sunflower seeds, but it’s unclear what the source of the substance is in this case.
Licorice root extract — This ingredient, also known as dipotasisum glycyrrhizate, improves the appearance of dry and damaged skin, removing any rough patches and restoring a smoother surface. Moreover, it’s been shown to help brighten the skin as it inhibits the skin’s tyrosinase activity (and, as a result, stops these enzymes from producing the melanin that winds up as pesky dark spots),
Sodium Oleate — This is a natural surfactant that’s a sodium salt of oleic acid.
C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer — This sytnhethic substance may have a scary-sounding name, but fear not: it’s merely a polymer with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups that allow for both water and oil solubility.
Still with me?
So, basically, I ran down the list of ingredients since it’s always important to know as much as possible about what you’re applying to your skin — remember, your skin is an organ! What’s striking here is that there aren’t any of those effective (albeit potentially irritating AHAs and BHAs) and yet this peel does deliver all the desired results, eliminating dead skin cells that can leave skin dry and dull, making the complexion more radiant, and creating an almost slippery-smooth surface. Now, it’s not designed to simulate collagen or elastin production per se but, as we all know, a proper exfoliation is key in kickstarting these processes. Moreover, the hyaluronic acid in the formula will instantly make the skin appear plumper so that wrinkle depth is reduced and fine lines aren’t quite as visible.
I started out using this product for 45 seconds two nights per week and I now apply it for about 75 seconds 3 times a week. The results I’ve seen are fantastic — all without any enzymes, acids, or grainy exfoliants.
Try this product out and the term “facial peel” may never frighten you again!
