Skin Functional 30% Amino Hydroxy Complex Exfoliating Serum
A serum with 22 ingredients, including AHA.
Overview
What it is
Serum with 22 ingredients that contains AHA
Cool Features
It is vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe
Suited For
It has ingredients that are good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture
Free From
It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
Fun facts
Skin Functional is from South Africa. This product is used in 1 routines created by our community.
We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.
What's inside
Ingredients List
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
BufferingArginine
MaskingLactic Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylamide
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningC13-14 Isoparaffin
EmollientOctanediol
Lysine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantAspartic Acid
MaskingThreonine
Serine
MaskingGlutamic Acid
HumectantLaureth-7
EmulsifyingProline
Skin ConditioningGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingPhenylalanine
MaskingCysteine
AntioxidantKey Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Explained
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterGlycolic Acid is arguably the most famous alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) with tons of research backing its benefits.
It is found naturally in sugar cane but the form used in skincare is usually synthetic for purity and stability.
Glycolic acid removes the top layer of dead skin cells to allow newer and fresher ones to emerge.
AHAs work by breaking down the structural âglueâ that holds old skin cells in place. When that buildup is gone, your skin can renew itself more efficiently.
Research also shows glycolic acid stimulates collagen production, helping to firm and thicken the skin over time. This is one of its biggest advantages over other AHAs.
Overall, glycolic acid helps with:
Fun fact: Glycolic acid boosts skin hydration by helping it produce molecules that increase hyaluronic acid naturally.
To work best, glycolic acid products should have a pH between 3-4 (thatâs where exfoliation is most effective but still gentle on skin).
The pH and concentration of a product are key to its effectiveness:
It is normal to feel a slight stinging sensation when using glycolic acid. This usually fades as your skin adjusts.
Because glycolic acid has the smallest molecular size in the AHA family, it can penetrate deeper, which enhances its effectiveness but also makes it more likely to irritate sensitive skin.
If your skin is very sensitive or prone to rosacea, glycolic acid may be too strong; in that case, try milder options like lactic acid or a PHA instead.
Recent studies suggest glycolic acid might even help protect against UV damage. But donât skip sunscreen! Freshly exfoliated skin is more sensitive to the sun.
Glycolic acid is a skincare superstar. It smooths, brightens, hydrates, and firms the skin. Unless youâre highly sensitive, itâs well worth adding to your routine.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Glycolic AcidArginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.
As a cosmetic ingredient, Arginine has antioxidant properties and can also help repair damaged skin. This ingredient is derived either synthetically or from animals.
Arginine isn't fungal acne safe when used in the presence of other lipids (fats, fatty acids, oils, esters, etc). Oils and fats occur naturally within the skin, so take caution when using Arginine if you're prone to fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineLactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the âglueâ that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they donât penetrate as deeply. This means theyâre less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skinâs microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxidePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPolyacrylamide is a synthetic polymer. It is used to stabilize products and bind ingredients. When hydrated, Polyacrylamide forms a soft gel.
Polyacrylamide is low-toxicity. If source properly, it is deemed safe to use in cosmetics.
It should be noted the precursor to Polyacrylamide is acrylamide. Acrylamide is a carcinogen. Most reputable sources of Polyacrylamide will screen for residual acrylamide to make sure the count is in a safe range. Acrylamide is not able to be absorbed through the skin.
We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Learn more about Polyacrylamide1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
This ingredient is also known as "C13-14 Isoalkane".
C13-14 Isoparaffin is created from petroleum-based mineral oils. It is an emollient and helps thicken a product.
As an emollient, it helps keep the skin soft and smooth by creating a barrier on top. This barrier traps moisture in, keeping the skin hydrated.
C13-14 Isoparaffin may not be fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about C13-14 IsoparaffinWe don't have a description for Octanediol yet.
Lysine is an essential amino acid. Your body is unable to produce it naturally and we mainly get lysine from food sources.
Our bodies use lysine for growth and tissue repair. The skin uses amino acids as a precursor for building protein, and therefore keratins, collagen and elastin.
Histidine is a semi-essential amino acid used by our bodies to create protein. It has humectant and skin conditioning properties.
Our bodies use histidine to create filaggrin - filaggrin is a structural protein that the skin uses in maintaining skin barrier.
One study found histidine and carnosine to be a dynamic duo for your skin:
Oral histidine has also been found to help with filaggrin-deficit skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis.
Why is it considered a semi-essential amino acid? This is because adults are able to create it but children must get it from their diet.
Learn more about HistidineAspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.
Our body uses Aspartic Acid to help build collagen and elastin. It also plays a role in hydrating skin.
Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.
Our skin uses threonine for creating collagen and elastin. Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.
Serine is an amino acid naturally found in our body. Our bodies use amino acids to create protein.
Amino-acids help give keep our skin hydrated. They play an important role in the skin barrier, which keeps the skin plump and firm.
Serine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning we don't need to obtain it from eating foods.
Learn more about SerineGlutamic Acid is an amino acid that is found in all living organisms. Our bodies use this to help nerve cells in the brain communicate with other cells.
In cosmetics, glutamic acid is a famous humectant. It draws water from the air to your skin, keeping your skin hydrated (like hyaluronic acid).
An in-vitro study from 2024 found glutamic acid to play a role in inhibiting inflammation and thus a potential skin-soothing ingredient.
Other studies show it to be have potential wound healing, skin barrier repair, and hair growth properties.
Glutamic acid has poor solubility in water and other solvents.
Learn more about Glutamic AcidLaureth-7 is created by the ethoxylation of lauryl alcohol using ethylene oxide. Lauryl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with hydrating properties.
This ingredient is an emulsifier and cleansing ingredient. As an emulsifier, it is used to prevent ingredients from separating. It also helps cleanse the skin by gathering dirt, oil, and pollutants to be rinsed away.
Proline is an amino-acid. It helps moisturize the skin and plays an important role in creating proteins.
Our skin uses proline as one of the building blocks for producing collagen.
In medicine, proline is used as an osmoprotectant. This means it helps prevent oxidative degradation in other drugs.
Our bodies are able to produce proline naturally, but certain conditions may inhibit this production. In that case, proline can be obtained from eating egg whites, soy protein, dairy products, asparagus, mushrooms, and seaweed.
Learn more about ProlineThis ingredient is an amino acid that helps build proteins and moisturizes skin. It is already present in our skin as our bodies produce them naturally.
Glycine already plays a role in helping keep our skin moisturized as amino acids transport moisture throughout our skin.
As collagen is made up of glycine and other amino acids, it is believed glycine may help our skin produce more collagen.
Learn more about GlycineAlanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body. Our skin uses alanine to build collagen, elastin, and keratin.
Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.
This ingredient is also used to help even out skin tone due to its ability to disrupt the melanin production process.
Two structures of phenylalanine exist: L-phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine. L-phenylalanine is essential, this means our bodies cannot produce it naturally and we must get it from foods. Our bodies convert D-phenylalanine to neurotransmitters, and D-phenylalanine is found in our bodies naturally.
Some foods that contain L-phenylalanine include eggs, soybeans, beef, milk.
Learn more about PhenylalanineCysteine is an amino acid found in our bodies. It becomes an antioxidant when converted into gluthatione.
Once it becomes gluthatione, it prevents oxidative damage to parts of our cell. Gluthatione has also been shown to protect our skin from UV-B induced damage.
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Where it's from
Skin Functional is a South African brand
We're dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date and science-backed ingredient info out there.
The data we've presented on this page has been verified by a member of the SkinSort Team.
Read more about us· Updated August 20, 2024 • Added by ZintleDube_490