Tretinoin and mandelic acid
Keep them apart
Use them on alternate nights because combining them too often can cause skin irritation and redness. Both ingredients exfoliate the skin very quickly, which can strip the skin barrier and cause stinging. The shopper can use a lower strength or wait more days between applications.
Retinoids: a journey from the molecular structures and mechanisms of action to clinical uses in dermatology and adverse effectsWhy Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne
Tretinoin products
- Retin-A Cream
- Tri-Luma Cream
- Musely The Spot Cream
- Obagi Tretinoin Cream 0.05%
- Taro Tretinoin Cream
- Mylan Tretinoin
- Curology Formula
- Menarini A-Ret Gel
Mandelic acid products
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The Ordinary
Mandelic Acid 10% + HA
€8.00
- Nécessaire The Body Retinol
- Good Molecules Mandelic Acid Serum
- Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment
- Dermalogica PowerBright Dark Spot Peel
- Sofie Pavitt Face Mandelic Clearing Serum
-
Cetaphil
Gentle Exfoliating SA Lotion
€15.59
- SkinCeuticals Cell Cycle Catalyst
- DIME TBT Serum
-
By Wishtrend
Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water
€21.30
-
Haruharu Wonder
Black Rice Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel
€14.58
- Neutrogena Bright Boost Gel Cream
Questions and answers
Can you use tretinoin and mandelic acid together?
Keep tretinoin and mandelic acid apart in your routine because combining them may lead to over-exfoliation and skin irritation. Instead, alternate their use by applying mandelic acid in the morning or on separate evenings from your retinoid.
Which goes first, tretinoin or mandelic acid?
Keep tretinoin and mandelic acid apart by using them on alternate evenings or putting mandelic acid in your morning routine. Combining them in the same routine may cause irritation and barrier disruption.
Are tretinoin and mandelic acid good for sensitive skin?
No, you should keep tretinoin and mandelic acid apart because using them together may cause irritation or barrier disruption, especially for sensitive skin.
Research on tretinoin and mandelic 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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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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
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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