Time For Pore Care - Neulii BHA PHA 5.5 Peeling Pads Review

When you hear word acid then you probably think of a painful treatment or something dangerous but not every acid is bad. Some acids are good for your skin and you can even use them at some. Neulii BHA PHA 5.5 Peeling Pads are one of the most popular BHA treatments from Korea among bloggers, I honestly don't know any other brands than COSRX and Neulii having such a huge popularity of BHA treatment in online media. Are peeling pads really as good as people find them?

BHA or BHA?

In skincare, BHA can mean two different things - BHA as Butylated Hydroxyanisole or BHA as β-hydroxy acid. The difference between them is huge. Butylated Hydroxyanisole is not only a cosmetic preservative but it's also a food additive that might be carcinogenic - it was tested on animals! So we can't really know how bad it can be for humans but still, it's a strong allergen so that's why you can barely ever see it in skincare. Somehow people mess it up and they think that BHA stands only for Butylated Hydroxyanisole while in fact, the other BHA is a good homie. β-hydroxy acid is a good boy which we want in skincare, but you won't find it under the name BHA in your skincare, it's hidden under the name Salicylic Acid. Some people might be allergic to Salicylic Acid but still, the majority of us is not allergic to it. Besides BHA acids there are two other types of acids - AHA and PHA. 

Minimalism inside and out

Before we start talking about PHA and formula let me tell you something about the design. Neulii decided to focus on minimalism. You thought that millennial pink is going to sell the best? Wrong! Minimalism is even more popular and the design of the box is something that makes this product looks professional. It's way different looking than samples which remind me of Heimish Green Clay Cleansing Foam. By the way, do you know that samples of Neulii Peeling Pads have English and Russian translation - I'm surprised to see English translation and even more surprised to see Russian one but I'm aware that this product is very popular among Russian customers because us, Slavic people are a bit mental about skincare. 

What's inside of Neulii BHA PHA 5.5 Peeling Pads?

The ingredients inside Neulii Peeling Pads are not as minimalistic as you wish but still, they are worth to check. 

Water, Butylene Glycol, Gluconolactone (5%), Glycerin, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine Salicylate (1%), Sodium Hyaluronate, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, Methyl Cyclodextrin, Allantoin, 7-Dehydrocholesterol, Disodium EDTA.

Gluconolactone is nothing else than PHA, it's an exfoliator similar to AHA but less harsh and more moisturizing which makes it ideal for sensitive skin. It's told that Gluconolactone doesn't only remove dead skin cells (and it's quite weak) but also help with wrinkles and ageing signs. Personally, I have problems with some AHA like glycolic acid - my skin sometimes hates it while PHA is an ingredient which I don't even feel on my skin and it doesn't burn my skin. The 2nd main star Betaine Salicylate is a mix of Betaine and Salicylic Acid, 1% of Betaine Salicylate is like 0.5% of Salicylic Acid so if you add 5% of PHA and 0.5% of BHA then you get why there's 5.5 in the name. Betaine Salicylate is a delicate exfoliator but BHA have bit different work to do than PHA, while PHA is working on the surface of the skin, BHA is focused on pores! Pores can't shrink so to make them look clean we actually need to clean them and BHA is the easiest way to keep them neat. But Neulii made its product not only exfoliating but also delicate and moisturizing so we can find here ingredients such as Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate and Allantoin.

But there are some antioxidants which I want to focus on, I feel like Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract is well known to everyone - an ideal ingredient that works on acne but also mature skin. But what about Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract? Black Chokeberry is not an ingredient which we can see a lot in skincare but berries are a source of health, your skin will love it just like your tummy and body - source of vitamins and minerals are always welcome! Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract aka Acai Extract is also an antioxidant. Couple years ago Acai was called a "superfood" - obviously, it's a marketing term but still, Acai can have a positive meaning to your body because this tiny guy is full of Vitamin C and it's a source of anthocyanins - a natural pigment. If you thought that Green Tea extract is enough, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract is a Red Tea Extract. Back to Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract -  it's also an antioxidant but this one is well known for every person who fights with acne - due to antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, Witch Hazel is very effective in an acne skin care product, it's very delicate, it doesn't burn the skin, in fact it can be soothing. 

How do Neulii BHA PHA Peelin Pads work?

Obviously, it contains more ingredients but I've decided to focus on the most important ones and now the most important question does it work? I use BHA regularly, I might not use AHA and PHA but BHA is important for me if I don't use BHA then I use clay masks. I can admit, I've never tried BHA pads before and I find this form easier than applying the product with bare hands. Couple info because you meet my final opinion - I don't use pads/BHA every day, I use it 3 times per week, max 5 times a week but I did that only with Be Plain BHA Peeling Ampoule for a week because that was the skincare plan attached to the Ampoule saying to me, because Neulii BHA PHA 5.5 Peeling Pads are not a pure BHA but BHA + PHA please don't be overenthusiastic and don't use it daily even if Neulii says you can do that, at least don't do that at the beginning of using BHA - the box contains 70 pads, you don't have to use them all in 2 months, in fact, you've got 12 months for them. Another fact - I use sunscreen not only when I use BHA, PHA or AHA but every day even if there's snow and it's -30C outside. When you use acids especially during the summer then sunscreen is a must - and people are still surprised why we don't put acids on the client's skin during the spring and summer... because we don't believe them! Last but not least, I use one pad during the evening, the evening is the best time for acids (unless it's vitamin C then use it during the morning). My skin got through a very tough time lately - not only the skin but the body and my mind as well, so pads were an ideal addition to my skincare, they are really easy to use and it took me maybe 30 additional seconds to use them. Neulii BHA PHA 5.5 Peeling Pads are delicate, they didn't mess up my lipid barrier, my skin didn't get dry and the pores were in a good condition, I'm still continuing to use them and the tiny samples I got from Rose Rose Shop will be ideal for my summer trips (jokes on me, I probably won't go anywhere even if I want to finally have vacation for the first time in 7 years). Clean pores = happy skin, if you have problems with acne then your problem might get minimalized, mine did because I should have way more pimples and I got like 1/4 of what I usually get on my skin when I'm stressed and during the period. The pads don't have any artificial scent, they don't really remind me of anything by the scent and the pH of the pads is around 3.5 - 4.0. 1 box contains 70 pads, and you can get them for  $10.35 on RoseRoseShop (regular price on RoseRoseShop is $14.78 but right now when I made this post you could but it bit cheaper). You can also order samples to try them first just to see how your skin reacts to the solution. 

Overall, BHA is a must have for every person with acne-prone skin and Neulii BHA PHA 5.5 Peeling Pads are a good solution for people who have never tried chemical exfoliators, who have sensitive skin or for lazy ones that like easy solutions just like me. 

Have you ever tried Neulii? How do you care about your pores?

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*** This post was made in collaboration with RoseRoseShop, even though it still shows my personal opinion on the topic and product**