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Lactic acid is a beauty essential.
By Elizabeth Blasi — Written on Apr 17, 2019
What is lactic acid? The terminology may be something you hear at the gym or associate with the dairy aisle at the grocery store, but did you know lactic acid can actually be applied into your beauty routine?
In fact, lactic acid has made a name for itself by being incorporated into many skincare and beauty products. As one of the mildest AHAs (Alpha hydroxy acid) on the market, many prefer lactic acid over other AHAs, like glycolic acid, because it provides many of the same moisturizing and exfoliating qualities without irritations.
But incorporating lactic acids in our beauty routine goes beyond rubbing yogurt and milk on our faces. We've provided a complete breakdown of beauty and skincare products rich in lactic acids. From lotions, to cleansers, toners, serums, and masks, it appears as though there's no shortage of ways to permanently add lactic acid into your routine.
Lotions
1. Superheal O-Live Lotion by PHYTO-C
We love olives in our martini... and on our skin? In addition to the moisturizing and boosting lactic acid in their lotion, Phyto-C’s SuperHeal Olive Leaf Extract (exclusive to the brand) is a great addition to anyone's beauty routine. Along with having the properties of traditional lactic acid, the qualities of the olive leaf extract also help promote wound healing, calms itchy skin, and can assist in relieving many skin issues.
(PHYTO-C, $135)
2. Goat Milk Face Cream by Sumbody
Sumbody took the benefits of goat's milk and turned it into an exceptional beauty product. The combination of ingredients help hydrate the skin and ward off the signs of aging and other skin issues. Their Crème Fraîche face cream provides a protective and calming layer of moisture that will actually last throughout the day. Best of all, the light nature of this face cream doesn't clog up the pores, so your skin is free to breath when applied.
(Sumbody, $57)
3. ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer by Kate Somerville
Exfolikate Glow Moisturizer helps bring out skin’s natural glow daily, as it's lacid acid product recommended for ever day use. The addition of multiple AHAs — glycolic and lactic acids, along with natural elements like pineapple, pumpkin, and papaya enzymes — overall helps dims the appearance of skin dullness and assist in evening out skin's texture.
(Sephora, $65)
4. Skin Revealing Body Lotion 10% AHA by Paula's Choice
While many exfoliants are wash-aways, the Skin Revealing Body Lotion is one that is meant to stay on and leave you feeling and looking beautiful. After it's applied, it works by slowly removing the many layers of dead skin, showing our smoother and softer skin from the neck down. This lactic acid beauty find is great for those who want find themselves with bumpy, uneven, or texturized skin on their arms and legs.
(Paula's Choice, $28)
5. Shine Control Face Lotion by LATHER
A wonderful lightweight moisterizer, the shine control face lotion provides a mattifying effect that defeats all odds and add hydration. Along with lactic acid, this lotion also has wheat germ oil, tea tree, and salicylic acid. Each ingredient helps bring moisture to the skin without us looking extra oily.
(LATHER, $23)
6. Alpha-Hydroxy Therapy Moisterizing Body Lotion by AmLactin
AmLactin Skin CareAlpha-Hydroxy Therapy delivers quality AHAs for a fraction of the price. The formula exfoliates the skin gently while simultaniously hydrating tougher skin. It includes lactic acid as well as rich emollients and creamy humectants that assist in hydrating and calming the skin.
(Amazon)
7. Goat Milk Moisterizer by Kate Somerville
Unlike Exfolikate (which should be used only several times a week), this goat milk moisterizer is a great daily facial moisturizer providing moisture to the top layers of skin, helping encourage a beautiful and bouncy glow. Thankfully, the lactose from Goat’s Milk is sensitive enough for all skin types (as it's clinically tested for sensitive skin).
(Kate Somerville, $50)
8. Buttermilk Moisturizer by Mario Badescu
This lactic acid formula helps give your skin a 2.0 upgrade with a punch-packed hydration boost. In addition to lactic acid, this buttermilk moisturizer includes thyme extract to help smooth the complexion and rid the body of dead skin cells that add uneven texture, discoloration and dullness to the skin. Mario Badescu also added allantoin and chamomile to help bring more moisture to the skin, giving it a youthful glow.
(Ulta, $18)
Cleansers
9. Caviar Lime AHA Cleansing Crème by LATHER
Known as a a small yet powerful citrus fruit from Australia, this magical fruit is rich in AHAs that gently exfoliate the skin’s surface to reveal more supple and radiant skin. The formula also adds a boost of brightness as the fruit contains vitamin C which is full of antioxidant, skin benefitiing properties.
(LATHER, $23)
10. Goat's Milk Cleanser by Kate Somerville
We have the Goat Milk Moisturizer on our list, so it's only fitting we include their sister product, the Goat Milk Cleanser. The formula helps relieve and nurish dry, sensitive skin with helpful natural milk proteins. Not only is the goat's milk a shining star of the product, the addition of manuka honey (which is taking the beauty world by storm), individuals will get a double moisture without compromising on unnecessary dryness.
(Kate Sommerville, $38)
11. AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser by Murad
In terms of AHAs, this formula includes it all — salicylic acid, lactic acid, and glycolic acid. Working together, they each help create glowing skin by removing any surface layer build-up (from dead skin cells) which can cause skin issues, texture and discoloration. Along with the formula's various acids, it also excludes Jojoba beads help cleanse and sooth the skin.
(Sephora, $39)
12. Facial Wash by PCA Skin
When it comes to PCA Skin, they don't mess around when it comes to delivering quality ingredients to elevate the formula. This lactic acid formulation is beneficial to the face as it's made up of a specific blend (including an AHA) to effectively remove environmental impurities and makeup while leaving the skin hydrated, soothed and (bonus) pH balanced.
(PCA Skin, $32)
13. Charcoal Body Polish by Copper + Crane
Two of the hot items in the beauty world, charcoal and lactic acid, come together for this incredible polish. As an exfoliating cleanser, this formula utilizes renewable bamboo charcoal to naturally detoxifiy and strip away any impurities. Additionally, for any of those individuals who are a fan of musk fragrences, this polish is scented of bloomed cedar to help add to the fresh and sensorial experience.
(Copper+Crane, $25)
14. Goat Milks Cleanser by Sumbody
While the superstar ingredient on our list is lactic acid, when it comes to our source of lactic acid, goat's milk comes in for the win. And Sumbody's quality goat milk cleanser is mixed with calming botanicals and oils that gently clean the skin without added worrying about the formula clogging or distrubing the pores.
(Sumbody, $35)
15. ExfoliKate Cleanser by Kate Somerville
Two AHAs, Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid, make up Kate Somerville's Exfolikate cleanser. The two acids help decrease the appearance of the skin's pores all while cleaning out accumulated dead skin cells on the surface layer. In addition to the AHAs, the formula also includes produce like pineapple, pumpkin, and papaya enzymes to help naturally exfoliate the skin without adding harsh chemicals or products which can add tears to the skin.
(Kate Somerville, $38)
Toners
16. Ain't Misbehavin Healthy Toner by DERMAdoctor
This formula helps clean and refresh the skin with dual alpha hydroxy acid formulation (glycolic and lactic) which remove unneccesary oils, impurities and makeup. When looking to strip the face of excess oil and dirt, it's comforting to know the toner isn't removing necessary oil and drying out the skin, none of which are outcomes of Ain't Misbehavin.
(DERMAdoctor, $39)
17. Nutrient Toner by PCA Skin
PCA Skin does it again by combing vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and (our favorites) alpha hydroxy acid. Each ingredient in this toner helps refine pores, remove build-ups of dead skin cells, and also add beneficial nutrients to our skin.
(PCA Skin, $40)
Serums
18. Correct Vitamin A Serum by Osmosis Skincare
No matter if your skin is dry, oily or combination, all skin types can benefit from Osmosis' Correct serum. Along with listing lacid acid as one of their ingredients, this serum is infused with vitamin A, and is meant to restore the youthfulness of the skin from hydrating and evening out texture. Best of all, this serum is perfect for aging skin, as it provides tons of skin nutrients, collagen production and elasticity.
(Osmosis, $78)
19. Pore + Wrinkle Perfectly Serum by Renée Eouleau
Pore + Wrinkle Perfecting Serum by Renée Rouleau is not only an excellent exfoliating and lactic acid product on the market, it's perfect for those also looking for an anti-aging serum. The formula helps stabilize breakouts and uneven skin texture by combining 17 percent glycolic, salicylic, along with a lactic acid blend.
(Renée Eouleau, $49.50)
20. Pigment Gel by PCA Skin
If using both the cleanser and toner from PCA Skin, it makes sense to complete the entire routine and finish with their phenomenal pigment gel. The formula offers a combination of phenylethyl resorcinol and kojic, azelaic and lactic acids to helps to even and balance the skin's tone. Simultaniously, as the texture and tone are being covered, the introduction of an over-the-counter ingredient, hydroquinone, lightens and diminishes the apperance of hyperpigmentation.
(PCA Skin, $60)
21. T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum by Drunk Elephant
For the TLC Framboos, the serum completely revitalizes dull skin by removing dead skin cells by gently dissolving the glue that holds them to the surface of our skin, creating an even and glowing complexion. Made from both an AHA/BHA blend — including glycolic, lactic, tartaric, citric, and salicylic acids, and an extra (fun) raspberry extract — the formula delivers both chemical and physical exfoliation without the harsh side effects like dryness or sensitization.
(Sephora, $90)
22. Power Drops by ORIBE
All of our products containing lactic acid address issues concerning the skin (body and face), but we thought the hair needed some love. This highly concentrated treatment serum by ORIBE goes a long way. The combination of AHAs (like lactic acid), creatine, and moringa seed extract provides hydration and protects against outside elements that can impact our lucious locks.
(Oribe, $58)
Mask, Peels, & Treatments
23. Exfoliating Mask by Joanna Vargas
Did you know the inclusion of lactic acid helps cleanse the skin which can remove any unwanted bacteria or germs living on the service as well? So on top of the basic hygine necessities, the formula from Joanna Vargas leaves your skin baby soft smooth and completely radiant as it exfoliates.
(Joanna Vargas, $75)
24. AHA Facial Therapy With Copper & Borage Extract by LATHER
The mixture of AHAs and borage seeds are a lovely hydrating bundle as they deliever moisture to your skin as you sleep (you don't have to do anything more than count you zzz's). Best of all, the formula has no parabens, sulfates, mineral oil or synthetic fragrance.
(LATHER, $24)
25. Solution at Glossier
Sometimes physical exfoliation can be extremely harsh on your skin and create unwanted, tiny tears. Luckily, there's products like Glossier's solution that offier chemical exfoliation through the use og AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs to scrape off any unwanted and uneven/dead layer of skin.
(Glossier, $24)
26. Tri-Acid Radiance Peel by SHIFFA
Along with lactic acids, AHAs like glycolic and salicylic can assist in gently removing the dull upper layers of the skin and promote cell turnover. In addition to the powerful AHAs in SHIFFA's Tri-Acid Peel, the formula also contains antioxidants and marine extracts (like algea) to also help hydrate and moisturize the skin, as well as hibiscus, sugarcane, vitamin C, uva, Ursi, bilberry, and licorice root to help brighten and luminate the fresh new base after application.
(SHIFFA, $71.40)
27. Nano Peel by Sonya Dakar
Even though the NANO Peel by Sonya Dakar is OTC, it utilizes professional grade lactic and phytic acids at levels safe for home use. The benefits of this peel include diminishing sun damage, lessening the apperance of acne scares, and softening the look of fine lines.
(Sonya Dakar, $155)
28. Irish Moor Mud Purifying Black Mask by Peter Thomas Roth
The Irish Moor Mud Purifying Mask by Peter Thomas Roth is full of rich ingredients that are worthy enough to be placed on our faces. One of these ingredients (besides AHA lactic acid) is black moor mud, which is over 9,000 years old and one of the most organic materials in the world. The mud mixed with hijiki seaweed, volcanic ash, and activated charcoal help decrease pore size and wrinkles while leaving the skin moisturized and glowing.
(Sephora, $58)
29. Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment by Sunday Riley
Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment by Sunday Riley is created with purified grade lactic acid. When applying, the first thing many notice is that their skin is immediately transformed from dull and uneven skin to a complextion that's glowing, smooth, and radiant.
(Sephora, $158)
30. Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% Superficial Peeling Formulation by The Ordinary
Made up of 10 percent lactic acid-enriched formulation, The Ordinary by The Abnormal Beauty Company gives the skin a mild exfoliation to give our skin a clear and smooth complextion. In adition to offering AHAs, the treatment also includes Tasmanian pepperberry, which helps fight off inflammation in the face and offset any sensitivity that some may feel with chemical exfoliation.
(Sephora, $6.80)
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Elizabeth Blasi is a New Yorker. A lifestyle & travel writer, who is often seen with a suitcase in hand, jetsetting to her next location. But as a true Digital Nomad, her love of writing and romance novels means her laptop is always beside her.
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