La
Lactic Acid
Lactic AcidExfoliant
Larger AHA than glycolic. Gentler, also acts as a humectant.
What it does
Lactic acid exfoliates more gently than glycolic and pulls water into the skin, making it a friendlier choice for sensitive skin. Higher percentages (10%+) approach glycolic's intensity.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusRetinol and AHAs (glycolic, lactic) can both irritate skin when used the same evening. Most people do better alternating them on different nights.Mukherjee 2006 · Clinical Interventions in Aging ↗
expert consensusTretinoin is significantly more potent than retinol; combining it with AHAs the same evening raises irritation risk substantially.Mukherjee 2006 · Clinical Interventions in Aging ↗
expert consensusAHAs and BHAs can be combined safely in well-formulated products. The 'never mix them' rule is overstated — the real concern is total acid load on the skin barrier, not the chemistry of mixing them.Kornhauser 2010 · Clinical and Cosmetic Investigative Dermatology ↗
expert consensusLactic acid is gentler than glycolic but still raises retinoid irritation when stacked the same evening.Smith 1996 · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Pairs worth knowing
This page is public and indexed on purpose (unlike profiles and drops, which are unlisted) — it’s the citation behind shared ingredient cards, and it should be findable.
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