Hi everyone, welcome back. Today marks a very special milestone as we are about to reveal the first part of our Purple Code formulation protocol at the Dr.TWL Institute. What we’ve been working on for the last several years are blueprints for our research derived from ancient Eastern herbal wisdom and refined by modern biotech. These protocols are specifically designed for a very gentle process of skin renewal through a barrier-first skincare philosophy that is all about respecting the skin as a holistic ecosystem. Right at the cornerstone of this sits the very first principle, which is what we call synergistic exfoliation.
For decades, we’ve always thought about chemical peels and exfoliation as a process where you just have to accept that stinging, redness, and dryness—all these symptoms of skin irritation—are part of the exfoliation process. From a dermatologist’s perspective, we’ve long known that this approach doesn’t work well for all skin types, particularly for skin of color. In high UV areas, such as Southeast Asia where we live in the equatorial region, that’s particularly problematic. When you apply this approach of using chemical exfoliants quite indiscriminately, you run into the problem of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in certain skin types. It’s actually the exact opposite of what you want when going for a chemical peel to address skin texture irregularities and hyperpigmentation. In a sense, you are not solving the problem and in fact putting yourself at risk of developing worsened pigmentation.
The Hidden Risks of Mono-Acid Chemical Peel
This episode is really about the science behind single-acid peels, which have traditionally been the mainstay of chemical peels, and how a multi-acid synergistic approach is superior. We begin with the hidden risk of single-acid, or what we’ve come to term as mono-acid, peels. Traditionally, when dermatologists perform chemical peels in-office, we use just a single acid, which is an unbuffered 20% or 30% glycolic acid.
When every single molecule in the solution shares the exact same size and thermodynamic charge, you essentially have a very aggressive, uniform chemical surge. It’s a process governed by Fick’s first law of diffusion. This means the entire acid load permeates the topmost layer of your skin, the stratum corneum, all at the same time.
Your skin has a natural buffering reservoir that helps protect it from these harsh acid attacks. When you apply the single acid in this way, you rapidly exhaust your skin’s natural buffers. Your pH drops, and the superficial skin cells (keratinocytes) suffer a shock to their system. This ultimately releases chemical mediators that are pro-inflammatory, further disrupting the protective layer of your skin. We’ve all heard about the skin barrier, and zooming in on the lipid barrier—the cement that joins the corneocytes (bricks) together—using a single-acid chemical peel disrupts this layer, causing a sudden increase in transepidermal water loss.
The Synergistic Acid Matrix
Next, we delve into the first principle of the Purple Code formulation blueprint, relying on a concept that is much more holistic and synergizes with your skin’s natural processes to enhance skin renewal. We combine acids with various molecular sizes to time and control the depth at which the peel occurs. We achieve this by using a combination of six acids in total—five traditional peel acids plus one pigment modulator.
- Glycolic Acid: The smallest AHA. Its ultra-compact size means it can travel rapidly to the deeper layers of the skin. We keep it at a fairly modest concentration within the synergistic acid matrix to help break up the superficial surface connections between the topmost layers of skin cells.
- Lactic Acid: Slightly larger than glycolic acid, it targets the mid-level of the epidermis and boosts the effects of glycolic acid. It also offers additional moisturizing benefits due to the presence of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) within the lactic acid molecule itself.
- Mandelic Acid: One of the larger acid molecules derived from bitter almonds. Unlike lactic and glycolic acids, it acts rather slowly across the superficial layers, making it the gold standard for sensitive and reactive skin.
- Salicylic Acid: Penetrates the oilier parts of the skin to control sebum production, break up surface sebum, dissolve microcomedones (mini blackheads and whiteheads), and provide significant anti-inflammatory effects.
- Lactobionic Acid: At 358 Daltons, it is the largest acid molecule and functions as a powerful humectant to trap water under the surface of your skin while acting as a very gentle superficial chemical peel. It binds to the stratum corneum to produce a hydrating shield.
- Azelaic Acid: Functions as a pigment modulator that blocks the pigment-producing enzyme tyrosinase, essentially blocking melanogenesis.
Ethnobotanical Buffering and LED Synergy
Finally, we incorporate ethnobotanicals for a buffering process that makes our Purple Code peel especially gentle and potent. This matrix includes purified asiaticoside derived from Centella asiatica (cica), glycyrrhizin from licorice root, and pure bisabolol, an anti-inflammatory derived from chamomile.Instead of a mono-acid formula, you have a hybrid synergistic formula consisting of multiple acids of varying sizes with this potent anti-inflammatory buffer. This is perfectly formulated for sensitive skin and skin of color, with minimal to zero risk of skin stinging, addressing the reactivity typically seen in response to chemical peels.
The chemical peel is just one part of our blueprint. What makes the Purple Code truly our proprietary protocol at the Institute is the synergy with our signature LED light therapy. This quad-spectrum protocol is designed to accelerate skin cell renewal in synergy with the dermocosmetic actives. Our proprietary combination of blue and red light synergizes with these ethnobotanical actives to calm the skin, reduce bacterial inflammation, and accelerate the natural repair cascade right after the exfoliation process.
That’s it for the science behind Part 1 of Purple Code. Make sure to subscribe to my channel and to join me the next time as we unpack Part 2. Until then, stay beautiful.