11 Best Alpha Hydroxy Acid Products for Your Most Radiant Skin Yet
The impact of the best alpha hydroxy acid products can't be overlooked in the world of skin-care ingredients. These exfoliating acids, known as AHAs, sweep away dirt and dead skin, even out skin tone, and take your skin to a brighter level. They're well-known for being part of the not-so-secret sauce in chemical peels, but as their popularity grew, they've quickly found their way into our at-home skin-care routines.
Our Top Picks
- Best Overall: SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser, $42
- Best Moisturizer: SkinMedica Brightening AHA/BHA Cream, $46
- Best Serum: Shani Darden Lactic Acid Exfoliating Serum, $89
- Best Night Treatment: Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum, $90
- Best Toner: Tatcha The Texture Tonic AHA Liquid Exfoliating Treatment, $62
- Best Mask: Hyper Skin Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask, $48
- Best Cleanser: Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore-Minimizing and Polishing Powder-Cleanser, $38
- Best for Sensitive Skin: Biossance Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum, $65
- Best In-Office Chemical Peel Alternative: Paula's Choice 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel, $44
In this story, we'll dive into the best alpha hydroxy acids products and bring in board-certified dermatologists to give us the low-down on this group of potent actives.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are alpha hydroxy acids?
- What are the skin-care benefits of alpha hydroxy acids?
- Meet the experts
- How we test and review products
- Our staff and testers
Best Overall: SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser
Why It's Worth It: Rough or bumpy skin is no match for SkinCeuticals' Glycolic Renewal Cleanser. This gel cleanser feels gentle and foamy on your skin as it unclogs pores with 8% glycolic acid and 1% phytic acid (a milder AHA). The exfoliating duo sloughs away dead skin cells, evens skin texture, and addresses dullness—take some time to thoroughly massage it into your skin for the best results. Thanks to the addition of soothing, hydrating aloe and glycerin, your face will feel refreshed and cleansed but not tight, dry, or stripped of moisture. Due to its rinse-off formula and conditioning ingredients, this face wash is a great addition to any skin-care routine—though sensitive skin types, as always, should patch-test.
Editor Tip: If you want to tag-team this exfoliating cleanser with an overnight treatment, we recommend the Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight, which employs a blend of 10% glycolic acid and 2% phytic acid to boost cell turnover and promote clearer skin.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid (8%), phytic acid (1%), aloe vera extract, glycerin | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Moisturizer: SkinMedica Brightening AHA/BHA Cream
Why It's Worth It: New York City-based, board-certified dermatologist Orit Markowitz, MD says one of her favorite products from SkinMedica, a derm-favorite cosmeceutical brand, is the Brightening AHA/BHA Cream. As the name suggests, this thick, rich cream contains a blend of lactic, glycolic, and malic acids, plus breakout-reducing salicylic acid to penetrate the skin at different surface levels. Cosmetic chemist Rob Robinson previously told Allure that mixing AHAs and BHAs allows for an exfoliating experience that hits different levels of the skin's surface. "AHAs work well on the skin's surface to loosen old, dead skin and reveal fresh newer skin," he says. “Salicylic acid works deeper [and is] able to penetrate the pores to unclog them." Along with this exfoliating blend, this silky cream brightens your complexion with the help of antioxidant vitamin E and moisturizes with squalane.
Editor Tip: SkinMedica recommends applying twice daily, but since this formula contains active ingredients that can increase sun sensitivity, we recommend using it as the last step of your nighttime routine (and following up with sunscreen with SPF 30 or more the following day).
Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, glycolic acid, malic acid, citric acid (derived from bilberry extract, sugar cane extract, sugar maple extract, and citrus extracts), salicylic acid, tocopheryl acetate (stabilized ester of vitamin E), pro-vitamin B5, squalane | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Serum: Shani Darden Lactic Acid Exfoliating Serum
Why It's Worth It: Effortlessly tackle blackhead-forming dirt, oil, and sweat with the Allure Best of Beauty-winning Shani Darden Lactic Acid Exfoliating Serum. This gentle yet effective formula utilizes lactic acid, a mild AHA known to promote intensive cell turnover without irritating skin. This serum is also formulated with polyhydroxy acids, another chemical exfoliator that's also known for its gentler feel on the skin.
Editor Tip: To prevent dryness and minimize irritation, this formula also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing aloe vera extract. However, if you have very sensitive skin, you should always patch-test or source a formula with a lower percentage of acids.
Key Ingredients: Lactic acid (9%), gluconolactone (PHA), hyaluronic acid, aloe vera extract, green tea extract | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Night Treatment: Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum
Why It's Worth It: The "T.L.C." in Drunk Elephant's derm-approved T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum stands for a 10% blend of tartaric, lactic, and citric acids, all of which work together to amp up the main exfoliator in this formula, glycolic acid. Blair Murphy-Rose, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell in New York City, has previously touted it as an excellent non-retinol serum to target fine lines, dark spots, and sun damage. (Bonus: It's also safe for pregnant and nursing people, though you shouldn't go above 10% AHA concentrations.)
This super-charged formula also includes salicylic acid to obliterate any pore-clogging bacteria lingering in your pores. This triple-acid formula combines the tone-evening powers of chemical exfoliants with antioxidant-rich raspberry fruit extract to intensify the brightness of your complexion overnight.
Editor Tip: When in need of an intensive blackhead-busting treatment, Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein applies a few drops of this formula to her nighttime skin-care regimen. "It's a bit sticky and dense in texture, so a little goes a long way, but I promise you its brightening, tone-evening formula is worth a little tackiness," she says.
Key Ingredients: 10% AHA complex (glycolic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, citric acid), salicylic acid (1%), raspberry fruit extract | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Toner: Tatcha The Texture Tonic
Why It's Worth It: Tatcha's The Texture Tonic is a fluid toner that floods your skin with a blend of pore-refining fruit acids (glycolic acid, citric acid, wild rose)—so much so that we likened this 2022 Best of Beauty Award winner to a "liquid blotting paper." While the wedding-day-approved exfoliant is tough on breakouts and errant flakes, it remains a gentle formula, thanks to soothing niacinamide and Japanese mugwort.
Editor Tip: "My number one skin concern is pore congestion, especially around my nose. I love adding a few drops of Tatcha's Texture Tonic to a cotton pad and swiping it across my nose, chin, and forehead to gently exfoliate the areas where I'm prone to buildup," says Allure commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann. "It's sort of miraculous—and grossly satisfying—to see how much extra debris comes off on the cotton pads and how clear my pores look after."
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, citric acid, wild rose extract, niacinamide, Japanese mugwort | Fragrance-Free: No
Best Mask: Hyper Skin Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask
Why It's Worth It: Hyper Skin's Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask will make your skin bright and luminous, just like its turmeric-yellow color (provided by actual turmeric powder). This Allure Best of Beauty winner contains glycolic and mandelic acids, two AHAs known for their complexion-evening properties. As if that's not enough, this formula is spiked with niacinamide to double-down on brightening your complexion and evening tone.
Editor Tip: Allure shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis wrote in her review that she loved this formula's tone-enhancing abilities. "I used the Fade and Glow AHA Mask twice a week for about a month and I can honestly say that I saw my dark spots fade and any textured skin smooth out," she said.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid (5%), mandelic acid (5%), salicylic acid (>1%), niacinamide, sea buckthorn extract, papaya extract, turmeric extract | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best Cleanser: Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore-Minimizing and Polishing Powder-Cleanser
Why It's Worth It: A few drops of water are all you need to transform Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore-Minimizing and Polishing Powder-Cleanser into a frothy, skin-cushioning cleanser. This formula has a base of oil-absorbing white kaolin clay that absorbs oil and excess sebum as it turns from a skin-polishing powder to a creamy face wash. Its bi-phase formula treats your skin with pore-penetrating tartaric acid and gentle micro-crystalline cellulose grains for a softer complexion.
Editor Tip: This customizable face wash can also be used as a more intensive face scrub by adding less water to its formula for a thicker consistency.
Key Ingredients: Tartaric acid, kaolin clay, micro-crystalline cellulose grains (corn starch), aloe vera extract, allantoin | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Sensitive Skin: Biossance Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum
Why It's Worth It: Biossance's Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum is an exfoliating formula starring lactic acid, an AHA that's larger in molecular size than glycolic acid and, therefore, gentler on the skin (because it doesn't penetrate as deeply). Another benefit of lactic acid? Santa Barbara, California-based board-certified dermatologist Aegean Chan, MD, previously told Allure that lactic acid mimics a "naturally-occurring group of molecules found in our skin that helps to hydrate and maintain the skin barrier." And because this skin-softening treatment also contains squalane, which seals in moisture and strengthens your barrier, you get all of the same texture-refining benefits as stronger alpha hydroxy acids without the increased risk of irritation.
Editor Tip: Another benefit to this night treatment is its fast-drying formula, which seeps into your skin well before your face hits your pillowcase.
Key Ingredients: Lactic acid (10%), squalane, clover extract | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best In-Office Chemical Peel Alternative: Paula's Choice 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel
Why It's Worth It: If you're someone who prefers a once-weekly intensive treatment, whip out the Allure Best of Beauty-winning Paula's Choice 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel. As its name implies, this powerful formula combines the skin-tightening effects of alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic and lactic acids) and salicylic acid. You won't get the results of a clinical-level chemical peel outside the dermatologist's office, but its ability to fade blemishes and age spots makes it a great at-home alternative.
Editor Tip: Since this is one of the most concentrated products on this list, follow the directions (leave it on for 10 minutes; don't apply on compromised skin; etc.) and don't use this exfoliant more than once per week, as per Paula's Choice's recommendation.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid (8.4%), lactic acid (7.1%), mandelic acid (5%), malic acid (2.5%), tartaric acid (2%), salicylic acid (2%), bisabolol, glycyrrhetinic acid, allantoin, butterfly pea flower extract | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Solution
Why It's Worth It: La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Clarifying Solution is a milder formula that can be incorporated into any blemish-clearing routine, as it pairs 2% glycolic acid with 0.5% salicylic acid to buff away pore-clogging dirt and excess oil. Though this liquidy toner contains two types of acids, it soothes and hydrates skin with the help of La Roche-Posay's signature ingredient, soothing thermal spring water.
Editor Tip: If your skin requires a more intensive acne treatment, we suggest La Roche Posay's Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning Effaclar Acne Treatment System, a three-step system consisting of a gel cleanser, this toner, and a spot treatment—all of which employ potent concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, glycolic, and salicylic acid.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid (2%), salicylic acid (0.5%), thermal spring water | Fragrance-Free: Yes
Best for Dark Spots: Ole Henriksen Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment
Why It's Worth It: If dark spots are your concern, allow us to introduce you to this potent overnight serum from Ole Henriksen. The Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment is an Allure favorite for its creamy texture and a skin-firming blend of alpha hydroxy and polyhydroxy acids. This custardy treatment also features licorice root extract, which helps fade hyperpigmentation. Irritation is minimized with its soothing, comforting mix of aloe juice, nordic birch sap, and cotton water, but this formulation might be too potent for sensitive skin.
Editor Tip: Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein has been a fan of this potent formula since 2021. "Don't expect your dark spots to be erased overnight, because no skin-care product can do that, but I will say that my problem areas definitely looked slightly smaller and lighter, and my overall complexion was noticeably brighter," she said in her review of the product, two weeks into testing.
Key Ingredients: Alpha hydroxy acid complex (10% glycolic and lactic acids), polyhydroxy acids (10%), licorice root extract, aloe vera juice, cotton water, nordic birch sap | Fragrance-Free: No
Frequently Asked Questions
What are alpha hydroxy acids?
According to Orit Markowitz, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, alpha hydroxy acids are derived from sugarcane or other plant sources (for example, malic, tartaric, and citric acid). What makes them different from their oily-skin-conducive counterparts, beta hydroxy acids (BHA), and gentler, sensitive-skin-friendly polyhydroxy acids (PHA) is that they're water-soluble and work on the skin's surface. Oil-soluble BHAs like salicylic acid penetrate pores more deeply, which makes them more efficient for treating deep-rooted acne, while PHAs are molecularly larger and therefore the gentlest exfoliating option. The most common AHA found in skin-care products are glycolic acid and lactic acid; as the smallest in molecular size under the AHA umbrella, they penetrate skin most deeply.
What are the skin-care benefits of alpha hydroxy acids?
Dr. Markowitz says that AHAs can target the superficial layer of skin, therefore creating a smoother complexion with a more even skin tone. Board-certified, NYC-based dermatologist Morgan Rabach, MD, also notes that AHAs remove the outer layer of dead, damaged skin, revealing softer and brighter skin. "AHAs help even out skin pigmentation irregularities from melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation," Dr. Rabach previously told Allure. Alpha hydroxy acids can also stimulate the production of skin-firming collagen, which diminishes the look of fine lines over time.
While the skin-care benefits are bountiful, dermatologists warn that alpha hydroxy acids can cause sensitivity, especially when you're exposed to sunlight. So when first using AHA products, try incorporating them into your routine at night, and apply adequate sunscreen during the day—as you should regardless—to protect your pores from sun damage.
Meet the experts
- Orit Markowitz, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, and founder of OptiSkin
- Morgan Rabach, MD, a board-certified, New York City-based dermatologist
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of best alpha hydroxy acid products, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
Read more about our favorite skin-care products:
- The Best Retinol Creams to Address Fine Lines (And So Much More)
- 16 Best Face Washes for Acne, According to Dermatologists
- The Best Moisturizers for Oily Skin, No Matter the Season
- The Best Azelaic Acid Products for a Clearer Complexion
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