Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating General Science Study on Mandelic Acid and pigmentation

  • Study on Mandelic Acid and pigmentation

    Posted by ngarayeva001 on July 15, 2019 at 10:48 am

    Hello All,

    There is a belief in the beauty community that mandelic acid
    is better at reducing pigmentation than glycolic. It would be great if it was true but I couldn’t find any
    scientific proof. All I found was some study on NCBI that compared a mix of mandelic
    and salicylic acid with glycolic for post acne pigmentation on patients with
    skin type IV and V (and some other stuff around its ability to control sebum) but nothing particularly persuasive on mandelic acid alone.

    I would kindly ask to share relevant studies if any exists.

    Thank you in advance

    oldperry replied 4 years, 8 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • EVchem

    Member
    July 15, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    None that I could find! all I’ve heard to compare the two is that mandelic has higher MW  and so it penetrates slower than glycolic. My guess is it’s just marketing pushing for people to use mandelic

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    July 15, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    Thank you @EVchem. That’s what I understood as well. Apparently it’s more lipophilic than glycolic which explains why it’s mixed with salicylic and tested on acneic skin, but literally nothing on pigmentation (from reliable sources). 

  • oldperry

    Member
    July 15, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    I haven’t seen any comparisons. In truth, I don’t think either are particularly good especially at the low levels found in most cosmetics.

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    July 15, 2019 at 3:21 pm

    I formulate glycolic acid toner with lower pH than most commercial products (for my own use) and was considering whether I should replace it to mandelic, but after what you guys confirmed I see no reason. I assume that mandelic should be less irritating due to HMW but since my skin is fine with glycolic I won’t bother.

    Thank you all!

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