Glycolic Acid
Severity 5/10Editorialexfoliant
Is Glycolic Acid safe?
Glycolic Acid carries moderate concerns worth knowing about (irritation).
In plain language
The strongest common AHA exfoliant. Effective for texture and tone but raises sun sensitivity — daytime SPF is essential while using it.
A Caredermis plain-language explanation to help you read the label — not a regulator statement. The sourced facts are the classifications and status shown on this page.
Documented concerns
Concerns marked Editorialare Caredermis' own dermatological review; the rest are drawn from official data — see the cited sources ↓
Irritation
Editorial5/10Stinging, redness and increased sun sensitivity; smallest, deepest-penetrating AHA.
Official regulatory status
Pulled directly from official regulatory datasets and expert reviews — not our own judgement.
Guidance by skin profile
Caredermis editorial guidance based on the concerns above — checked against the official records on every build, but not itself a regulator statement.
- Sensitive skinHigh caution
- Oily & acne-proneNo specific concern
- Dry skinUse with caution
- PregnancyNo specific concern
- Babies & kidsUse with caution
- Eczema-proneBest avoided
Sources
Each authority below is shown only because our ingested copy of its data lists Glycolic Acid — not because we asserted it. Follow a link to verify the classification or regulation directly.
CIR conclusion from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Quick Reference Table — cir-safety.org (snapshot in data/sources/)(point-in-time snapshot; CIR's live record may have been updated since).
See our methodology for how these map to concern levels. Informational only — not medical advice.
Products in our library containing Glycolic Acid
Related ingredients
Ingredients with a similar role or shared type of concern — useful for comparing what's on your label.
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