Alpha-H Liquid Gold Review

Hello beautiful ladies,

When I emptied this product earlier this month, I was going to just write it into my monthly empties post, however, after a bit of thought, I decided I wanted to do a full review for you all.

• ALPHA – H Liquid Gold with Glycolic Acid
• RRP – $59.95 from Adore Beauty (click here to buy).  It is also available at Sephora and Beauty Bay.

Suitable for? – All skin types can benefit from adding this product into their skincare routine, however, it was targeted at mature, sun damaged, prematurely ageing and acne-scarred skin. There are benefits for dry, oily, congested, dull and ageing skin, however, it may not be suitable for sensitive skin due to the high concentration of glycolic acid, though I have found a review that states its been great for her skin and she has sensitive skin.

Consistency? – Its a very watery consistency that is dispensed onto a cotton pad and wiped onto your face, neck and décolletage.

What are the claims? – This is the product description from the Alpha-H website:

‘Transform your skin with Liquid Gold, an award-winning revolutionary resurfacing treatment that uses a state of the art, low pH delivery system to effectively diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage. Praised by the beauty elite, our bestselling ‘cult’ product works like an ‘overnight facial’ to brighten and revitalise tired, ageing skin, and radically improve the appearance of the complexion. Clinical studies show that in just 20 minutes, Liquid Gold decreases wrinkle depth, improves texture and increases moisture within the skin.’

Ingredients? – Aqua, Alcohol Denat, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Silk, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxythanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract.

What does that mean? – I was a little shocked that alcohol was the second ingredient in this product, however, with some research, I’ve come across Alpha-H’s response to a review stating the same reservations:

‘On skins with an impaired barrier function, alcohol can be somewhat drying, but in properly formulated products it helps increase penetration of active ingredients. The skins barrier is made of external and internal components. On a skin with a healthy intact barrier, alcohol is used to remove thick oxidising triglycerides that make sticky sebum, this aids in the penetration of active ingredients. The alcohol evaporates before it can reach the internal barrier components of lovely ceramides and inter cellular lipids that keep your skin soft. The ingredient that causes the most damage and complete removal of the skin’s barrier is a foaming agent, this is why we recommend using Liquid Gold with a non-foaming cleanser. None of the Alpha-H cleansers contain foaming ingredients for this reason.

To formulate an AHA to have any effect on the skin it must be delivered to the skin in a low pH or unbuffered. Increasing pH reduces the AHA’s ability to penetrate or softens the formula.’

I’m going to expand on this by adding that this particular form of alcohol has been researched enough that it DOES dissolve the surface oil and dries out the skin, which weakens the protective barrier of the skin. However, the other ingredients in a product play a part in whether the alcohol has that effect.

If you aren’t a fan of alcohol in the top 5 ingredients, then I’d give this one a miss.

Is Alpha-H cruelty free? – This is a grey area – Alpha-H claims to be cruelty free but it doesn’t appear on either crueltyfreekitty.com or logicalharmony.net as being cruelty free. These girls email brands constantly to keep their lists updated of any changes to the cruelty free status of brands. On the other hand, Alpha-H doesn’t appear on any lists of companies that DO test on animals. As Alpha-H is an Australian company, I even checked on choosecrueltyfree.org.au and they aren’t listed there either, though the company does have to apply for accreditation.

Adore Beauty states that Alpha-H is cruelty free in that it doesn’t test on animals at all and that products are tested on staff, friends and family, plus trial teams before being released. I’m wondering whether the brand is stocked in China as to why its not showing up on these lists?

If anyone has any more information about the cruelty free status of Alpha-H, please let me know in the comments.

Scent? – There is definitely a strong alcohol scent to this product, though once its applied to a cotton pad and wiped onto my face, I can’t smell it at all.

My thoughts? – This is an interesting product which is why I decided to review it in depth. I bought a pack of 3 of these from Beauty Bay when they had a deal going with them and I’ve only finished one so I’ve got two more to use yet. I bought it based on a few raving reviews too so I had high hopes for it.

I’ve been using AHA’s in some form for years now so I knew my skin had no sensitivity issues however, there was a slight tingle the first few times I used it. I could imagine this tingle could be a bit worse if its your first time. I also decided to use it every third day for the first two weeks just in case I did experience any adverse reactions. I then moved to every second day and then 4-5 times a week with no adverse reactions. I woke up with soft, clear skin after using this on those nights. After about 4 weeks, my skin looked radiant, smooth and blemish free – probably the best its ever looked.

After three months of using this, I stopped using it a week before we went on holidays because of the increase in the skin’s sensitivity to the sun and me being over cautious that I may get burnt. It was while I WASN’T using this that I noticed the difference in my skin. After a week of not using it, my skin started to break out badly and I noticed the texture was no longer smooth. I also noticed some pigmentation that wasn’t there before.

(Please note that I was not burnt or even suntanned more than I usually would be in summer and I applied sunscreen religiously like I would at home.)

I was absolutely horrified that I had gone from smooth, blemish free skin to pigmented, dull and blemish prone skin in the space of a week with the only change being the dropping of an AHA from my routine. I can honestly say I won’t be doing that again any time soon.

Since I ‘ve been back, I’ve been trying to get my skin back to what it was, however, I’ve been using Dr Dennis Gross’ Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel as I had 10 days worth and thought I’d test them out on my less than ideal skin. I do think they have achieved better results than the Liquid Gold, but at $123 for 30 days worth, its not a long term option for me. Maybe once every 6 months, I’ll switch to those pads and inbetween, use the liquid gold.

How long does it last? – One bottle has lasted nearly three months, using it 4-5 times a week.

Pros

• A definite clearer complexion
• One bottle does last a long time
• Skin feels smoother and less textured
• Plays a small part in keeping blemishes at bay
• Helps to keep pigmentation from developing

Cons

• Cruelty free status isn’t clear
• Expensive
• Alcohol scent is strong
• Alcohol denat is the second ingredient

So, is it a necessity? I’m always hesitant to recommend expensive products as being a necessity because most of us have financial commitments that means we have to be a little cautious with how we spend our money. It is for this reason, and the fact that there are less expensive products on the market that make similar claims that I’m going to say no, its not. The scent is another factor for me too so even though I will finish the 6 months supply I still have of this, I won’t be repurchasing.

Have you tried this product? Or do you use an AHA product that works for you?

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Until next time,

Nyobie xx