What Is Glycolic Acid?
Glycolic acid is a compound that naturally occurs in certain fruits, sugarcane and beets. In its pure form, it is colorless and odorless.
It is a common ingredient that cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies add in topical products to treat skin conditions or to improve skin texture and appearance.
The acid that most cosmetic companies use tends to come from a laboratory rather than natural sources. Glycolic acid belongs to a group of popular acids experts refer to as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) [3]. AHAs are popular ingredients in skin care products.
There are other types of AHA, such as:
- Malic acid, can be found in apples
- Citric acid, which is present in citrus fruits
- Lactic acid, which is present in milk
Amongst all these, glycolic acid has the smallest molecular structure, which likely allows it to penetrate deeper into the skin.