The Difference Between AHAs and BHAs and How to Use Them

The Difference Between AHAs and BHAs and How to Use Them

Have you met our NEW Bom Dia Bright Body Routine? Bom Dia Bright™ Clarifying AHA BHA Body Wash and Bom Dia Body Scrub have joined our best-selling Bom Dia Bright Body Cream to create a full-body retexturizing and brightening routine, designed for KP and acne-prone bodies for smooth, radiant skin.

What are AHAs and BHAs?

You might be wondering: What are AHAs and BHAs, and what do they do for skin? The powerhouse ingredients behind these products are exfoliants, which are mechanical or chemical agents that are applied to the skin to remove dead cells from the skin’s surface.

Why should you exfoliate?

Why exfoliate, you ask? Exfoliation is important because dead skin cells can accumulate and clog pores, causing rough texture and a dull, uneven skin tone. By sloughing off dead cells, skin is renewed and pores can breathe easier, resulting in a clearer tone and fewer blemishes. However, if you over-exfoliate, you can make matters worse and leave skin irritated and rough. Therefore, it’s important to know your exfoliating ingredients and how they should be used for happy, rejuvenated skin.

Physical vs. chemical exfoliation

When you first think of exfoliation, you probably think of physical scrub ingredients like salt, sugar, or microbeads, which remove loose cells from the surface of the skin through mechanical action. Physical exfoliants are certainly effective, however they can be harsh if they are used improperly. Bom Dia Body Scrub uses crushed Passion Fruit Seeds, hydrated silica, and was beads its physical exfoliants, which are effective at providing powerful yet gentle sloughing for rough, congested skin. Products containing physical exfoliants should be used 1-2 times a week for smooth skin minus the irritation.

Other, lesser-known exfoliation ingredients are chemical exfoliants—including AHAs and BHAs. There are multiple types of chemical exfoliant ingredients, but they work in a similar way: by dissolving the proteins that hold dead skin cells together. Once the dead cells are “loosened” by the ingredient, they’re much easier to buff or wash away. Chemical exfoliants (when used at low concentrations like they are in our Bom Dia products) are a bit gentler than physical scrubs, and they can be used more often. Types of chemical exfoliants include AHAs like lactic, glycolic, and malic acids; fruit enzymes such as papaya, mango, pineapple; and BHAs, such as salicylic and tropic acids.

Can you use AHA and BHA every day?

The three products in our Bom Dia routine were specifically designed to work together with a blend of physical and chemical exfoliants to retexturize skin for brighter, smoother-looking skin without irritation.

  1. Bom Dia Bright Body Wash
    This daily body wash includes fruit-derived AHAs (from Mango and Banana) which help promote cell turnover and instantly refresh skin. Vegan Lactic Acid (an AHA) sweeps away surface cells while promoting cell turnover for smooth, rejuvenated skin. Finally, Salicylic Acid, a BHA, helps dissolve pore-clogging oil and debris for clearer-looking skin.
  2. Bom Dia Body Scrub
    Like a facial for your entire body, this treatment scrub uses both physical and chemical exfoliants to instantly retexturize skin. A 10% AHA BHA Resurfacing Complex includes Glycolic & Lactic Acids to exfoliate dead skin and build-up while supporting cell turnover. Salicylic Acid helps clarify pores, and Crushed Maracujá Seeds gently slough away dead skin and debris loosened by the chemical exfoliants, leaving skin polished and naturally glowing.
  3. Bom Dia Bright Body Cream
    Our best-selling Bom Dia Bright Body Cream is powered by chemical exfoliants for gentle sloughing. Fruit AHAs derived from mango and banana help promote cell turnover. As surface cells are swept away, fresh, new, radiant skin comes to the surface for a silky, smoother feel.

Ready to have your best, brightest day? Shop the full collection now!