Lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate
Keep them apart
Use them on alternate nights because combining them can cause skin irritation. Both ingredients work hard to renew the skin, so layering them together can easily cause redness, dryness, and a stinging feeling. To prevent this, the shopper can either switch to a gentler product strength or leave more days between using each ingredient.
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
Lactic acid products
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Medicube
Zero Pore Pad
SAR 64.80
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First Aid Beauty
KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub
SAR 107.07
-
EltaMD
UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
SAR 125.78
-
First Aid Beauty
Facial Radiance Pads
SAR 129.00
- CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
- CeraVe Renewing SA Cream
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The Ordinary
Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
SAR 63.55
- The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion
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Kate Somerville
ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
SAR 148.70
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Dr. Dennis Gross
Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
SAR 317.82
- The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA
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Good Molecules
Overnight Exfoliating Treatment
SAR 77.61
Hydroxypinacolone retinoate products
- The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
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IOPE
Retinol Super Bounce Serum
SAR 178.00
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BYOMA
Sensitive Retinol Oil
SAR 106.84
- Medicube Deep Vita A Retinol Serum
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Sunday Riley
A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum
SAR 575.29
Questions and answers
Can you use lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate together?
Keep lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate apart by using them in separate routine steps, such as applying lactic acid in the morning or on alternate evenings. Combining them in the same step may cause irritation or disrupt your skin barrier because both increase cell turnover.
Which goes first, lactic acid or hydroxypinacolone retinoate?
Keep lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate apart by using lactic acid in the morning or on alternate evenings and your retinoid on separate nights. Combining them in the same routine may cause irritation or barrier disruption because both increase cell turnover.
Are lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate good for sensitive skin?
Keep lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate apart by using them on alternate evenings to help prevent skin irritation. Sensitive, dry, and reactive skin should avoid direct overlap of these two ingredients in the same routine step.
Research on lactic acid and hydroxypinacolone retinoate
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. Sof铆a Perea P茅rez, 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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