# Glycolic acid and tretinoin Page: https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin The Lovi Fit is the same in every country; only the stores and prices differ, and the ones here are for Spain. Keep them apart Use them on alternate nights because they are both strong and should not go on together. Using both at the same time causes too much peeling, redness, and irritation on the face. The shopper can switch to a lower strength or give their skin a night off between the two products. [Retinoids: a journey from the molecular structures and mechanisms of action to clinical uses in dermatology and adverse effects](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28318351/) [Why Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28585191/) - [All about glycolic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid) - [All about tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin) ### [Glycolic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid) products - [The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/the-ordinary/glycolic-acid-7-toning-solution/for/combination-skin) — Superior fit — [€13.90 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/dp/B071914GGL?tag=lovi-care-web-product05-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1) - [RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/roc/retinol-correxion-deep-wrinkle-night-cream/for/dark-spots) — High fit — [€33.98 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0GXBBV93V?tag=lovi-care-web-product05-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1) - [First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/first-aid-beauty/kp-bump-eraser-body-scrub/for/dark-spots) — Average fit — [€25.02 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08GNS58PQ?tag=lovi-care-web-product05-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1) - [First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/first-aid-beauty/facial-radiance-pads/for/sensitive-skin) — Superior fit — [€29.33 at Lookfantastic](https://www.lookfantastic.es/p/first-aid-beauty-brighten-glow-facial-radiance-pads-60-count/17659264/) - [Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/murad/rapid-dark-spot-correcting-serum/for/acne-prone-skin) — High fit - [Skinbetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/skinbetter-science/alpharet-overnight-cream/for/dry-sensitive-skin) — High fit - [St. Ives Apricot Scrub](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/st-ives/apricot-scrub/for/dry-skin) — Average fit - [COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/cosrx/aha-bha-clarifying-treatment-toner/for/oily-acne-prone-skin) — Superior fit — [€14.11 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/dp/B073P6BPF5?tag=lovi-care-web-product05-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1) - [Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/dr-dennis-gross/alpha-beta-universal-daily-peel/for/acne-prone-skin) — Superior fit — [€175.00 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/dp/B009QZ595Q?tag=lovi-care-web-product05-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1) - [Pixi Glow Tonic](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/pixi/glow-tonic/for/oily-skin) — Superior fit — [€11.50 at Notino](https://www.notino.es/pixi/glow-tonico-facial-calmante-con-acido-glicolico/p-16299386/) - [Good Molecules Overnight Exfoliating Treatment](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/good-molecules/overnight-exfoliating-treatment/for/oily-skin) — Superior fit — [€20.99 at Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08TMDRF1L?tag=lovi-care-web-product05-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1) - [CeraVe Skin Renewing Nightly Exfoliating Treatment](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/cerave/skin-renewing-nightly-exfoliating-treatment/for/acne-prone-skin) — High fit ### [Tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin) products - [Retin-A Cream](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/retin-a/cream/for/oily-skin) — High fit - [Tri-Luma Cream](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/tri-luma/cream/for/dark-spots) — Average fit - [Musely The Spot Cream](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/musely/the-spot-cream/for/mature-skin) — High fit - [Obagi Tretinoin Cream 0.05%](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/obagi/tretinoin-cream-0-05/for/oily-skin) — High fit - [Taro Tretinoin Cream](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/taro/tretinoin-cream/for/combination-skin) — High fit - [Mylan Tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/mylan/tretinoin/for/acne-prone-skin) — Average fit - [Curology Formula](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/curology/formula/for/oily-skin) — High fit - [Menarini A-Ret Gel](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/p/menarini/a-ret-gel/for/oily-skin) — High fit ## Questions and answers ### Can you use glycolic acid and tretinoin together? Keep [glycolic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid) and [tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin) apart by using them on alternate evenings, because combining them may cause irritation and disrupt your skin barrier. ### Which goes first, glycolic acid or tretinoin? Keep glycolic acid and tretinoin apart by using them in separate routines, such as glycolic acid in the morning or on alternating nights and tretinoin on different evenings. Combining them in the same step may over-exfoliate your skin and cause irritation or barrier disruption. ### Are glycolic acid and tretinoin good for sensitive skin? Glycolic acid and tretinoin should be kept apart to avoid irritation and barrier disruption, especially on sensitive skin. You can alternate them by using glycolic acid in the morning or every other night, and tretinoin on alternate evenings. ## Research on glycolic acid and tretinoin - [Restoration of collagen formation in photodamaged human skin by tretinoin (retinoic acid)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8336752/) Tretinoin · The New England Journal of Medicine, 1993 - [Clinical Assessment of New Topical Cream Containing Two Essential Oils Combined with Tretinoin in the Treatment of Acne](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32210603/) Tretinoin · Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2020 - [Microneedling by dermapen and glycolic acid peel for the treatment of acne scars: Comparative study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30548170/) Glycolic acid · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019 - [The efficacy of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene vs adapalene monotherapy in mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris: a double-blinded within-person comparative study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30858720/) Glycolic acid · Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019 - [Efficacy assessments of tretinoin-loaded nano lipid carriers in acne vulgaris: a double blind, split-face randomized clinical study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34146120/) Tretinoin · Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022 - [Topical tretinoin for treating photoaging: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35620028/) Tretinoin · International Journal of Women's Dermatology, 2022 ## Other combinations - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and benzoyl peroxide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-benzoyl-peroxide) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and retinol](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-retinol) - Depends on the strength: [Glycolic acid and niacinamide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-niacinamide) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and sodium lactate](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-sodium-lactate) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and tromethamine](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tromethamine) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and acetyl hexapeptide-3](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-acetyl-hexapeptide-3) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and bio-placenta peptides](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-bio-placenta-peptides) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and collagen peptide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-collagen-peptide) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and copper peptide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-copper-peptide) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and hexapeptide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-hexapeptide) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and hexapeptide-9](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-hexapeptide-9) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and palmitoyl pentapeptide-4](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-palmitoyl-pentapeptide-4) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and palmitoyl tripeptide-1](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-palmitoyl-tripeptide-1) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and peptide-rich plasma](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-peptide-rich-plasma) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and triple peptide blend](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-triple-peptide-blend) - Depends on the strength: [Niacinamide and tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/niacinamide-and-tretinoin) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and betaine](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-betaine) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and glycerin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-glycerin) - Depends on the strength: [Glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-hyaluronic-acid) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and acetyl hexapeptide-3](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-acetyl-hexapeptide-3) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and bio-placenta peptides](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-bio-placenta-peptides) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and carnosine](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-carnosine) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and collagen peptide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-collagen-peptide) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and copper peptide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-copper-peptide) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and hexapeptide](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-hexapeptide) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and hexapeptide-9](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-hexapeptide-9) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and palmitoyl pentapeptide-4](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-palmitoyl-pentapeptide-4) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and palmitoyl tripeptide-1](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-palmitoyl-tripeptide-1) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and peptide-rich plasma](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-peptide-rich-plasma) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and triple peptide blend](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-triple-peptide-blend) - Keep them apart: [AHA blend glycolic and citric acids and tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/aha-blend-glycolic-and-citric-acids-and-tretinoin) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and citric acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-citric-acid) - Keep them apart: [Adapalene and glycolic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/adapalene-and-glycolic-acid) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and granactive retinoid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-granactive-retinoid) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-hydroxypinacolone-retinoate) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and pro-retinol](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-pro-retinol) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and retinal](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-retinal) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and retinoid blend](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-retinoid-blend) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and lactic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-lactic-acid) - Keep them apart: [Tretinoin and mandelic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/tretinoin-and-mandelic-acid) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and gluconolactone](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-gluconolactone) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and lactobionic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-lactobionic-acid) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and cholesterol](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-cholesterol) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and lauric acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-lauric-acid) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and linoleic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-linoleic-acid) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and tri-ceramide complex](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tri-ceramide-complex) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and arginine](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-arginine) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and GABA](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-gaba) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and silk amino acids](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-silk-amino-acids) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and taurine](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-taurine) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and theanine](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-theanine) - Keep them apart: [Salicylic acid and tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/salicylic-acid-and-tretinoin) - Keep them apart: [Vitamin C and tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/vitamin-c-and-tretinoin) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and ferulic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-ferulic-acid) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and vitamin E](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-vitamin-e) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and azelaic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-azelaic-acid) - Keep them apart: [Glycolic acid and salicylic acid](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-salicylic-acid) - Keep them apart: [Benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/benzoyl-peroxide-and-tretinoin) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and allantoin](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-allantoin) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and bisabolol](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-bisabolol) - Work well together: [Glycolic acid and panthenol](https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-panthenol) ## About the Lovi Fit Lovi: Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes. Lovi checks every pairing with brand-independent rules its 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. Levels from best to worst: Superior, High, Average, Low, Caution, Warning. Behind this pairing advice: Nadia Kapleva, MS (Co-founder, Medical Director); Alexey Shagraev, PhD (Co-founder, CEO and CTO); Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc (Medical Board); Aishani Shah, MD (Medical Board); Asya Zubkova, MS (Medical Board); Hanna Kurets, MD (Medical Board, Medical Advisor); Elina Nazarenko, MD (Medical Board); Victoria Derkova, MS (Medical Board). Page built Nov 8, 2026. More from Lovi: https://lovi.care/skincare/llms.txt ## This page in other countries - United States: https://lovi.care/skincare/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - United Kingdom: https://lovi.care/skincare/uk/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Ireland: https://lovi.care/skincare/ie/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Germany: https://lovi.care/skincare/de/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - France: https://lovi.care/skincare/fr/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Italy: https://lovi.care/skincare/it/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Netherlands: https://lovi.care/skincare/nl/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Spain: https://lovi.care/skincare/es/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin (this page) - Canada: https://lovi.care/skincare/ca/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Australia: https://lovi.care/skincare/au/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Singapore: https://lovi.care/skincare/sg/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - Saudi Arabia: https://lovi.care/skincare/sa/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin - United Arab Emirates: https://lovi.care/skincare/ae/ingredients/glycolic-acid-and-tretinoin