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E! News Illustration / Photo Courtesy of Byoma, Paula's Choice, First Aid Beauty
If your skin leans sensitive, reactive, or just plain moody, exfoliation can feel risky. Speaking from experience as someone with acne scars and easily irritated skin, lactic acid has become my go-to for smoothing texture without causing redness or dryness.
Compared with other alpha-hydroxy acids like glycolic or mandelic acid, lactic acid is known for being much gentler—making it ideal for sensitive or dry skin types who still want visible results.
One of the reasons lactic acid stands out is that it helps improve skin texture and tone while also supporting hydration, which is key when your barrier needs extra love. And because it’s well tolerated, many brands claim their lactic acid formulas are dermatologist-approved for gentle exfoliation.
The ingredient shows up in just about every type of product—serums, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and even body treatments—each targeting slightly different concerns. To narrow things down, we rounded up the best skincare options worth trying.
Keep scrolling for our curated picks of the best lactic acid skincare products tested by derms and available to shop below.
Best Lactic Acid Skincare Products:
The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + Hyaluronic Acid 2%, Gentle Exfoliating Serum
Who says exfoliants have to dry out your skin? This lactic acid serum combines gentle lactic acid with hydrating hyaluronic acid, making it suitable for sensitive complexions. Lightweight and water-based, it layers effortlessly under your other skincare staples.
- Key ingredients: Lactic acid, hyaluronic acid, Tasmanian pepperberry
- Best for: Skincare beginners wanting a safe, hydrating AHA
Paula’s Choice Mandelic Acid + Lactic Acid Exfoliant
If most exfoliating toners feel like too much, this one is a calmer swap. Mandelic and lactic acids work together to smooth texture and help improve discoloration without pushing skin too far.
- Key ingredients: Mandelic acid, lactic acid
- Best for: Post-acne marks and discoloration
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads with Glycolic & Lactic Acids
For lactic acid lovers craving something stronger, these exfoliating pads bring glycolic acid into the mix. They help brighten, sweep away dirt and oil, and leave skin looking smooth and radiant with zero extra steps.
- Key ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactic acid
- Best for: Experienced users craving brighter skin, fast
BYOMA Brightening Toner with Lactic Acid
Effective lactic acid doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With mandelic acid, lactic acid, and birch extract, this toner smooths texture, brightens skin, and helps reduce the appearance of pores and blemishes.
- Key ingredients: Mandelic acid, lactic acid
- Best for: Oily, blemish-prone skin looking for a brighter, smoother finish
Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder
Gentle but effective, this fragrance-free powder cleanser won’t dry out your skin. It’s ideal for anyone looking for a deeper, more thorough clean than your regular face wash.
- Key ingredients: Rice powder, rice bran water, ceramides, lactic acid
- Best for: Skin prone to irritation or dryness
BIOSSANCE Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum
This nighttime serum puts lactic acid to work while your skin resets. Clover and squalane help refine texture, support hydration, and tackle post-acne discoloration without irritation.
- Key ingredients: Lactic acid, clover, squalane
- Best for: Evening routines targeting post-acne discoloration
Editor's Pick
SUNDAY RILEY Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment
Our favorite lactic acid treatment works quickly while staying kind to sensitive skin. Using vegan, biobased lactic acid, it smooths, clarifies, and brightens, with clinical results showing plumper skin, minimized fine lines, and a radiant glow in minutes.
- Key ingredients: Lactic acid, licorice root, prickly pear
- Best for: All skin types, with a focus on combination and sensitive skin
AmLactin KP Bumps Be Gone Therapeutic Body Cream for Keratosis Pilaris
Lactic acid isn’t just for your face—use it on your body to tackle uneven tone and keratosis pilaris. This simple, budget-friendly lotion contains 15% lactic acid to soften dry, bumpy spots while delivering extra hydration.
- Key ingredients: 15% lactic acid
- Best for: Smoothing keratosis pilaris and rough patches
How We Choose
The E! Insider Shop editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews, and use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think our readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not E!. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
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