Glycolic Acid Skin Care Products

By Cynthia Bailey MD.

glycolic acid skin care benefits

Glycolic acid skin care products get some of the fastest results of all skin care products. As a dermatologist, I know that glycolic acid is a powerhouse ingredient when it comes to fighting some of the most common skin problems including the signs of skin aging, acne, skin pigment problems, crusty age spots (seborrheic keratosis), rough and dry skin, keratosis pilaris and more. What is glycolic acid, what does glycolic acid do for your skin, why does it work so well and should you add glycolic acid to your skin care routine? 

Glycolic acid is one of the best and fastest acting skin care ingredients for younger looking skin.

But watch out, glycolic acid can irritate really sensitive skin and not all glycolic acid products work equally well. 

glycolic acid in skin care

What is glycolic acid?

Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid that actually comes from nature. Yep, glycolic acid comes from sugar cane. It’s one of the alpha hydroxy acids that people have used since Cleopatra’s time. 

Glycolic acid is the smallest of the alpha hydroxy acids and thus the best able to penetrate skin deeply.

Other AHAs include lactic, malic, tartaric, mandelic and citric acids. Out of all the AHAs, glycolic acid is the most effective for fighting skin aging, to exfoliate skin to create smooth skin texture and to clean pores. 

Glycolic acid works at an acid pH so it has to be an acid in order to be effective. Many consumer-friendly products do not have a sufficiently acid pH and don’t work as well. They are less likely to irritate sensitive skin and don't tingle on the skin as much as a professional glycolic acid product. Unfortunately, they won't work as well either.

To achieve the benefits of glycolic acid, a product has to be properly formulated to an acid pH and this means the product will tingle on skin and can be irritating to sensitive skin. AHAs and glycolic acid are well studied, used widely in dermatology and are highly effective. Glycolic acid is the smallest of all the AHAs, penetrates skin the best and is very useful for helping with anti-aging and acne skin concerns.

What can glycolic acid do for your skin?

A glycolic acid product with glycolic acid content of 10% or higher and made to a pH of 4% or lower can help you,

  • soften fine lines and wrinkles,
  • improve crepey skin,
  • lighten age spots,
  • smooth crusty skin barnacles,
  • unclog clogged pores,
  • soften rough feet and elbows, and
  • create satiny smooth skin.
glycolic acid skin care products dermatologist approved

Add a glycolic acid product to your skin care routine and you will brighten your complexion and treat wrinkles, age spots, and acne all at once. For non-prescription anti-aging skin care, glycolic acid products are the best for fixing many of the most stubborn skin problems that occur as your skin ages. Add a broad spectrum zinc oxide sunscreen along with the right professional glycolic acid product and you have a powerful anti-aging skin care routine. - Dermatologist Dr. Cynthia Bailey

I have always used professional level glycolic acid products in my dermatology practice because they are:

  • One of the best non-prescription anti-aging wrinkle creams you can use.
  • One of the best products to unclog your pores and fight blackheads and acne.
  • A skin brightener for glowing skin that works almost overnight by exfoliating and enhancing your skin using natural chemistry to reshape the outer dead skin cell layer in a way that almost polishes it to a shiny luster. This means you can get instant gratification when you add glycolic acid to your skin care!
  • A deep skin hydrator to give you more youthful, supple and hydrated skin. It does this by stimulating your skin to produce hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is natural and important for moist, healthy skin that looks its best.
  • An excellent skin lightener that works by sloughing dead cells which hold excess melanin in melasma, age spots and skin barnacles. When patients ask me how to remove age spots and fight irregular skin pigment on the face and body skin, I always incorporate glycolic acid into their complete skin care routine.

6 scientifically proven benefits of glycolic acid for skin appearance and health.

Applying a strong glycolic acid lotion at 10% or higher in an acid pH of 4 or less will,

  1. Increase epidermal thickness dramatically (by 17%). Meaning it can reverse some of the skin thinning that happens with age.
  2. Increase epidermal hyaluronic acid content (by 180%) and hyaluronic acid dermal content too (9%). This increases the water binding capacity of your skin. Your skin is plumper and the appearance of your wrinkles is lessened. Hyaluronic acid also helps to make your skin less fragile, and it’s healthier because cells and nutrients can move around in it better.
  3. Turn on the genes for making skin collagen (3 times greater than before). Meaning you might actually really get rid of some wrinkles because reversing wrinkles requires that your skin makes collagen in the dermis (the deeper part of your skin) below the epidermis (the top living layer).
  4. Even-out irregular skin pigmentation. Meaning it can get rid of your age spots and even help lighten hyperpigmentation from melasma.
  5. Reverse the signs of classic sun damage in the epidermis that we see under the microscope. Making the structure of your skin look more like a kid’s when we view it under a microscope (in doctor speak there is a reversal of basal cell atypia and return of the normal undulating rete pattern).
  6. Exfoliate the dead skin cells. Meaning your skin looks dewy and moist and feels softer.

How does glycolic acid exfoliate skin?

Glycolic acid dissolves the glue holding your skin cells together. The process by which glycolic acid exfoliates skin is called chemical exfoliation. This mostly happens in the dead cell layer called the stratum corneum. It can also work into the living epidermal layer. This reveals radiant, glowing, bright and smooth skin. Fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation skin problems, and acne scars are softened by this exfoliation.

How do you use glycolic acid in skin care?

The most popular ways are in creams, lotions and cleansers. They can also be applied to the skin for a glycolic acid skin peel. I’ve relied on it for my patients, both as part of their skin care product routine and for in office face peels for over 30 years.

Your skin has to adjust to glycolic acid. As an acid, it has the potential to irritate sensitive skin. Start with lower concentration products and use them a few times a week.

Test a small patch of skin first. Gradually increase from 10, to 15 and finally to 20 % products if your skin allows. If skin ever becomes irritated, or if you have a sun burn or injury, do not apply glycolic acid until skin is healed.

When you use these products in your complete skin care routine they act as powerful skin lightening products that fight crepey skin, wrinkles and skin roughness, moisturize dry skin and brighten skin tone.  With so many benefits, you can see why glycolic acid is an important component in so many facial and body skin care products.

How do you tell if a glycolic acid product will work?

glycolic acid skin care products and how to tell if they are working

Products need to be made to a pH of about 4 and with a very high concentration of glycolic acid over 10% to work for anti-aging skin problems. As a consumer it is hard to know if a product meets these formulation criteria. My creams and lotions to fight the skin problems of aging and sun damage are formulated to these criteria. Acne and pore cleaning glycolic acid products will work with less stringent criteria. 

Don’t be fooled. Not all glycolic acid products deliver results. Product pH and free acid content determine effectiveness. You can’t tell this from reading the product label. Only the lab that made the product knows this information and it takes effort to find it.

Even if the percentage of glycolic acid is listed on a product you still don’t have enough information to judge a glycolic acid product. It’s the chemistry of all the ingredients together that determines how much ‘free’ glycolic acid is in a product to fix your skin problems.

My glycolic acid creams and lotions have high ‘free acid’ content; they are the most powerful products available for home use. These are the products that I’ve used to treat my patients for years in my dermatology practice. My family and I have also used these products for years. In fact, my entire family has at least one of these glycolic acid products in their personal complete skin care routine.  

I’m a big glycolic acid fan. I've watched products come and go and change over the years and I know that the glycolic acid products I have on DrBaileySkinCare.com are the best available. Without fail, these products deliver the best results for all those benefits I listed above.

How do you pick the right glycolic acid product for facial skin care?

Glycolic Acid Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

To make your choices simple I have a Glycolic Acid Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream that fits all skin types. This cream is the most important facial glycolic acid product to use and you can just add that to your existing skin care routine. Always start at the lower strength and work up as your skin adjusts. Add one of my zinc oxide sunscreens and you have a powerful anti-aging skin care routine that will transform your complexion and fight the signs of skin aging over the course of your lifetime.

Glycolic acid facial skin care products have loyal fans:

Friends and my hairdresser began to compliment me on my looks! I thought that I noticed an improvement but until friends and my hairdresser began to compliment me on my looks, telling me that my skin looked glowing, did I realize what the difference it made. - Anonymous on Jan 04, 2018

Really enjoy using this product, clears dark spots and blemishes, makes the skin look great! Russell F on May 22, 2019

How do you combine glycolic acid products with other acne and anti-aging products?

If your goal is to use the most powerful anti-aging products possible for your skin, consider combining my Glycolic Acid Face Cream with my Retinol Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream.

Get the most powerful and comprehensive Complete Anti-Aging Skin Care Routine with my Ultimate Pigment and Sun Damage Repair Kit. This kit combines retinol and glycolic acid with products to help skin tolerate this highly effective duo.

Professional strength glycolic acid in Ultimate Pigment and Sun Damage Repair Kit

Sensitive skin complexions may need to work up to this powerful routine. My kits come with instructions for step-up therapy to build skin fitness. 

This really is the best of the best from science and nature for today's intelligent anti-aging skin care. Whether you choose glycolic acid alone or in combination with my Retinol Cream, the results are astounding!

What is the best way to use glycolic acid on your body skin?

Glycolic acid skin care kit for smooth body skin

My Ultra-Fast Body Smoothing Triple Action Skin Care Kit comes with everything you need. Add a broad spectrum zinc oxide body sunscreen daily and you are set.

Crepey skin - be gone! It WORKS! As I rounded into my late 30's I noticed that my body skin was suddenly getting crepey. Parts of my body skin were getting drier and drier, and one day, under my arms, there was suddenly a saggy accumulation of skin. The crepe. No bueno.

Watching Dr. Bailey on social media, I learned that glycolic acid wash + salux cloth + glycolic lotion could fix the crepe.... Dr. Bailey's Glycolic Acid 15% body lotion applies PERFECTLY! The Triple action exfoliating cleanser doubles as my facial cleaner I heartily recommend this product for anyone over the age of 35. The crepe was gone! Shoot, I wish I had known about this in my early 30's because I'd have the skin of a baby if I had been using it preventatively. - Lori on Apr 25, 2019

Glycolic acid is the best age-fighting ingredient for non-facial skin. All the other proven age-fighting ingredients such as vitamin C and retinol don't work well on body skin to fight skin aging. This means that your best results are going to come from using powerful professional glycolic acid products like those in my Ultra-Fast Body Smoothing Triple Action Body Kit.

 

References

Bernstein, EF, et. al. (including Van Scott, E), Glycolic Acid Treatment Increases Type 1 Collagen mRNA and Hyaluronic Acid Content of Human Skin, Dermatologic Surgery 2001;27:429-433

Ditre CM et. al. (including Van Scott, E), Effects of alpha-hydroxy acids on photoaged skin; A pilot clinical, histologic, and ultrastructural study, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1996;34:187-195

Philipp Babilas, Ulrich Knie, Christoph Abels, Cosmetic and dermatologic use of alpha hydroxyacids, JDDG; 2012 10:488–491