Lactic Acid

exfoliating moisturising skin protecting
sun sensitivity irritation

overview

Lactic acid is a common ingredient in skincare products. It is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that helps remove dead skin cells, smooth rough areas, and moisturize the skin. Lactic acid is also used in some skincare products to improve skin texture, tone, and appearance, reduce dark spots, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, unblock and cleanse pores, thicken and tighten skin, fade sun spots, and smooth fine lines.

benefits

[{"Benefit title": "Improves skin texture and tone", "Description": "Lactic acid helps improve skin texture and tone by removing dead skin cells and promoting cell turnover."}, {"Benefit title": "Improves skin appearance or firmness", "Description": "Lactic acid can help improve skin appearance and firmness by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles."}, {"Benefit title": "Reduces dark spots", "Description": "Lactic acid can help reduce dark spots by inhibiting the production of melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color."}, {"Benefit title": "Smoothes fine lines and surface wrinkles", "Description": "Lactic acid can help smooth fine lines and surface wrinkles by increasing collagen production and improving skin elasticity."}, {"Benefit title": "Unblocks and cleanses pores", "Description": "Lactic acid can help unblock and cleanse pores by removing dead skin cells and excess oil."}, {"Benefit title": "Thickens and tightens skin", "Description": "Lactic acid helps thicken and tighten skin by exfoliating dead skin cells, encouraging new cell turnover, and stimulating collagen and elastin production."}, {"Benefit title": "Fades sun spots and smooths fine lines", "Description": "Lactic acid helps fade sun spots and smooth fine lines by exfoliating dead skin cells and promoting cell turnover."}, {"Benefit title": "Treats keratosis pilaris", "Description": "Lactic acid helps treat keratosis pilaris by dissolving the plug of skin cells that build up around the hair follicle and smooth out the bumpiness."}, {"Benefit title": "Balances skin microbiome", "Description": "Lactic acid is an effective antimicrobial and helps balance the microbiome of the skin for people with sensitive skin and acne."}, {"Benefit title": "Moisturizes skin", "Description": "Lactic acid helps keep the skin moisturized and feeling less dry."}, {"Benefit title": "Improves signs of sun-damaged skin", "Description": "Lactic acid can help improve signs of sun-damaged skin, including fine lines, wrinkles, and rough texture."}, {"Benefit title": "Strengthens skin's barrier", "Description": "Lactic acid can help strengthen skin's barrier by encouraging it to make more ceramides, a key component of healthy skin."}, {"Benefit title": "Acts as an antioxidant", "Description": "Lactic acid is a little-known antioxidant that can help protect skin from damage caused by heavy metals and free radicals."}]

Skin suitability

Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

concerns

[{"Side effect title": "Skin irritation", "Description": "Lactic acid can cause skin irritation, especially in people with sensitive skin."}, {"Side effect title": "Increased sun sensitivity", "Description": "Lactic acid can increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun, making it more susceptible to sunburn."}]

precautions

["People should always conduct a patch test and begin with a lower concentration before moving to stronger products.", "People should avoid using lactic acid on the same days that they incorporate retinol into their skin care routine.", "People with very sensitive skin should start with a very low-strength product and monitor their skin for irritation.", "People using topical retinoids should not use lactic acid products as it can cause excessive skin irritation."]

source

Lactic acid is produced by a fermentation process using cornstarch or beet sugar, or by fermenting milk products.

CIR

NA

EWG

NA

additional info

Lactic acid is a gentle yet effective exfoliating ingredient for rough, dry skin anywhere on the body, especially scaly skin on your legs, bumpy skin on the backs of your arms, elbows, knees and calluses. Lactic acid is often used with other skincare ingredients because its gentle exfoliating effect may help reduce the layers of dead skin cells that can get in the way of product absorption. A combination of alpha-hydroxy lactic acid and beta-hydroxy salicylic acid can be especially effective in products for improving the texture of rough or bumpy skin since both of these ingredients are mild exfoliating acids. Lactic acid is a milder AHA exfoliant, so it's safe to use it on sensitive skin in the right concentrations. Lactic acid as an effective antimicrobial. Some research suggests that lactic acid and probiotic supplements can help with sensitive skin. By teaming up to fix certain inflammatory reactions, they can both give a microbial balance to the skin. While probiotics promote more in-depth regulation by balancing the gut, lactic acid works alongside them as a treatment for moderate skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and acne. Skin with a tendency to get acne can be more sensitive to exfoliating therapies. Still, many doctors prescribe lactic acid chemical peels in low concentrations alongside antibiotic treatments. Using low concentrations has significantly improved the skin texture and reduced up to 90% of inflammatory lesions in people with acne in controlled clinical studies.