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Retinol and lactic acid

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Retinol and lactic acid: keep them apart

Keep them apart

Use them on alternate nights because they are too strong to use together. Using both at the same time can dry, peel, and irritate your skin. You can try a lower strength or wait a night between using them.

Photocarcinogenesis study of glycolic acid and salicylic acid (CAS Nos. 79-14-1 and 69-72-7) in SKH-1 mice (simulated solar light and topical application study)Novel retinoid ester in combination with salicylic acid for the treatment of acne

Retinol products

Lactic acid products

Questions and answers

Can you use retinol and lactic acid together?

Keep retinol and lactic acid apart by alternating evenings or buffering with a moisturizer to avoid over-exfoliation and irritation.

Which goes first, retinol or lactic acid?

Keep retinol and lactic acid apart by alternating evenings or buffering with moisturizer to help prevent over-exfoliation and irritation.

Are retinol and lactic acid good for sensitive skin?

Retinol and lactic acid should be kept apart in your routine because combining them may cause over-exfoliation and irritation, especially on sensitive, dry, or reactive skin. Instead, you can alternate evenings or buffer with a moisturizer between uses to protect your skin barrier.

Research on retinol and lactic acid

Behind this pairing advice

Lovi checks every pairing with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

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    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

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    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

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    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

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    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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