Neogen Bio-Peel

Product Profile
Available on Amazon, Sephora, and Soko Glam
$17.00 for 30 pads
Uses: Brightening treatment, pores, mild exfoliant
Pros: Easy to use, gentle on skin, instant brightening
Cons: Expensive if you use only once


Ever heard of AHAs? That's alpha hydroxy acids and there are several of them - glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, to name a few. If you've ever found yourself googling, "how to fix everything about my face" (just me? ok 😜), you'll see them. Together with BHAs, these acids are little wonderworkers that clear acne, shrink pores, encourage healthy skin-turn over, get rid of whiteheads and blackheads, and soften wrinkles. If you want to read more about how they work, check out this article and this article from The Klog.


So you're thinking, who wouldn't want all this lovely magic on their face? Well, the problem is a unpleasant little thing called purging. Sometimes, when you add new actives to your face (vitamin c, retinol, AHAs, BHAs), your skin starts detoxing. Little red bumps can appear, sometimes your skin gets flaky, or you notice more whiteheads. Supposedly, this can be mitigated or avoided by using the new product every other day, twice a week, diluting it by adding it to your moisturizer, or putting it on and wiping it off after a bit. After a few weeks, your skin should adjust and be more radiant than ever. Ha! My problem is that I'm impatient and don't like breaking out. So I have yet to find my magic, radiant, facial product. 

That said, Neogen's Bio-Peel is pretty fabulous! It is a container of pre-soaked, facial scrub pads. One side is soft and the other side is gently abrasive. Its active ingredient are AHAs. There are three "flavors" - Wine, Lemon, and Green Tea (I have the Lemon because I love all things citrus). They are cheapest on Amazon, although Sephora and SokoGlam carry them, too. If you are interested in adding AHAs to your skincare routine, this is a very gentle and instantly effective way of doing so. Because you wash it off, it probably isn't as long-term effective as a leave-on serum or moisturizer, but I also didn't have any breakouts or negative reactions from it. 

How to Use:
I use these every few days in the morning, after cleansing and before applying toner. You simply wipe your face with either the soft side or the rougher side of the pad, depending how much physical exfoliation you want. I've used both and prefer the rougher side. It's great for cleaning any dried skin off. After gentling rubbing your face, you can either let it sit for a minute or two, or you can rinse. I've done both and leaving it on a little longer did not irritate my skin. If it's your first time, follow the directions and rinse sooner. After rinsing, dry you face and continue to apply whatever other products you use. 
Tip: The pads are supposed to be single use, but there is so much product still left on the pad after one use that my cheap self can't throw it away. Call me gross, but I only use the rough side, so I put the pad back in the container with the unused side touching the unused pads. That way, I can get several uses out of one pad. You don't have to do this, though. 😉

This is what the soft side looks like

This is the rougher side