Resorcinol in Skin Care

Resorcinol in Skin Care

Resorcinol is a skin lightening ingredient used for acne, sun spots and other dark spots on the skin, and hyperpigmentation disorders such as melasma.

Resorcinol lightens skin by preventing the production of melanin. It is a tyrosinase inhibitor.

What are the common uses of Resorcinol?

Resorcinol is most commonly used to treat conditions like:

Acne

Melasma

Post Inflammatory Pigmentary Alteration (PIPA).

You can find a selection of resorcinol and related products here!

Make sure to shop based on your Baumann Skin Type.

Is Resorcinol safe for facial application?

Resorcinol is used in a number of skin lightening and acne products. It has been safely used by dermatologists for many years for in office peels.

It is not advised to be used during pregnancy.

There is a chance of having a skin allergy to this ingredient which can result in redness or a rash.

Irritation can occur with strong concentrations of resorcinol. This is why it is most commonly used in chemical peels by dermatologists rather than in at home products.

Irritation and allergic reactions can cause inflammation that leads to hyperpigmentation- which means- when you use resorcinol to treat melasma and another forms of pigmentation, you can worsen melasma if used incorrectly.

What are the dangers of Resorcinol?

The dangers of resorcinol are:

Skin irritation with resulting hyperpigmentation

Possible allergic reaction

The EWG rates resorcinol as a 7. (1 is low danger while 10 is high danger on the EWC scale).

Its use in cosmetics is restricted in Japan and Canada.

Is resorcinol safe to use during pregnancy?

No, resorcinol shouldn't be used during pregnancy.

It has been shown to be found in urine when used topically and effects on the unborn fetus are not known.

There are other ways to treat skin conditions like melasma during pregnancy without the use of Resorcinol based products.


Can Resorcinol be used orally?

Resorcinol should not be used orally for skin care uses. In fact, one death in Turkey was reported. (21)

Does Resorcinol have side effects?

If you have an allergy to resorcinol, you might expect

slight rash

redness

irritation on the applied area.

If used in too great a quantity or frequency, resorcinol products may cause irritation on applied areas.

Applying resorcinol products outside of one’s target dark spots may result in a slight “halo” effect around dark spots.

Overuse might result in "Post Inflammatory Pigmentary Alteration” (PIPA), a darkening of the skin following prolonged inflammation.

It is important to be sure the products are being applied in the correct amounts and at the right intervals.

What are the benefits of Resorcinol?

Treats hyperpigmentation

Eliminates bacteria on skin

Treats sun damage

Treats Melasma

Antiaging

Resorcinol helps aging skin through these properties:

Anti-inflammatories

Anti-oxidants

Anti-glycation

How does Resorcinol treat acne?

Resorcinol directly eliminates acne-causing bacteria and has anti-inflammatory properties that make it useful as an acne treatment.

Resorcinol peels are often used by dermatologists.

Click here to learn when to see a dermatologist for acne.

Does Resorcinol lighten your skin?

Yes, Resorcinol does lighten your skin, however the effect is slow and subtle.

It does not “bleach” skin in any quick or extreme manner, but with time can improve dark spots.

Resorcinol does not pose the risk of permanently lightening melanated skin tones.

It is used to lighten dark spots to match surrounding lighter pigmented skin.

If you have melanated skin and are concerned about skin bleaching, check out how to get rid of dark spots on darker skin tones.

Is Resorcinol like Retinol?

Resorcinol is in a different chemical compound family than retinol but they do share some similarities:

tyrosinase inhibition

skin lightening

exfoliation

Retinoids are often combined with resorcinol in chemical peels.
Both retinol and resorcinol can be used together in a skin care routine, depending on your Baumann Skin Type and regimen needs.

They can be combined in the same skin care products or used as separate products in different steps of the skin care routine.

Resorcinol vs hexylresorcinol.

Hexylresorcinol is a derivative of resorcinol.

Resorcinol is stronger and more likely to cause skin irritation.

Another derivative of resorcinol is phenylethyl resorcinol.

Which skin care products contain resorcinol?

There are a variety of products on the skin care market which include phenylethyl resorcinol and hexylresorcinol, but resorcinol is found primarily in chemical peels performed in medical offices.

To find the best skin care products for your skin type- make sure you shop by your Baumann Skin Type.

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