Alpha Skin Care Intensive Rejuvinating Serum 14% Glycolic AHA

I use this at least 3x a week and I love, love, love it.

Me: 47 next month. A few shallow wrinkles around my eyes, no acne, and some (a half dozen or so) brown spots from not knowing about Asian/Euro sunscreens and high PPD until a few years ago. I also have mild melasma near my ears on my lower cheeks, and melasma is a curse.

It will fade your sun spots nicely, but melasma is a tougher. It does take everything down a level or two, but it's not a high enough % to really fade them in a dramatic way.

I recommend this to everyone over 35 or so, but you must use a heavy duty high PPD sunscreen. And I'd recommend easing into it - once a week, then twice a week, and so on. I can use it daily but I baby my skin otherwise - no Retin A, oil cleansing with regular coconut oil, and a low pH cleanser.

It is as thin as water and you need to be careful when you pump it out. I try to pump it onto my fingers but it doesn't quite work - it's better to do it into the palm of your hand and then spread it around with your fingertips. One pump should be enough for most people, but most nights I use two.

I will use this until I'm dead. Honestly.

This is an excellent lightweight serum used to combat fine lines and wrinkles and to improve skin texture and clarity.

Price: I bought this, at 2 ounces for $19, on Amazon. Compared to the last AHA serum I was using (at $90 for 1oz), it's a steal.

Packaging: Air tight bottle with a pump. Perfectly adequate

Product: I have been using AHA's on my skin for a few years: Neostrata Level 2, Neostrata Level 3, Peter Thomas Roth, Drunk Elephant and Paula's Choice (I have reviews on all except the PC, which did nothing for me). I was burning through the $90 / ounce stuff too quickly, even with only 1 pump a night. This is slightly more watery than the last serum I used, but the effects are similar--apply in the evening after washing and in the morning, my skin feels smoother, clearer and brighter. 14% is a fairly high formulation of AHA, and I definitely get a slight tingle the first minute or so following application, but nothing unbearable. Definitely do not start with this if you have never used AHA's on your skin before--the Neostrata Level 2 Smoothing lotion, at 10%, is a good beginner product, I think: easy on the wallet, easy to start slow with application and results fairly quickly. I think this product is an excellent choice for those who have been around AHA's for awhile and have a hard time justifying the much higher price point of some similar products.

Omg!!!!! I super love this stuff! This is what keeps me from breaking out! I buy several bottles every time I go to Ulta! This is worth a try if you break out in your 40s!

Amazing forget every other product, if you could onlyhave one product for your skin this is the one! Use night and day before moisturising and after 2 weeks my skin is gleaming! It feels plumper, more hydrated and dont need as much moisturiser, my skin tone is more even and all out breaks have cleared up. My skin looks and feels younger, this serum encourages your skin to renew its self faster and encourages collagen production. Love this hit dont forget to protect your new fresh skin with a high spf, I recommend rosay poche face mist spf 50 💋

Oily, break-out prone skin beware! If I wasn't so sensitive to Sodium Hyaluronate, I would love this. I stopped using this on my face because I started breaking-out, I got large closed-comedones on my forehead, which was strange.

I think this would be great for dry skin, because my skin felt extra hydrated in the morning after using this at night, but it did leave a greasy residue on my skin.

I prefer the Aqua Glycolic toner (renamed Mederma, I think?) It has very few ingredients, doesn't clog my skin, and is ideal for oily skin IMO.

I've been using Alpha products since they hit the market over two decades ago (when they were Alpha Hydrox) and the very first AHAs on the market. It's been a staple in my routine ever since, and you can look at my pics to see what this, strong sunscreen, and a few other potions (primarily Paula's Choice serums) have done for a 45 yo smoker (the b&w pic does have airbrushing, I'll admit, if anyone looks) who has never had a chemical peel, been in a tanning bed, or had any plastic surgery. I'm proof it's THE Holy Grail product along with a properly pH'd BHA, which declogs pores & prevents blackheads.

I use this first, then a BHA (unless my skin needs me to ease off, which happens in cold weather), a serum, Olay Total Effects 7 in the pump container (best deal for a whopping dose of skin-repairing niacinamide), and maybe Cerave Healing Ointment or vaseline under my eyes, around my mouth and along my nose.

If that's too much for you, by all means make this one the start of your nightly routine followed by whatever potion you like. It exfoliates skin, thus turning cells over faster & reducing fine lines, pores, imperfections & discolorations. It takes skin six weeks to turn over, so don't expect immediate results from anything not prescribed by a doctor. It will sting at first application, and this may subside for you, or you may be like me and forever experience at least an initial tingle.

WARNING: if you're new to using AHAs, I strongly recommend beginning with a 8-10% AHA solution because 14% is almost the strongest you can go without a prescription. It's easy to go overboard & end up causing more harm than good, then blaming the product. Gentle is always the key, as you can always build up but not build down.

Holy Grail. I am on my fourth bottle. Helps combat my fine lines and acne. My skin looks rejuvenated. I wish everyone knew about alpha hydrox! This is very lightweight and watery, I apply in the evening and wake up looking fresh. I wish I knew about this product a long time ago. Make sure you use sunscreen, this will make your skin more sensitive to the sun. This product is incredibly cheap in comparison to almost every other serum. I purchase via amazon. Will use as long as it is available.

I'm on my third or fourth bottle of this serum. It has quality ingredients, the price is amazingly low and it is effective. I use it most nights before I moisturize. It keeps my skin looking clear, fresh and tight. I LOVE this line and have been a faithful customer of this brand for years! Even when I stray, I always come back!

I'm a big fan of Alpha Hydrox 12% Souffle (now called Alpha Enhanced Revitalizing Skin Cream), and was excited to try the serum. The old name is Alpha Hydrox Intensive Serum, and it came in a bottle with a flip-top cap. The new version is the same formula, new name Alpha Intensive Rejuvinating Serum, and it comes in a pump, which is a great packaging improvement. The product is water-like in consistency, a bit slippery which helps in spreading it over skin. It is fragrance free, but has a slight vinegar-like scent which I've noticed with most AHA products. I use bare hands to apply it--I put a few drops in my cupped hand, quickly rub my hands together and glide it over my skin.

For my face, I only use AHA around 3 times a week at night, and alternate other nights with a low concentration prescription Retin-A. There is no doubt that the Alpha products are effective as I had smoother skin overnight when I first started using them, and I continue to enjoy clear, radiant skin with regular use. AHA was a great addition to my routine, and as a plus, it eliminated the flaking problem I had from Retin-A. There is also solid research showing that AHA does provide skin repair and improvement over time, which is a potent anti-aging perk!

Having said that, for use on my face, I found the 14% AHA concentration to be a little too much, even after working up to it with the Alpha 12% skin cream. On my body, it has been superlative, and I've been able to use it daily. When applied on my upper arms, it keeps my KP in check better than any other product I've tried. When used on my hands before hand cream, it smooths rough patches, even around the knuckles. I think it would also be great on other thickened areas on the body such as elbows, knees and feet, although I haven't tried that yet.

All the Alpha products are fairly priced, although not widely available. I have only seen them in one local store, and they do not carry the full line. However, the company does have a very nice web site and online store, so the products can be easily mail ordered. Many of the formulae are simple, but all are balanced to the correct pH to optimize effectiveness. The company is open about publishing their ingredients, so it is easy to check for the right product before purchasing. I really can't say enough good things about Alpha and their AHA products. I'm a customer for life!

One thing to beware of--if using AHA, make sure it is not applied to broken skin, or it will burn! Small cuts, chapped areas, etc., must be mostly healed to avoid irritation. Also, AHA makes skin more sensitive to sun damage, so it is imperative to wear sun screen daily.

I tried this out first time last night. Mind you, I have used 10% AHA from PC nightly with no negative reaction, so I decided to bump it up as I have liked the effect of 10% on reduction of my acne/blocked pores and making my skin smooth. I still do have a couple that needs to be taken care of, so I decided to try this. Besides it's a bit cheaper than PC, so an alternative would be great. PC Aus about $60 (sometimes free shipping), I got this around $25 + $6 (3 day shipping).
First of all, this has a liquid watery consistency, just like the PC 10%. It absorbs quickly, no stickiness. No stinging/redness for me. In the morning, my skin is nice and smooth. I had a pimple forming last night and I couldn't pop it. So I put this on and waited for a few hours before putting on e.l.f zit zapper on the spot very liberally (yes it did sting but bearable). In the morning I could pop it easily!
Secondly, this also has a pretty good pH (4) to do its job effectively. The lower the better though and 4 is the upper range of where it needs to be effective. So I do tone with diluted ACV before putting this on, hopefully to increase its effectiveness too. So far, I'm happy to report that it does its job without causing irritation.

Update 15/3/16. Dropped one lippy. I'm not sure about this now as I do get random pimples (even blind pimples) and oily dehydrated forehead. I have to patch test this to a specific area to confirm this. PC 10% AHA never caused this problem if I remember right. Not sure if it's because different strength or due a reaction from other ingredients as they quite differ. I will use both PC and this on different parts of my face and will see which one I like better