Another acid with a truly terrible name.
Hypochlorous acid. I mean, the name just doesn't help, does it?
I don't know who got the job of naming these things, but they certainly weren't naming boats. Boats always have fabulous names.
Hypochlorous acid sounds like something I'm about to use to clean the grout.
But HOCl is actually something our own immune system knows rather well. Certain white blood cells produce it as part of our innate immune defence to help deal with microorganisms.
So despite sounding like something that should come with a COSHH sheet and goggles, it's actually rather clever.
And recently? It's bloody everywhere.
Tiny handbag sprays. Beautifully branded ones. Dermatological-looking ones. £20 ones. Massive bottles for considerably less.
And here's the first thing to know:
What we recommend…
ISOCLEAN Hypochlorous Acid Spray
A gentle, alcohol free cleansing spray formulated with hypochlorous acid, a compound naturally produced by the body's immune system with antimicrobial properties. Designed to cleanse and soothe the skin, it is well suited to use before or after treatment, or as part of daily aftercare for sensitive or reactive skin. pH balanced and free from harsh fragrance, making it a practical addition alongside clinic protocols.
A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS MARKETING.
HOCl formulations are generally remarkably simple. So before spending £20 on the tiny cute bottle, look at the concentration, ingredients and packaging.
Apparently we can't carry a bigger bottle around.
Really? We all bought Stanley Cups. They're bloody enormous.
AND YES, IT SMELLS
These things aren't glamorous. The first time you spray HOCl onto your face, there's a reasonable chance you'll have a flashback to accidentally inhaling half a swimming pool when you were nine.
Slightly chlorine-y. Slightly antiseptic. Slightly have I just sprayed swimming-pool water on my face?
That's normal. And once we've got past the terrible name, the marketing and the eau de municipal swimming baths, hypochlorous acid is actually a really lovely thing.
SO WHAT DOES IT DO?
HOCl has antimicrobial activity and is particularly interesting when we're thinking about microbial load and irritated or blemish-prone skin.
I particularly like it for:
Acne and blemish-prone skin.
Red or irritated skin.
Post-exercise skin.
People who touch their faces approximately 6,000 times a day.
And that last group is where I think it really earns its place.
Think about your day.
The gym. Pilates. Phones. Keyboards. Mice. Headsets. Commuting. Hands constantly wandering back towards our faces. That's where a bottle in your bag becomes genuinely useful.
Finished at the gym but can't cleanse yet? Spritz.
Six hours wearing a headset? Spritz.
Hot, sweaty commute and feeling generally revolting? Spritz.
It's not replacing your cleanser. It's not sterilising your face. It's simply a useful little skincare tool.
But what maketh the elixer maketh the poison.
Skincare has a terrible habit of deciding:
If some is good, seventeen times as much must be incredible.
No.
A couple of sensible applications? Lovely.
Seventy-five thousand sprays because you've decided HOCl is now the answer to every problem you've ever experienced?
Please stop.
Skin is an ecosystem. We're not trying to turn it into a sterile operating theatre.
More frequent application doesn't automatically mean better skin and, depending on the formulation and your skin, excessive use may simply become drying or irritating.
Frequency matters. Concentration matters. Your skin matters.
Or, as seems to be the recurring theme of The Shelf:
More is not better. Better is better.
What would I buy?
This is one category where I wouldn't get seduced by branding.
I want a straightforward HOCl formulation, sensible concentration, minimal unnecessary extras and appropriate packaging. ISOCLEAN do a good straightforward option, and there are plenty of others.
Hypochlorous acid doesn't need to be sexy. It needs to be useful.
Not a miracle. Not a replacement for cleansing. And definitely not something you need to spray on your face every eleven minutes.
But for blemish-prone skin, sweaty skin, gym bags, commutes, headsets and those moments between I really should wash my face and I absolutely cannot wash my face right now?
It's a clever little skincare ally.
Even if it does smell like Year 6 swimming lessons.
