Because glycolic acid can work deeper into the skin layer, it's generally recommended for uneven skin texture. In which case, if you have acne scars and wrinkles, glycolic acid is for you. On the other hand, lactic acid is a gentler exfoliant that's suitable for dry to sensitive skin types.
Can You Use Lactic Acid and Glycolic Acid Together? You can use lactic and glycolic acids together if they're found in the same formula. To boost your skincare routine and visibly improve your skin tone and texture, we recommend Clearly Corrective Accelerated Clarity Renewing Ampoules.
First of all, yes, you can mix glycolic acid with lactic acid; however, it's not the ideal combination to be used in two separate products. Glycolic acid will work great combined with lactic acid, but only if both ingredients are present in the same product.
TCA, or Trichloroacetic Acid peels, are deeper medium depth peels. Since the TCA peels exfoliate deeper into the dermis than a salicylic acid or glycolic acid peel, they have more potent and longer lasting results.
Glycolic acid should always be applied in the evening, as it makes your skin sensitive to sunlight. Applying it at night gives ample time for it to do its magic without a higher risk or damaging your skin in the sun. But you should still always apply an SPF moisturizer in the morning.
Even though it's a milder AHA exfoliant, you shouldn't use lactic acid too frequently. You risk over-exfoliating your skin and messing with its natural barrier. Consider using this effective skin resurfacing ingredient every other night unless your doctor says otherwise.
Doing so will help remove surface skin issues without damaging or drying out the skin. However, for individuals with oily or combination skin, salicylic acid is often the better choice.
Common side effects of LACTIC ACID include dry skin, erythema (skin redness), burning sensation, itching, skin irritation, and skin rash. Please tell your doctor if you are allergic to LACTIC ACID or its components.
No, lactic acid is not a skin lightening (as in whitening) agent, so lactic acid will not lighten or whiten your skin. You won't turn into Snow White. Lactic acid, however, does fade darks spots and hyperpigmentation making it a safe ingredient to brighten and even your complexion.
Food manufacturers add lactic acid to packaged food products such as bread, desserts, olives, and jams to give them longer shelf lives. Lactic acid is a good preservative because it can kill and suppress bacteria in food. Lactic acid also helps prevent discoloration and works as a gelling agent and a curing agent.
As lactic acid builds up, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate or irregular heart rhythm, and mental status changes can occur.
Does niacinamide go before lactic acid? It is advised to apply niacinamide after lactic acid. This ensures the acid can work at exfoliating whilst niacinamide restores hydration back into the skin barrier. This is a result of each ingredient containing different pH levels.
Niacinamide and glycolic acid are both common ingredients in exfoliating products. Glycolic acid helps to break down the top layer of dead skin cells to encourage a smoother complexion. Niacinamide increases the skin's elasticity to help improve the appearance of fine wrinkles and lines.
Hence, they are both pretty gentle acids, which is why they are great for sensitive skin. However, lactic acid is widely known to be the 'tamer' acid. Commonly known to be better for sensitive skin, so you may find yourself wondering why if the pH is almost the same?
No, glycolic acid is not a skin lightening (as in whitening) agent, so glycolic acid will not lighten or whiten your skin tone. Glycolic acid, however, does fade darks spots and hyperpigmentation making it a safe ingredient to brighten and even your complexion.
Can I apply moisturiser after lactic acid? Absolutely, this is a great idea especially if you have a dry or sensitive skin type that can become irritated when you use AHA or other chemical exfoliates even ones as gentle as lactic acid.
In terms of specific ingredients to look for, Shamban recommends alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids like glycolic, salicylic and lactic acids, which are all great for treating blackheads and whiteheads.
Benefits of Mixing Niacinamide with Lactic Acid
A research study that subjected 52 volunteers to an anti-aging skincare routine containing alpha-hydroxy acids and vitamins B3 (niacinamide), C, and E saw significant improvement in wrinkles and fine lines with an improved skin texture without adverse effects.
Can you use niacinamide with glycolic acid? Yes and no, just like all skincare ingredients, glycolic acid and niacinamide contain formulations that have different pH levels. This can be a problem when using them together in your daily routine as the imbalance can cause the skin to become flushed, red and irritated.
But overall, stick to using water-based products and serums together. AHAs and BHAs, such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
The Ordinary Lactic Acid serums can be used with water-based niacinamide serums like The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. Niacinamide provides additional skin barrier support, making it a great choice to pair with lactic acid.
When using products containing lactic acid and other AHAs it is considered best to avoid applying them with vitamin C. This is because the mixture of these acids will create an imbalance in pH levels of the skin rendering each ingredient useless.
Apply a thin layer, once daily in the evening, after toners and before moisturiser. If you've not used an acid before, we recommend using this three times a week and gradually building up to daily.
This burning sensation is associated with a buildup of acid in the muscles during intense exercise, and lactic acid has long been thought to be the culprit in that acid buildup, known as acidosis. Lactic acid is a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism, in which the body produces energy without using oxygen.