Blue Plasma

What every esthetician should know.

The blue plasma peel is marketed as being a peel with no irritation or redness. This peel is stated as being “non-acidic”, and has been referred to as being an un-peel. The description of the product claims that it is a facial in a bottle, complete with extractions. Developers claim that it can lift and remove debris from the skin (extraction) as well as eat only dead skin cells (peel). If we don’t investigate any deeper, we may neglect our esthetic common sense, and view this product as truly miraculous. A peel that causes no irritation and extracts; what could be better?

Let’s take a closer look. Blue plasma states that it is the copper that gives the plasma its blue color. However, that last ingredient on the list is Blue 1. Is it the dye or the copper? We’ll let you decide that one.

 

 Peeling qualities- Blue plasma is basically a mild enzyme peel. They work like pac-men to dissolve dead skin cells and reveal healthy skin underneath. As far as its claims of being acid free, they simply are not true. The other exfoliation mechanism is that of a polyhydroxy acid known as Gluconolactone that functions similarly to AHA peels. Gluconolactone is a slightly larger molecule, and therefore does not penetrate as deeply as most AHA’s, causing less irritation. However, in recent clinical studies, it only decreases irritation by 6%, a percent not large enough to be qualified as significant. 

 

 Soothing Sensation- This soothing sensation felt upon the application of blue plasma is caused by menthyl lactate, a menthol derivative. Although it may feel cool and soothing, it does not have any positive effects. Menthol merely inhibits calcium currents along the nerves creating a cool sensation. Although it may feel good, Menthol does not actually soothe the skin. In rare cases, it can irritate the skin, but most of the time it does not hurt or harm. 

At around $100 a bottle, this product provides you with light exfoliation, little to no irritation, and artificial dyes. It won’t harm your skin, but it does not have any benefits that you could not get out of an enzyme peel such as a pumpkin or papaya enzyme peel. Whether or not it really exfoliates at the level it claims, and is safe for DAILY application, remains to be seen. We recommend enzyme peels for minimal irritation, but if you are that concerned about skin irritation, you should not be exfoliating everyday in the first place, as developers suggests.