Am I the only one who sees people mixing chemical peels wrong?

I keep seeing videos and even hearing from other pros about mixing different acid peels together, like a glycolic with a salicylic, to make a 'custom blend' for a client. This makes me nervous. In my training at the Arizona Academy, they drilled into us that you NEVER mix acids unless the formula is made that way from the lab. The pH levels can shift and become unstable, which can lead to a burn or a bad reaction. I had a client come to me last year after someone else tried this, and her skin was red and peeling for over a week. It wasn't a controlled peel anymore, it was damage. On one side, people say they're just being creative and tailoring treatments. On the other, I think it's playing with fire and goes against basic chemistry. What's your take? Have you seen this happen in your own practice?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_parker25d ago

Remember that time a few years back when the whole "mixing your own vitamin C serum" trend blew up? I saw a friend try it with some powder and a random oil, and it turned her face orange for a day. It's the same kind of kitchen chemistry that makes me side-eye these custom acid blends.

park.iris4d ago

Actually, the vitamin C thing was more about oxidation, not pH. But yeah, mixing separate acid peels is still a terrible idea for the exact reasons you said.

karen_owens25d ago

Mentioning the vitamin C serum trend is a good point, @the_parker. That was a mess. But mixing acids from separate bottles is worse. It's not like cooking where you can just add a pinch of this and that. A glycolic peel and a salicylic peel are each buffered to a specific, stable pH. Pouring them together in a bowl completely wrecks that balance. You have no idea what the final pH is. That's exactly how you give someone a chemical burn instead of a treatment. It's lazy and dangerous, not creative.