Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Cream

Some By Mi AHA Cream — some By Mi’s 30 Days Miracle range built its following on a routine rather than a single product, and this cream is the moisturiser step. It carries a low level of the same three acids so the clarifying work continues, without turning the moisturiser into a fourth exfoliating step.

Best for

Blemish-prone skin already using the toner from the same line, and congestion that needs a moisturiser that will not undo the rest of the routine.

How to use Some By Mi AHA Cream

Apply after serum, morning and night. If you use the matching toner, this layers over it directly.

Careful with

Stacking it with other acid products — the totals add up faster than people expect.

What is in it

AHA

Alpha hydroxy acids work on the surface. They dissolve the bonds holding dead cells to one another, so the dull, rough layer lifts away instead of sitting there. Glycolic acid is the smallest of them and penetrates most readily, which makes it effective and also the most likely to sting. AHAs suit rough texture, dullness and uneven tone better than they suit active spots — that is BHA territory. Background reading on alpha hydroxy acids if you want the chemistry behind it.

BHA

Salicylic acid is oil-soluble, and that single property is why it is the standard answer for blackheads and congestion. It travels into the pore lining rather than working only across the surface, clearing the mix of sebum and dead cells that blocks it. It is also mildly anti-inflammatory, so it tends to calm the redness around a blemish rather than aggravate it. Most well-judged leave-on products sit around two percent.

PHA

Polyhydroxy acids are the gentlest of the exfoliating acids. Their molecules are larger than AHA molecules, so they work more slowly and stay nearer the surface — less exfoliation per use, but far less irritation. They also hold water, so they hydrate while they exfoliate. PHA is the sensible choice for sensitive or reactive skin that cannot tolerate glycolic acid, and it is a common third acid in multi-acid formulas for exactly that balancing reason.

What to use it with

A moisturiser works best over something it can lock in, so it belongs after a serum rather than instead of one. From the rest of our range, APLB Retinol Vitamin C Vitamin E Ampoule Serum and CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser are sensible companions, and both are stocked with the same cash-on-delivery terms.

Where it fits in your routine

A moisturiser is the last skincare step at night and the second-to-last in the morning, with sunscreen going over it. Its job is partly to hydrate and mostly to seal — it locks down the water and the actives applied beneath it, which is why even oily skin does better with one than without. Apply it to slightly damp skin and you will need noticeably less product.

Before you start

Exfoliating acids increase sun sensitivity, so daily sunscreen matters more than usual while you are using this. Do not layer it with a retinoid on the same night until you know how your skin handles each on its own.

Common questions

More Moisturisers · Browse all Some By Mi products