2PY SERUM — Gentle Blemish Serum
A gentle daily serum for skin that reacts to almost everything.
PHA, papain and yuzu, in a formula with a short ingredient list and no added fragrance. 50 ml, $19.95.
The 2PY Serum is a lightweight exfoliating serum for sensitive skin, built around PHA, papain and yuzu, with centella, madecassoside and five peptides alongside them. It scored 0.00 in a primary skin irritation patch test. No added fragrance, no parabens, no silicones.
- Size
- 50 ml / 1.7 fl oz
- Actives
- PHA + Papain + Yuzu (exfoliating)
- Also in it
- Panthenol (moisturizing), allantoin and aloe (soothing), five peptides
- Use
- Morning and night, on clean skin
- Patch test
- 0.00, No irritation (Excellent)
- Certificate
- HM-IR0084-76
Who it's for
You know the pattern. A product goes on, nothing happens for the first two days, and then your cheeks start to feel tight and warm around hour forty. You put it in the back of the drawer with the others. By now you have a small collection back there, most of them close to full.
Somewhere along the way you stopped reading the front of the box and started reading the back, because the front never told you anything useful. You have learned which words to be suspicious of. You have learned that "gentle" is a marketing word more often than a formulation one.
This serum was made for that reader: someone with sensitive skin who has run out of patience with the category. It is not a strong product, and it is not trying to be. It is the step you use when you want texture to smooth out and you cannot afford the two days of redness that usually comes with it.
What's in it
PHA
A polyhydroxy acid. It belongs to the same broad family as the acids most exfoliating serums are built on, and it is the one formulators tend to reach for when the skin in question is sensitive and has not tolerated the others. Here it does the main work of loosening dead surface cells.
Papain
The enzyme from papaya. It works differently from an acid, breaking down the proteins that hold dull surface cells in place. Pairing an enzyme with an acid means less of each is needed to do the same job.
Yuzu
Extract from the Korean and Japanese citrus. It rounds out the exfoliating side of the formula and carries the faint natural scent of the fruit itself, which is the only smell in the bottle. Nothing has been added on top of it.
Centella, madecassoside and asiaticoside
The cica family, in three forms rather than one. They are the calming half of the formula, and they are the reason an exfoliating serum can be worn twice a day rather than twice a week.
How it feels
Thin and watery rather than slippery. It sinks in within about a minute and leaves a satin finish, not a film, so a cream goes over it without pilling.
One reviewer from The Calm Skin Project put it this way:
Gifted"It's ultra-hydrating, water-based, and literally feels like a drink of water for your skin. Zero oiliness."
— Gifted, The Calm Skin Project
The patch test
The 2PY Serum scored 0.00 in a primary skin irritation patch test and was rated "No irritation (Excellent)."
No irritation (Excellent)
That is a result on a test panel under controlled conditions, not a prediction about your skin. Patch test on a small area first. If anything stings, stop and tell us.
How to use
Morning and night, on clean skin. Two or three drops, pressed in rather than rubbed. Follow with the Hydrasnow Cream while the serum is still slightly damp.
If your skin has been reacting to everything lately, start every other night for the first week and go from there. There is no rush built into this product.
The two-step set
The two-step set is the serum and the Hydrasnow Cream together for $35.90, ten percent less than buying them one at a time.
Mini FAQ
Can I use this every day?
Yes, morning and night is how it was formulated to be used. If your skin is in a reactive stretch, start every other night and build up. Nothing about the formula depends on frequency.
What is PHA, and how is it different from the acids I've tried?
PHA stands for polyhydroxy acid. It sits in the same broad category as glycolic and lactic acid, and it is the one commonly chosen for formulas aimed at skin that has not done well with the rest of that family. In this serum it is paired with papain, an enzyme, so neither has to work at a high level on its own.
Does it have a scent?
No added fragrance. What you can faintly smell is the yuzu extract in the formula. Nothing has been layered on top to cover anything.
Do I need the cream too?
No. The serum works on its own. The two products were made as a pair because the founder's daughter needed both steps, and most people who use one end up using both, but the serum is a complete product by itself.