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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

You can change your skin’s destiny.™

PRODUCT REVIEW: SWEET SPOT BUFF & BRIGHTEN BODY EXFOLIATING PADS – BEST NATURAL DEODORANT WITH GLYCOLIC ACID

PRODUCT REVIEW: SWEET SPOT BUFF & BRIGHTEN BODY EXFOLIATING PADS – BEST NATURAL DEODORANT WITH GLYCOLIC ACID

SWEET SPOT | BUFF & BRIGHTEN BODY EXFOLIATING PADS

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Catch my full review of natural deodorants with Glycolic Acid in my full blog article titled, Skincare Hacks: Glycolic Acid is the Natural Deodorant that Works! You can catch the full piece here.

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect AHA deodorants! As you know, I’m a huge fan of using glycolic acid as my daily deodorant and have been doing so for more than three years now.

I prefer to simply pour a glycolic acid toner into my palms and pat my underarms. But I know a lot of people don’t prefer to do that. They want something more convenient — like a disposable wipe.

The issue with glycolic exfoliating wipes is that they’re usually too expensive to use them as a deodorant. Think about the most popular acid wipes — the Alpha Beta Peels from renowned New York dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross. At $88 for 30 wipes, they’re almost $3 each. No one is going to pay $3 each day for deodorant.

But guess what!

I found what is perhaps the most cost-effective glycolic acid wipe for use as deodorant! The Sweet Spot Labs Buff & Brighten Body Exfoliating Pads are just $30 for 50 wipes! That’s just sixty cents each.


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What is Glycolic Acid?

There is an insightful article from the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, Glycolic Acid: What It Is and Why You Should Use It. In it, the experts expound on the many superb benefits of Glycolic Acid for the skin.

Glycolic Acid Benefits

Using an exfoliant with glycolic acid for your face results in a brighter, more even toned complexion. Like all AHAs, glycolic acid works by helping turn over spent cells on skin’s surface.

This type of exfoliation addresses numerous skin concerns, including sun damage, uneven tone, rough, flaky patches of skin, fine lines, and wrinkles. In higher concentrations, glycolic acid can even improve the look of deeper wrinkles.

Studies also show that glycolic acid significantly increases skin’s hydration. It does this by helping skin make substances like mucopolysaccharides, which help skin stay hydrated by increasing its natural content of hyaluronic acid, which in turn enhances skin’s resilience.

One exciting new note about glycolic acid: emerging research shows it might even protect skin against UV damage (in addition to reducing its damaging after-effects), though more studies need to be done and of course it doesn’t replace the need for sunscreen. Still, it’s a promising development!

Glycolic acid occurs naturally in sugar cane, but is most effective when synthesized in a lab, where its potency and concentration are optimized for use in skin care. Using plant sugars, like sugar maple, for their glycolic acid content is an option, but the bulk of the research on glycolic acid’s benefits for skin is about the synthetic form, because this type can be optimized for effectiveness, purity, stability, and pH, all critical to getting effective glycolic acid products.

Originally a wild-harvested Mediterranean plant, blue tansy — which is actually yellow in color — is now cultivated mainly in Morocco. When the flower’s popularity in beauty products surged, it was harvested almost out of existence in the wild. Today, supplies are steadily increasing, but it’s still one of the more expensive essential oils. A 2-ounce bottle may cost more than $100. 

The blooms of Tanacetum annuum are yellow. Its slender leaves are covered with a fine white “fur.” The oil has a sweet, herbal fragrance due to its high camphor content.


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Of course, Sweet Spot didn’t create their Buff & Brighten pads to use them as an underarm deodorant. There’s still only a single brand that does — Surface Deep. But, the Buff & Brighten pads are quite literally the most convenient and affordable. They come 50 to a jar and the larger size pad is enough for both underarms.

You can certainly use them as intended, too, to exfoliate the body. They’re specifically formulated to smooth ingrown hairs, razor bumps and irritation — and for “brightening the shadows and darkness associated with repeated shaving on your underarms, bikini area or legs.” By my estimate, there’s about a 7% concentration of exfoliating glycolic acid.

What a find!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Sweet Spot Labs Buff & Brighten Body Exfoliating Pads for $30 here.


The Ingredient List of the Sweet Spot Labs Buff & Brighten Body Exfoliating Pads:

Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hammamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel Water, Alcohol, Ethanol, Glycolic Acid, Panthenol, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Allantoin, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Leaf Extract, Caprylyl/ Capryl Glucoside, Potassium Hydroxide, Propanediol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance.

KPS ESSENTIALS FLIGHT OF MASKS – BEST FACE MASKS FOR DRY SKIN, BEST FACE MASKS FOR OILY SKIN

KPS ESSENTIALS FLIGHT OF MASKS – BEST FACE MASKS FOR DRY SKIN, BEST FACE MASKS FOR OILY SKIN

PRODUCT REVIEW: THE INKEY LIST CAFFEINE EYE SERUM - BEST EYE CREAM FOR PUFFINESS

PRODUCT REVIEW: THE INKEY LIST CAFFEINE EYE SERUM - BEST EYE CREAM FOR PUFFINESS