Hypochlorous acid (HOCL) has become a popular ingredient in many skin care products and cleaning chemicals over the years. While it is an excellent disinfectant, it is still gentle and natural. It can even be used as a disinfectant for your body, and even the most sensitive skin types tolerate it well. Its recent popularity is due to its proven strength as a successful COVID-19 disinfectant.

HOCL is a game-changer for those who have skin issues. As scientists found a way to stabilize the pH formulation of HOCL, the solution has been increasingly present in skincare products. Skincare products with HOCL such as Revitalizing Mist by PurClarity have been recognized as some of the best ingredients to treat skin eczema since it is soothing, with excellent anti-inflammatory properties. 

What is Hypochlorous Acid?

Hypochlorous acid is a weak acid, which means it doesn’t wholly dissociate with water, and it is made with Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Chlorine. It exists naturally within mammals, and it is even in the human body. HOCL is unique from other cleaning agents since it is not toxic to humans even though it quickly kills harmful bacteria. This is because HOCL is an integral part of the body’s immune system, and it is created by white blood cells to protect against bacteria, infections, and neutralize toxins.

How Does Hypochlorous Acid Benefit Your Skin?

Those with eczema know that it is difficult to find a product that reduces the severity of the symptoms and physical appearance. Hypochlorous acid is an ingredient that is one of the best for eczema and is a significant ingredient in products like Revitalizing Mist by PurClarity. Revitalizing Mist has proven benefits for soothing skin conditions typically challenging to treat.

People with skin conditions tend to have skin with naturally more bacteria. Since HOCL has anti-microbial powers, it will gently and safely kill all bacteria that cause infections. HOCL, in some ways, acts as a gentle hand sanitizer for your face. In addition, hypochlorous acid will fight bacteria that often cause acne and clogged pores.

The anti-inflammatory properties of hypochlorous acid also ease the appearance of eczema and other irritations and redness. HOCL can also be used to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis, acne, and rosacea. While other acne treatments may burn because of ingredients like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, HOCL is extremely gentle on the skin since it is already part of your body’s immune system. This makes HOCL an excellent option for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

How To Incorporate Hypochlorous Acid into Your Routine

For those who do not like the oily feeling of applying cream, HOCL is an excellent option. Hypochlorous acid often comes in a spray like Revitalizing Mist by PurClarity, and the spray is used to treat those with perioral dermatitis, bug bites, psoriasis, eczema. Since it is a spray, PurClarity is also portable and perfect for regular everyday use. Not only is it anti-inflammatory and fights acne, but it also repairs any damaged skin and speeds up wound healing, which makes it successful in helping to fade scars. It can also be dabbed onto the skin like a toner for people with acne. HOCL is effective as an acne medication since it also targets specific bacteria causing acne. In the past couple of years, many people used a hypochlorous acid spray as part of their routine to get rid of germs and bacteria from COVID-19. It has also been used to prevent mask-related acne on the face.

Is Hypochlorous Acid Safe?

Even though hypochlorous acid is considered 80 to 100 times stronger than bleach in terms of fighting bacteria, it is a much weaker acid. It is effective even at surprisingly low concentrations. However, as a mild yet highly effective acid, HOCL is exceptionally safe. In fact, hypochlorous acid can even be sprayed near the eyes without worries of stinging.

Hypochlorous acid is the perfect skin care treatment for those worried about adding new solutions into their routine. Since hypochlorous acid is already part of their bodies, meaning that there is little to no possibility that your skin will react poorly to HOCL.  

Other Uses for Hypochlorous Acid

Bleach - Hypochlorous acid is a functional ingredient that is found across many industries. One of the most famous uses of hypochlorous acid is that it is one of the main active components of bleach. While it is a weak acid, it gives bleach the anti-microbial power to help its disinfectant properties. The HOCL in bleach fights against bacteria, fungi, viruses.

Medical - Hypochlorous acid is one of the main disinfectants used within hospitals as cleaning supplies. It is one of the only solutions that can be used to disinfect the room and be used during surgeries. HOCL is used during surgery to keep the surgery sites clean, and it is also useful since it speeds up wound healing. Doctors also use hypochlorous acid to clean cuts, open wounds, and burns in the emergency room.

Pool - For those who have smelled hypochlorous acid, they may feel like it reminds them of the smell of a pool. This is because it is often used to treat the water in the swimming pools. The hypochlorous acid is used to kill salmonella, E.coli, and other viruses that can be found in the water, including diarrhea.

Food - The FDA has cleared hypochlorous acid as safe for meats, fish, seafood, poultry, fruits, vegetables, and eggs. These food products can be sprayed, washed, rinsed, or dipped into HOCL in amounts up to 200 ppm to sanitize the food. It is even USDA-approved to be used for organic crops.

Hand sanitizer - Since hypochlorous acid is a disinfectant, it is also used as a hand sanitizer. HOCL is perfect for anyone who has sensitive skin and cannot use regular hand sanitizer that contains alcohol since it dries out their hands. A non-scented HOCL hand sanitizer is an even milder version for people with severe skin sensitivities.