Malic Acid- A one-stop solution for all your skin problems.

If you are looking for something that will keep your skin problems at bay. Something that is easy to come by. Well, you don’t need to look very hard because that stuff has always been in your home. What I am talking about here is Malic Acid. This acid is easily found in our produce like apples, pears, grapes, potatoes, and many more. 

Malic acid is one of a family of fruit acids, that gives the citrus taste to them. It is called alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs). It is used as a skincare ingredient that exfoliates the dead skin cells by removing them. AHAs not only work on the top layer of the skin but also on the dermal layers. 

These can be found in anti-aging creams, chemical peels, moisturizers, and acne products. They reduce wrinkles, and dullness, and hydrate the skin on the top layer. On the inner layer, AHAs grow the new skin tissue with fullness. 

Benefits of Malic Acid on Skin. 

There are many products containing malic acid on the market. These products have been proven to be beneficial for the skin. The many benefits they can provide are:

• Maintains the pH level and hydrates the skin: pH is potential hydrogen, which is important to keep in balance for the good health of your skin. It is the mix of natural oil and sweat which forms a thin film called the acid mantle. It turns out the pH level in your skin should be more on the acidic side, which will keep your skin healthy. Malic acid unlike other hydroxy acids is mild and restores the pH of your skin. 

Malic acid when applied to the skin acts as a humectant, which means it attracts the water from the air and traps it in the skin. It is great for moisturizing the skin and keeping it from being dry. 

• Anti-ageing and reducing wrinkles: Malic acid is present in the anti-aging skincare line. It helps in shedding the dead skin faster which makes the way for new skin. The new skin means there will be fewer lines and looseness. Furthermore, it thickens the skin which had more fullness, thus preventing wrinkles. 

Malic acid also increases collagen production, which holds the skin cells together. As you start to age, the level of collagen starts decreasing resulting in thinner and lose skin. 

• Prevents Acne: Malic acid is a great exfoliant. It washes away the dead skin cells ultimately making way for new skin cells. This new skin is more radiant and smoother. The AHAs clear the clogged pores which helps in the reduction of new acnes. 

You can apply the products which have a low level of malic acid if you have less acne. For more severe acne, you need a high level of malic acid and it is advisable to get those prescriptions from your dermatologist.

• Cleanses and evens skin tone: With growing age, a person's skin starts having blemishes and dullness. The skin tone also gets uneven due to sun damage. With the application of malic acid, the blemishes on the skin lighten and the sun-damaged skin brightens. 

Malic acid promotes the blood flow to the skin and clears away the dead cell which in turn even out the skin tone with a smooth texture. 

• Lessen the appearance of the scar: Malic acid is by far the best stuff in reducing the scars if anyone has any. It completely eradicates the small scars and lightens the appearance of bigger scars. 

The Food sources of Malic Acid. 

Malic acid is part of the fruit acids, which we can find in many citrus and non-citrus fruits. Among them, it is also in many vegetables. In fact, malic acid is also produced by our body by converting carbohydrates into energy. The various sources of Malic acid are:

 Fruits: 

 • Apple

▪ Watermelon

▪ Banana

▪ Lemon

▪ Guava

▪ Plum

▪ Cherry

▪ Pears

▪ Grapes

▪ Blackberry

▪ Lychee

▪ Peach

▪ Strawberry

▪ Pineapple, and many more.

 Vegetables:  

•Broccoli

▪ Potato

▪ Pea

▪ Beans

▪ Carrot

▪ Tomato

▪ Corn

How do you use Malic Acid?

Malic Acid generally gives good results when applied on its own. However, if you are looking for faster results you can mix this with the other AHAs like glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Though it is advisable to mix it only if you don’t have sensitive skin. 

Applying so many AHAs together can irritate the skin and cause redness and itchiness. So it is advisable to first test them on a patch of the skin and if it is fine, then it can be used further. For sensitive skin, only malic acid is enough as it is mild.

You should avoid using malic acid around the eyes as the skin there is very delicate. If used around the eyes, it will irritate. With any exfoliation, the skin gets more prone to sun damage so if you apply malic acid in the morning, make sure you apply sunscreen afterward. 

What are the best products with Malic Acid?

In the market, you will find a plethora of products containing malic acid. You can find them both in the market or online. Some products you can use from your violation, but some of these products contain a high level of malic acid coupled with other acids, so it is advisable to use them after talking to a dermatologist. 

Some of the products with malic acid are:

▪ Counter+overnight resurfacing peel by Beautycounter.

▪ Pro-Collagen Oxygenating night cream by Elemis

▪ Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel by Dr. D Dennis Gross

▪ Renew Overnight Dry by Skinceuticals

▪ AHA/BHA cleanser by SkinMedica

▪ Liquid ExfloiKateTtiple Acid resurfacing treatment by Kate Sommerville

▪ ReversePigmentation Kit by The Derma Co.

▪ Advanced Night Repair by Estee Lauder

▪ Skin radiance cream by Re’equil

▪ Skin molecular Barrier Recovery Cream Balm by Allies

▪ Intensive Nourishing Cream by Epionce

Where to buy these products?

In addition to the above-mentioned products, there are many more products available in the market. They are not hard to come by and are available at several places.

▪ Mostly in big cities, you can find these products at any cosmetics and skincare shop. 

▪ Though, a few of them are only at the chemist, as you may need a doctor’s description for those.

▪ In relatively small cities, you may not be able to find all of the products in the shop. In that case, you can order them online where they’ll be available. 

▪ For many malic acid products, a prescription is not needed and you can get them from the chemist over-the-counter.

▪ And, it does not matter if you live in a big or small city if you want and you can order these products online and they’ll be delivered to your doorstep. 

Some of these products are more expensive than the other ones. But most of them are affordable and very effective. 

Other benefits of Malic Acid

Malic acid is not only used for skincare it has other benefits also. There are many health benefits related to malic acids, such as:

• Dental Health: It helps in the dry mouth by increasing salivary production. It can also be used as an oral detox substance.

• Liver Health: Malic acid cleanses the gall bladder and breaks the gallstones. This results in good bile flow.

• Healthy Hair: If you have a dandruff problem, use malic acid. It fights the bacteria and removes dandruff. It neutralizes the pH of hair particles and clears away all the dirt. 

Side Effects of Malic Acid

As malic acid is a chemical compound and not a natural one, there are bound to be some side effects on the skin. Particularly, if you have sensitive skin. It’s some side effects are:

• It may cause redness, itching, and swelling.

• Even though at first your son is not sensitive, the use of malic acid for a longer time may make your skin sensitive. 

• The application of malic acid on your skin makes it prone to UVB rays.

• The chemical peel used for the treatment of acne can be harmful to the skin. It can cause redness and irritation. 

• Malic acid has less concentration in over-the-counter products(10 percent with 3.5 pH or more). They are suitable for daily use but it is still advisable to follow up with a sunscreen moisturizer.

• So, the products with a higher concentration of malic acid(30 percent with a 3.0 pH level) should be applied by medical professionals as they can cause several skin problems and you can have a severe reaction to it.

• AHAs when used for a long period may have a negative effect on phototoxicity and photoprotection of the skin.

If you have any adverse reaction to AHA’s, you should contact your doctor immediately and start the treatment. If you are getting treated for your acne and chemical face peels, you should follow all the aftercare steps your doctor has told you. 

Conclusion

Maintaining good skin is not always an easy task. As you grow old the issues with your skin also grow. To keep all the skin problems at bay, malic acid as compared to other acids is better. It is mild than them and has comparatively fewer side effects. 

If used properly it can make your skin radiant, youthful, and overall healthier.

So if you want to take the plunge and include malic acid in your skincare routine, you can. It has been proven to be effective for many skin issues. Though it goes without saying use them with a certain caution.