Labocosmetica PURIFICA | pH <3 Acid Snow Foam | VDA Certified, HF/ABF-Free

Labocosmetica PURÌFICA — pH below 3 acid snow foam and shampoo

Purìfica was the world's first acid shampoo built for car detailing — and it solved the problem that makes most acid products dangerous. Cheap acid cleaners lean on hydrofluoric acid or ammonium bifluoride, which etch alloys and clear coat and are a genuine health hazard. Purìfica uses buffered noble acid chemistry instead: no HF, no ABF, and VDA-certified safe even undiluted.

What it does is the part you can't get from an alkaline wash. There's a thin film of limescale and mineral deposit that builds up invisibly on paint — the real reason a car looks flat and dull over time, especially on darker colours. Purìfica dissolves and sequesters those minerals, pulling the shine back out of the paint and protecting against acid-rain etching. It works as a foam-gun pre-wash, a bucket shampoo or an atomiser spray, and it holds its acidic action even heavily diluted — down to 1:400 for a maintenance wash on a coated car. It is step two of the 3pH wash we run in the studio. Available in 100 ml, 1 L and 4.5 L.

Purìfica dilution ratios

Ratios are Purìfica to water. The pH figures are Labocosmetica's own measurements at each working dilution — the point is that it stays acidic enough to do its job even at 1:200.

In a 1 L foam-cannon bottle, 1:10 is roughly 90 ml of Purìfica topped up with water; 1:5 is about 165 ml. Every ratio for every Labocosmetica product is on our dilution ratio cheat sheet.

How to use Purìfica

1. Run the alkaline step first on a dirty car — Prìmus 2.0, then rinse. The oily film sits on top of the mineral layer; strip it first so the acid lands on bare minerals it can actually dissolve.
2. Foam Purìfica at 1:10 from the bottom up, in the shade on cool panels.
3. Dwell a few minutes. Never let it dry on.
4. Rinse thoroughly at high pressure.
5. On heavy mineral contamination, also run it in the wash bucket at 1:200 to 1:330 — acid with agitation does more than acid foamed on alone.
6. Finish neutral: Nève foam and a Sèmper contact wash.

For a coated car between decontamination washes, 1:400 in the bucket is a gentle maintenance wash at about pH 5 that keeps the mineral haze off the coating so it beads and sheets like new.

Key features

• Buffered noble acids — no HF, no ABF. The decontaminating power of an acid without the wheel-etching, skin-penetrating hazards of fluoride chemistry.
• VDA-certified, even undiluted. Independently proven safe on delicate surfaces at full strength.
• Removes what alkaline can't. Limescale and mineral film — the hidden cause of lost gloss, especially on black paint.
• Revives coatings and sealants. Strips the mineral haze off existing protection so it beads and sheets like new.
• Wax- and sealant-free formula. Won't lay down anything that interferes with your existing protection — you stay in control of the lifecycle.
• Holds its acidity when diluted. Still below pH 3 at 1:200; about pH 5 at 1:400.

Where Purìfica sits in the Labocosmetica pH range

Each product can be used on its own; together they are the 3pH wash we run in the studio and teach in our hands-on class.

• Prìmus 2.0 — alkaline pre-wash, pH 11. Breaks down organic film: oils, road grime, bugs.
• Nève — pH-neutral foam pre-wash. For coated cars and light-to-moderate dirt.
• Purìfica — acid shampoo, pH below 3. Dissolves mineral film: limescale, water spots, fallout.

Read how six snow foams from pH 3 to 13 compare in our chemist's snow foam comparison, or get all three as the 3pH Maintenance Wash System.

Purìfica — questions we get asked in the studio

When do I actually need the acid step?

When the paint has lost its depth — most obvious on black and dark colours — or when water spots are showing, or after a few months of washing with tap water. That dullness is a mineral film an alkaline or neutral wash cannot touch. We run the full three-pH decontamination every few months on customer cars, and keep coated cars clean in between with Purìfica at 1:400 in the bucket.

Will Purìfica damage alloy wheels, chrome or trim?

No. The damage you have heard about from acid wheel cleaners comes from hydrofluoric acid and ammonium bifluoride, which Purìfica does not contain. It uses buffered noble acids and is VDA-certified safe even undiluted. The same rules apply as with any chemistry: shade, cool panels, rinse before it dries.

Can I use Purìfica in the bucket every wash?

Yes, at 1:400 — about 25 ml in a 10 L bucket — which Labocosmetica specifies as the routine maintenance dilution for coated and sealed paint. It sits around pH 5 at that strength, so it keeps the mineral haze off a coating without working against it.

Does Purìfica replace an iron remover?

Partly. Purìfica dissolves limescale, calcium and the general mineral film; a decontamination wash at 1:5 to 1:10 shifts a lot of light fallout with it. Bonded iron particles are a different job — that is Sidero, the dedicated colour-changing iron remover, which we run every few months on paint and wheels.

What does the acid step cost per car?

In the bucket at 1:400 it is about 25 ml per wash, so a 1 L bottle is roughly 40 maintenance washes — around $1.60 of chemistry each at the 1 L price. Through the foam cannon at 1:10 it is about 90 ml per car, roughly $5.90 at the 1 L price and about $4.70 from the 4.5 L.

Where can I buy Labocosmetica Purìfica in Australia?

From Alpha Details — we stock the full Labocosmetica range, including Purìfica in 100 ml, 1 L and 4.5 L, at our Heidelberg West studio in Melbourne, with same or next business day dispatch and shipping Australia-wide. We are Labocosmetica Australia accredited applicators and trainers; if you are not sure which product or ratio your car needs, call 0407 191 223.

SDS (Safety Data Sheet)

Download the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for PURÌFICA here