Alpha Hydroxy Acids (also known as AHA’s) are chemicals that occur naturally in fruits, milk and sugar, but don’t be fooled by the natural description as 99% of AHA’s used in cosmetics are synthetic. AHA’s are used in cosmetics & skincare products for a variety of purposes; from smoothing fine lines and surface wrinkles, improving skin texture and tone, unblocking and cleansing pores and to adjust the PH level in skin. But it really all depends on the concentration that the AHA’s are used at. At a low concentration they work as a water binding agent, at a higher concentration they are used to exfoliate skin cells. AHA’s exfoliate by causing the surface of the skin to shed (they break down the substance the glues skin cells together). Beware as AHA’s are notorious skin irritants, as they slough off skin they make it more susceptible to irritation and UV damage. A US study found that users of AHA’s had an increased sensitivity to UV and that on average UV induced cellular damage doub...