My new skin care obsession is this organic enzyme peel treatment

My love of skin care has been well-documented over the years. You know how some people are just true right brains and others are left brainers all the way? Well, when it comes to makeup vs. skin care, I am 100% skin care through and through.

I’ve been a fan of Arcona’s holistic, organic products for a long time now; I live and die by their cranberry toner pads. But after five years of living in Los Angeles, I’ve never actually been to their gorgeously zen studio space in Santa Monica. So when I had the opportunity to book a treatment there, of course I jumped at the chance.

Look, I sink a lot of my money into skin care products. I’m all about SPF, and I try to schedule facials periodically – but I’ve never had any type of professional peel before. “Peel” always sounded a tad intense to me, so I would go for a basic facial during my typical spa trip. That said, I’ve been intrigued by enzyme peels and have wanted to try one for years, so naturally I was thrilled to get the organic enzyme peel at the Arcona Studio.

Arcona’s enzyme peel is a treatment where organic fruit enzymes dissolve dead skin (yuck!) and cleanse pores (yay!), stimulating the skin to create more collagen and elastin. I have particularly thin skin underneath my eyes, which can create a dark shadow effect; so I am all about anything that helps to creates collagen – that blessed “c” word I so desire.

It’s important to emphasize that this is an organic enzyme peel, not a chemical peel—so it’s safe for all skin types (one exception being if you’re undergoing Retin-A therapy), and it isn’t harsh on your skin at all. I’m one of those textbook sensitive skin types where if you so much as look at me the wrong way, I am red for days. But I was shocked to discover that my skin didn’t look at all red or irritated after the peel — which it typically does after a facial.

The enzyme peel itself pulled out most of my blackheads, but my facialist, Victoria, did a few extractions afterwards, like you would get with a typical facial. She only had to do a few, though, because the peel essentially cleared up all the crud on the first go-round.

Full disclosure: Extractions make some squeamish, but they’re my favorite part. You know how it’s kind of enjoyable to take the lint tray out of the dryer? That’s the same way I feel about extractions. Getting all the gunk out is so satisfying.

At the end of the treatment, Victoria did oxygen therapy, which was freezing, but felt cold in a good way. Like I could feel it working. The oxygen therapy part of the facial is an add-on, but I would highly recommend. It helps to promote overall rejuvenation and it left my skin feeling clean, fresh, and bright on this entirely new level. I was obsessed.

Here’s a selfie I snapped a day after my organic enzyme peel experience:

I’ve been a devotee of Arcona products for years, but I did discover a new one during the facial: Four O’Clock Flower, which is Arcona’s moisturizer. It’s lighter-than-light (which I love, because my skin can’t handle dense creams), and it absorbed into my skin in a nanosecond. Also, it smells incredible. This is my new go-to.

Bottom line? I spent years playing cat and mouse with enzyme peels because they have the word “peel” in the name, which always sounded disconcerting. Like I’m going to walk out with my face peeled off. Turns out, my peel experience was a slice of heaven. My skin has never felt calmer or clearer, all because I bit the bullet and tried something that I had previously written off.

For more information on Arcona and their spa services, visit their website here.