PHA+ Resurfacing Essence

Zelens

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Zelens PHA+ Resurfacing Essence is a toner. Our analysis of its 27 ingredients (18 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Toners
Ingredients
27
Low-risk
18
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
United Kingdom

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 7/4
Good for dry skin
Glucose Glycerin Fructose Sodium Lactate Lactic Acid Sweet Almond Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters Polydextrose
Caution for dry skin
Dextrin Glycerin Salicylic Acid Sweet Almond Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Sensitive Skin 1/8
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Perilla Frutescens Leaf Extract Glycerin Salicylic Acid Citric Acid Sodium Benzoate Potassium Sorbate Lactic Acid Benzyl Alcohol

Ingredients list

27 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (5)
All27 Skin Conditioning17 Humectant9 Fragrance7 Masking5 Solvent4 Preservative4 Hair Conditioning4 Buffering Agent4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Lactobionic Acid
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
3
B
Sodium Lactate
(Buffering Agent, Exfoliant, Humectant, Keratolytic)
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
(Skin Conditioning)
Sweet Almond Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
(Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant)
4
B
Salicylic Acid
(Antiacne Agent, Antidandruff Agent, Corn/Callus/Wart Remover, Denaturant, Exfoliant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Keratolytic, Masking, Preservative)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
4
B
Lactic Acid
(Exfoliant, Fragrance, Humectant, Ph Adjuster, Skin Conditioning Agent Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Buffering Agent)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
1
Perilla Frutescens Leaf Extract
(Masking, Skin Conditioning)
1
3
Bromelain
(Lytic Agent, Skin Conditioning, Keratolytic)
1
3
Papain
(Hair Conditioning, Lytic Agent, Skin Conditioning, Antistatic Agent)
Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Saccharomyces Ferment Lysate Filtrate
(Skin Conditioning)
Polydextrose
(Bulking Agent, Humectant)
1
A
Amylopectin
(Binding Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Dextrin
(Absorbent, Binding Agent, Bulking Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Fructose
(Flavoring Agent, Humectant)
1
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
(Antidandruff Agent, Antimicrobial)
1
A
Glucose
(Flavoring Agent, Humectant, Skin Conditioning Agent Miscellaneous)
5
A
Benzyl Alcohol
(External Analgesic, Fragrance, Oral Health Care Drug, Preservative, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
3
A
Potassium Sorbate
(Fragrance, Preservative)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Sodium Lactate
Exfoliant, Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sweet Almond Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Exfoliant, Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Humectant

Benefits

Good for dry skin
Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
May not suit sensitive skin

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Lactobionic Acid
Ph adjuster, Buffering agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Ph adjusterBuffering agent
Sodium Lactate
Buffering agent, Exfoliant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Buffering agentExfoliantHumectantKeratolytic
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Sweet Almond Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Emollient, Emulsifying
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A EmollientEmulsifyingSkin conditioningSurfactant
Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Perilla Frutescens Leaf Extract
Masking, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 MaskingSkin conditioning
Bromelain
Lytic agent, Skin conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–3 Lytic agentSkin conditioningKeratolytic
Papain
Hair conditioning, Lytic agent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–3 Hair conditioningLytic agentSkin conditioningAntistatic agent
Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Saccharomyces Ferment Lysate Filtrate
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Polydextrose
Bulking agent, Humectant
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Bulking agentHumectant
+ 7 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Salicylic Acid
Antiacne agent, Antidandruff agent
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antiacne agentAntidandruff agentCorn/callus/wart removerDenaturantExfoliantFragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningKeratolyticMaskingPreservative Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantFragranceHumectantPh adjusterSkin-conditioning agent -humectantSkin conditioningBuffering agent Bad for Sensitive Skin
Benzyl Alcohol
External analgesic, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 CIR A External analgesicFragranceOral health care drugPreservativeSolventViscosity decreasing agentMasking Allergens

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Use right after cleansing, before serums.
  • 2 Evening, start slow: Best in the PM a few times a week to begin with; avoid layering with other strong actives the same night.
  • 3 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Use with caution
BHA (salicylic) (Salicylic Acid)

Low-strength topical salicylic acid (BHA) is generally considered fine. Caution is usually reserved for high-strength leave-on products and salicylic peels.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Niacinamide 2–5% (up to 10%)

Most research uses 2–5%; some formulas go to 10%. Very high levels can cause flushing in sensitive skin.

Niacinamide

BHA (salicylic) 0.5–2%

Salicylic acid is OTC-capped at 2%; 0.5–2% is the usual leave-on range. Much below that it acts more as a soothing agent than an exfoliant.

Salicylic Acid

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Lactic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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