What Sets Briotech Apart From the HOCl Pack
Written by: Christopher R. Ashley, PhD
Customer Interaction
One of the most interesting and cool aspects of working at Briotech has been how engaged our customers are. I haven't seen this level of interest and curiosity at any other time in my career, and it makes doing our jobs that much more enjoyable knowing how much you all care. It is a major reason we put so much effort into these blog posts: we are directly answering your questions and concerns, and if we get to show off a little along the way, that's just a bonus.
So why am I sharing all this instead of jumping into the topic at hand? It's because I want you to know we are listening: we read your reviews and social media comments, we see the Amazon reviews, and we care. I keep saying "we" because a whole team of scientists and engineers supports me, and I'll reference and link to their work in this post, so don't miss the chance to dive even deeper.
The devil (and answer) is in the details
A question that comes up very frequently is "How is Briotech hypochlorous acid any different than any other HOCl product?" It is a fair and valid question, given the vast number of options available today and the fact that the body produces the molecule itself.
However, as with most scientific questions, the answer isn't one simple thing, but rather a combination of deliberate choices by Briotech; it is all in the details. If you are expecting a hit piece on our competition, I hope you won't be too disappointed, because that's not the intent; I'm just going to explain some of the key things we feel set us apart and share the data behind that conclusion.
I covered some of the high-level aspects of what Briotech does as a manufacturer in my first post (The Briotech Story), and now I'm going to go deeper into the science behind it. Strap in; we are going to talk about chemistry and biology and how they relate to product performance and purity.
pH is the key to HOCl purity
Unlike many cosmetic ingredients, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) doesn't exist in a fixed state; it exists in an equilibrium that can shift with changes to temperature, pH, light exposure, contaminants, and many other factors. That means that for a given amount of liquid solution, the total percentage of HOCl can go up or down with small changes to manufacturing, packaging, and storage.
To find out more about storage, read this great post on How to Store HOCl Properly and this one on HOCl and Sunlight Exposure.
This section focuses on pH because it ties to both our manufacturing and packaging decisions and is the key attribute affecting purity.
The figure below shows how % HOCl changes with pH.
As you can see, for a product to be considered 100% HOCl, the pH must be between 4.0–5.0, though even at 5.5 it is still 99% HOCl.
Note: there are a lot of references you might see to “Available Chlorine”, which is a convenient way to describe all of the chlorine species (HOCl, and OCl-) in a solution that are “available” to react.
However, once the pH creeps outside the optimal range, the percentage drops rapidly, and the solution becomes a mixture of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite (OCl-), the chemical name for household bleach. As the figure shows, even a small pH shift can cause a significant loss of HOCl.
A quick analysis of several commercially available "hypochlorous acid sprays" that we purchased showed that there are a lot of products claiming to be HOCl that aren't in that pH range:
Several of these products have 50–75% of the Available Chlorine in the hypochlorite (bleach) form, even though they are labeled and marketed as “Hypochlorous Acid.”
Why you should care about purity (and pH)
The first question you probably have is: isn't it safer and better to have a product that is pH "neutral""
The answer is – no, not when it comes to your skin. Your skin's natural pH is ~5.5 (Skin pH), and deviating too far from that can disrupt how well it can protect you from external stresses, and it can also lead to skin issues. From a balance perspective, it is best for the product to mimic skin pH.
The second (and probably more important question) you might have is: so what? Will my body even notice the difference?
We tested that very question, and it turns out it really does matter! We commissioned two blind, third-party clinical trials where the only difference was the product's pH. After 6 weeks, we saw statistically significant differences in both clinical performance and user perception. We used our Briotech Skin Renew Toner at pH 4.5 (100% HOCl) vs. the same formula adjusted to pH 7.5 (~50% HOCl).
Notably, participants saw 3 times the reduction in redness with the lower-pH product. They also saw 4 times the improvement in skin smoothness and texture compared with the higher-pH product. The most notable result, though, was the reduction in pore size. Participants who used the Skin Renew Toner saw a 7-fold greater reduction in pore size than those who used the pH-neutral solution.
On top of that, participants said they preferred the scent of the lower-pH product and that it left their skin feeling less dry and more glowing.
That bears repeating.
In clinical studies, with the same lab, location, and tests, the 100% HOCl product (pH 4.5) performed anywhere from 3 to 7 times better than the same product adjusted to pH 7.5.
PURITY MATTERS—a LOT.
So, what does that tell us? It shows a clear, demonstrable benefit to using a hypochlorous acid product that is truly 100% hypochlorous acid. Not only is it better for your skin's natural environment, but the clinical cosmetic improvements are significantly greater than what you would see from a more pH-neutral product.
The Briotech difference
Unlike many brands, we manufacture and bottle all our products ourselves. We use our own patented electrolysis systems and process controls to create products under precise conditions, ensuring they are 100% HOCl. Once created, they are filled into (rigorously tested) bottles and then induction-sealed to ensure they stay safe from contamination and air exposure until they arrive at your door, which means they are still 100% HOCl. (We have a blog post about that portion too: Why our Sprayers come Separately) At each step, we take every precaution to maintain purity so that when you open a bottle and use our product, you get the maximum benefit of hypochlorous acid.
