If you have spent more than five minutes scrolling through skin care on TikTok lately, chances are you have stumbled upon someone misting their face with hypochlorous acid and raving about its magical ability to calm redness, clear breakouts, and “make everything better.”
But how did this ingredient go from cleaning wounds in hospitals to becoming a must-have skin care staple on influencer business-class flights?
What is hypochlorous acid, how does it work, and why is it suddenly the molecule your skin care brand should be paying attention to?
Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a small but mighty molecule – only a little amount is needed in a product for it to make a big impact.
HOCl is a category-expanding opportunity
It is made up of just three atoms: hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and oxygen (O). But while it may sound simple, this molecule is one of the most powerful tools in our immune system’s toolkit.
HOCl is produced naturally by white blood cells (neutrophils) as part of the oxidative burst – a rapid release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) the body uses to destroy bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
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