10 Products With Glycolic Acid, the Acne-Fighting Super-Ingredient!

Glycolic acid is once again at the forefront of a slew of acne-fighting and blemish-banishing products. Yet exactly why is glycolic acid so great at treating acne?

GA’s exfoliative properties help loosen dead, damaged skin cells and make way for fresher cells to emerge.

By speeding up this cycle of skin cell turnover, glycolic acid clears out dirt, oil, and debris – and swiftly reveals healthy, acne-free skin.

Frankly, glycolic acid’s abilities are practically a superpower. And if you’re battling blemishes, who would you rather have on your side: Tony Stark, Clark Kent, or a proven superhero when it comes to abolishing acne?

Check out these ten trending acne treatment products, all featuring the superstar ingredient that’s helping formulators and marketers in the never-ending quest for smashing sales records and winning legions of loyal customers around the globe.

1. Claridad Glycolic Face Wash – This facial cleanser is being touted as the ultimate acne-busting face wash by skincare and beauty bloggers in 2018. Why the rave reviews? The foaming cleanser contains 4x the amount of glycolic acid as compared to similar over-the-counter products, and helps users curtail their acne woes – fast.
2. Vichy Normaderm Anti-Acne Hydrating Lotion – Beloved by bargain beauty hunters, and found in the easy-to-access aisles of Target, this hydrating lotion exfoliates broken-out skin, reduces the appearance of clogged pores, and cuts down on shine with potent amounts of glycolic acid.
3. KARUNA Spot+ Melting Boost Sheet Mask – This highly-rated sheet mask is packed with a whopping dose glycolic acid and hailed by consumers for “melting” whiteheads and blackheads away after a single use.
4. The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution – This buzzy new Canadian skincare brand, lauded worldwide by tastemakers like UK Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar, offers skincare solutions in beautifully minimalist packaging, with clinically effective formulations. This particularly oft-praised toner contains an incredible 7% concentration of glycolic acid, making it uber-effective at eradicating breakouts.
5. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads – Prized by consumers and professional makeup artists alike for their ease and efficacy (over 1,500 glowing reviews from Sephora insiders!), these small, GA-containing circular pads help reduce the appearance of blemishes and tighten skin before makeup application.
6. DRUNK ELEPHANT T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ – winner of the ultra-prestigous Allure Magazine 2017 Beauty Awards, this cult favorite, glycolic acid rich serum works like a facial to rapidly remove damaged skin cells from the face. The result? Healthier, blemish-free skin that has consumers, beauty editors, and social media mavens rhapsodizing about glycolic acid’s breakout busting capabilities.
7. PETER THOMAS ROTH AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel – This clear, topical gel reduces the appearance of whiteheads, blackheads, and other unsightly blemishes with a formulation heavy on the glycolic acid, and it’s sidekick, salicylic acid, for a one-two acne knockout punch.
8. Proactiv Clear Zone Body Pads: Acne isn’t just a problem for faces – body breakouts are a major issue for consumers everywhere too. These swipeable body pads boast a robust glycolic acid concentration that normalizes oily skin, lifts away dirt, and extracts build-up from clogged pores, anywhere on the body.
9. GLAMGLOWSUPERMUD® Clearing Treatment – This fun, smearable mud mask, whose fans include Miley Cyrus and Nina Dobrev, minimizes pore size, reduces oiliness, and zaps acne blemishes via a hefty dose of glycolic acid.
10. CAUDALIE Glycolic Peel – The beloved skincare brand, founded in the vineyards of France, offers one of the most powerful and effective glycolic acid peels out on the market today. Both a treatment peel and a mask, this Caudalie peel minimizes the size of pores and clears up acne-prone skin with serious quantities of powerhouse glycolic acid.

Used properly, a product containing glycolic acid can be a godsend against acne and blemishes. Since it has the smallest AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) molecule it penetrates better than other AHAs or ingredients like salicylic acid, a BHA (beta-hydroxy acid) which, while effective at reducing inflammation and killing bacteria, don’t help with deep-under-the-skin-acne and scarring.

So for super results, consumers are turning to products containing a super ingredient: glycolic acid.