Took me 5 years to realize I was over-exfoliating my clients

I had a client last spring whose skin kept getting worse with every treatment, and she finally asked why her face felt so raw after a basic chemical peel. That's when my mentor pointed out I was using way too strong of an acid for her skin type, and it clicked that I'd been doing the same mistake on half my clients for years. Has anyone else had a moment where a client's question made you rethink your whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

stellanelson18d ago

cosmetic chemists actually lowkey design acids to be kinda forgiving on the lower end but absolutely brutal on the higher end if not diluted right. i went to a conference last year where this chemist straight up said most skin pros push active percentages way past what's actually needed for visible results because clients think stronger = better. she had a chart showing how bumping from 5% to 10% lactic only gave like 10% more exfoliation but 40% more irritation. made me wonder how many "client sensitivity" cases are really just overformulation traps we fall into because brands market those high percentages as premium.

young.kim18d ago

You're making a good point @stellanelson but I gotta push back here. Not everyone is a skincare junkie who follows percentages like a science experiment. Most people just want something that works and they're willing to trust dermatologists and estheticians who've been in the game for years. If I'm dropping cash on a vitamin C serum or a retinol, I want the one with the higher number on the bottle because it feels like I'm getting my money's worth. Those 'lower is better' charts sound nice in a conference room, but real life isn't a controlled lab study. People have different skin types and routines, and sometimes a higher percentage gives them that extra push they need without blowing up their face. Plus, brands aren't stupid - they know what sells, and customers voting with their wallets tells me strength matters more than some minor irritation risk.

wesley_adams18d ago

The chemist lady at that conference is right, I've seen it myself with clients at my building's gym spa. People think stronger is just better but your skin doesn't work like that. I had a tenant who used some 15% glycolic peel she bought online and her face looked like raw hamburger meat for two weeks. The marketing has really done a number on everyone's expectations. Same thing happens with over-the-counter retinol, people grab the highest mg they can find and wonder why they're peeling like crazy. It's basically performance anxiety in skincare form.