Hypochlorous Acid, The Hero Behind Viral Tower 28 SOS Spray, Is The New Gen Z Ingredient For Stressed Skin

BEAUTY

15 Dec

Written By Jennifer Huynh (She/Her)

Price Point: $

Key Ingredients: Hypochlorous Acid to sanitise, calm and support skin barrier
The Tower 28 spray is available in Mecca, but we’ve included some budget options that have the key ingredient below.

Image: Tower 28 SOS Spray. Credit: Tower 28

Have you ever cleaned out your beauty drawer/s and been overwhelmed by the number of single purpose items?

As a millennial in a sharehouse, if a new product literally and figuratively doesn’t fit into my minimalist routine and life, it’s a no-go.

Colour me surprised when Tower 28 finally came to physical stores in Australia, and the product I saw most hyped online was… a sanitising spray?

Chlorine oxoacid with formula HOCl, or in simplest terms, very diluted bleach.

Bleach, yes.

Before you panic, know that hypochlorous acid exists in our body’s white blood cells to fight infection.

It's a non-toxic, odourless and gentle solution that's effective against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

You’ll commonly find this in hospitals, at-home first aid kits, dental surgeries, and veterinary clinics as it helps reduce inflammation and promote healthy tissue regeneration, without irritating the skin.

Still with me? Let’s kick on to how this can fit into your routine.

Combat Eczema, Itchiness, Sensitive Skin & Redness

The National Eczema Association (of America) did a quick podcast episode on hypochlorous acid’s effects on eczema in July 2024.

Dr. Jeff Yu, a board-certified dermatologist and fellowship trained pediatric dermatologist, notes that hypochlorous acid may help with eczema symptoms through its anti-inflammatory properties, although it is not yet fully understood or recommended as a sole eczema treatment.

Many users report positive results but there are definitely some who experience stinging sensations of varying levels on their face. Patch test if the latter group may include you.

That said, there is also science-based usage of hypochlorous acid in eyelid and eyelash wipes to eyelid conditions with symptoms of redness and itchiness.

Prevent Bacteria Growth on Your Skin

As a very diluted bleach, it’s safe to use as a facial spray when you can’t/don’t want to wash your face - think fatigued mornings*, after gym when you can’t shower, on camping trips, mid-flight, after using face masks, etc.

With a part time WFH role, I tend to roll out of bed straight to my desk to spray this, and kick off the day.

Prone to touching your face, as I am?

Over my month of testing, I found myself resting my left cheek in my hand, and getting breakouts only on that side of my face.

I’ve been spraying my cheek and hands when I notice, and in my experience I think it’s helped prevent new pimples from emerging.

Sanitise Your Scrapes & Tools

As expected for a sanitising ingredient, you can use this on wounds like cuts, insect bites, rashes.

The WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends concentrations of 0.05% on damaged skin, and 0.1% on non-damaged skin to sanitise wounds and promote healing.

I’ve used it on itchy bumps (insect bites, spring allergies) with much relief that there was no stinging.

I also keep a small bottle in my bag to sanitise my hands on the go and equipment in the office like shared keyboards and mice.

No scent, no stickiness or residue, no complaints.

*Note: if you’re using it in place of a morning cleanse, most of the advice is to wait for it to fully dry before the next step of your skincare routine as it can deactivate your other active skincare ingredients like vitamin C.

May negate some time in the morning if you’re just too lazy to wash your face, but better than negating the cost of your other skincare items!

Keep an open mind when looking for your best value purchase - packaging may not be the sleekest or displayed proudly on your nightstand, but this basic ingredient will do the job wherever you might find it.

Some options below: