Ingredients Anti-inflammatory Hypochlorous Acid
84Hx
Tier · Moderate evidence
Anti-inflammatory · Anti-acne

Hypochlorous Acid

INCI: Hypochlorous Acid · Also called: HOCl, HOCL

A "molecule your own immune cells make," now bottled. Kills surface bacteria without nuking the barrier, calms itch and redness in eczema, and gives compromised or post-procedure skin a clean reset, gentle enough to spray around eyes.

For your skin

A "molecule your own immune cells make," now bottled. Kills surface bacteria without nuking the barrier, calms itch and redness in eczema, and gives compromised or post-procedure skin a clean reset, gentle enough to spray around eyes.

Want the science? Keep reading ↓

Mechanism of action

Endogenous oxidant produced by neutrophil myeloperoxidase; at cosmetic concentrations (~0.01-0.05%) it is broadly antimicrobial yet non-cytotoxic, inhibits NF-κB-driven inflammatory genes (Ptgs2, Il19, Tlr4), and blunts itch signaling in atopic models.

Why we tier this moderate

2 cited papers across 1 country. The mechanism is well-described and there's at least one controlled trial in the literature, but we tier this Moderate rather than Strong to stay honest about how many specific papers we cite directly.

2
United States

Cited research

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Wentworth AB et al., Topical hypochlorous acid (HOCl) blocks inflammatory gene expression and tumorigenic progression in UV-exposed SKH-1 high risk mouse skin, Redox Biology 2021;46:102108 — topical HOCl suppressed UV-induced inflammatory genes (Ptgs2, Il19, Tlr4) and tumor burden in photocarcinogenesis model

2021Mechanism onlyPMID:34144392View source ↗
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Fukuyama T et al., Hypochlorous acid is antipruritic and anti-inflammatory in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis, Clinical and Experimental Allergy 2018;48(1):78-88 — 0.05% HOCl hydrogel significantly reduced scratching, inflammatory cytokines, and itch behavior in AD model, comparably to topical steroid

2018Positive — efficacyPMID:29028288View source ↗

Sources: PubMed · KCI · J-Stage · CNKI · Wanfang · SFD · MFDS · Cochrane · SCCS · CIR. Every entry points to a specific document. See methodology for what each outcome label means.