Glycolic Acid For Skin Care: Uses, Benefits & Safety Tips

What is Glycolic Acid?

Glycolic acid is a water-soluble alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that is derived from sugar cane.
It is a colorless, odorless, hygroscopic crystalline solid most commonly used for the manufacturing of skincare products.

Glycolic acid has the smallest size of particles as compared with other alpha-hydroxy acids. Due to that reason, it penetrates the skin deeply and exfoliates dead skin cells more effectively than other alpha-hydroxy acids.

When your age increases, collagen production slows down. Collagen is the protein that facilitates your skin’s firmness, elasticity, and plumpness. This is the same protein that provides strength to your bones and tissues.

Thanks to glycolic acidglycolic acid and its keratolytic properties, it amplifies the speed of collagen production in your body even when you age. With the effective use of this AHA acid, you can prevent skin from collagen breakout.

Chemical Formula

Glycolic acid is also known as hydroxyacetic acid or hydroacoustic acid in short, it is also known for its widely used name Alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA).
Chemical formula of glycolic acid: C2H4O3

Today we will be discussing the uses and benefits of glycolic acid and some safety tips for using this AHA acid on the skin.

So let’s dive in.

Glycolic Acid Uses For Skin

Since glycolic acid is widely popular for its use in numerous industries like the textile sector, agriculture sector, household uses, organic synthesis, skin & hair care industry, and you name it.

But today, we will talk about the uses of glycolic acid in the skincare industry.

Glycolic acid is best suited for the treatment of skin-related conditions such as:

• Acne & Blemishes
• Aging Due to a reduction in collagen
• Skin Dullness
• Dryness
• Fine Lines and Wrinkles
• Hyperpigmentation

Glycolic Acid For Products

Due to the deep skin penetration effect, antibacterial and antioxidant activity, Glycolic acid is used in several skincare products such as:

Peel-off Masks: It helps you refresh your skin by removing extra skin hairs, dirt, or blemishes in the shortest time possible. (10 minutes approx)

Cleansers: This cleanses the skin at the molecular level because of glycolic acid's satisfying lather and oxidation properties, which exfoliates dead skin cells.

Creams: Normally, it is applied at night for exfoliating and brightening skin overnight. Glycolic acid combines with humectants and emollients required to replenish the skin barrier to ensure a healthy skin glow.

Serums: Apply serums for 15 minutes for skin tone improvement and fight acne.

Toners: It helps improve skin texture by minimizing the appearance of pores, also it is very helpful in fighting acne, hydrating skin, and making the skin brighter and glowy.

Glycolic Acid Benefits

According to the research, it is found that glycolic acid possesses antioxidant, keratolytic, antibacterial properties, which help to exfoliate skin cells and rapid the growth of collagen in the body. That is why it is used for manufacturing skin products that have several benefits such as:

Reduces Fine Lines and Wrinkles

Hydrates Dry Skin

Brightens and Smooths Skin Complexion

Fades Hyperpigmentation

Anti-Ageing Properties

Fights Acne

Safety Tips

Skin Types: Glycolic acid suitable for Dry, Normal, and Oily skin complexions. If your skin is sensitive and feels irritation while applying glycolic acid-based products, you must use it. However, you can use lactic acid-based skincare products, which are made for sensitive skin types.

Side Effects: Although it may also cause side effects such as redness, irritation, Dryness, purging (worsening of acne) in some cases. But it is safe for topical use by the FDA.

Start Small: If you’re new to glycolic acid products, you must remember that a small amount of this acid is more for your skin. In other words, start by applying once a week and increase slowly.

Don’t Scrub Face: Glycolic acid can loosen up or exfoliate dead skin cells, so it is recommended not to scrub your face off.

Apply in Bedtime Only: This is very important because glycolic acid can make your skin sensitive in the presence of UV light. So at bedtime or nighttime, what is recommended is to apply glycolic acid and sunscreen to protect your new baby’s skin in the daylight.

Lactic vs Glycolic Acid

Lactic acid, which is found in milk, is also used as an Alpha-Hydroxy Acid chemical exfoliator. They both belong to the AHA acids groups, and they both exfoliate dead skin cells, hyperpigmentation, acne treatment, wrinkle reduction, and more.

So what’s the difference?

The only difference between them is that lactic acid is more gentle than glycolic acid, so it’s good for sensitive skin. But if you are looking for fast results, then glycolic acid is good to go.

Conclusion

Glycolic acid is a multi-purpose skincare AHA-based acid that helps fight acne, hyperpigmentation, hydrates skin, reduces wrinkles, and more. But still, it is not effective for some skin types, for which we recommend you to talk to your dermatologist before starting using it.
However, if you want to get your hands on glycolic acid, starting with a lower percentage formulation helps your skin adjust the chemical and reduce irritation risks over a period of time.
If you want to buy glycolic acid online, VedaOils is the brand that I recommend you buy from.