Discover Mandelic Acid - The Gentle Yet Mighty Skincare Hero

Lady using mandelic acid-enriched serum on her face

Looking for a gentle alternative to the usual acids in your skincare routine? Meet mandelic acid! A less familiar but equally powerful ingredient in the skincare world, mandelic acid skincare delivers transformative results akin to salicylic and glycolic acids, leaving your skin smooth, radiant, and perfectly balanced.

In this blog post, we'll uncover the wonders of one of the best skincare ingredients, mandelic acid, exploring its roots, advantages, and how to incorporate it into your daily skincare routine.

What Is Mandelic Acid?

Questioning what does mandelic acid do for skin? We’re here to help! An alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), mandelic acid is derived from bitter almonds and unlike other AHAs has a much larger molecule size which allows it to penetrate your skin slowly and evenly, making it less irritating than other AHAs like glycolic acid.
An excellent choice for people with sensitive skin or those who want to incorporate an AHA into their skincare routine without the risk of irritation, mandelic acid gently exfoliates your skin, effectively buffing away dead skin cells to reveal a smooth, glowing complexion.

Benefits of Mandelic Acid

Offering multiple benefits to your skin without irritating, mandelic acid provides gentle exfoliation, helping remove dead skin cells to reveal smoother, more radiant skin.

Stimulating collagen production, mandelic acid provides incredible anti-ageing benefits, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles to leave your complexion youthful and glowing.

The perfect antidote to pigmented skin, mandelic acid helps to fade dark spots and uneven skin tone caused by sun damage or acne scarring, balancing to reveal an even complexion.

Brimming with antibacterial properties, this acne-fighting ingredient helps to control breakouts, ensuring your skin stays calm, balanced, and free from spots and flare-ups.

lady using a mandelic acid-infused toner


How to Use Mandelic Acid

Found in cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturisers, mandelic acid is easy to incorporate into your daily skincare routine, however, when starting from scratch, like with any new skincare ingredient, you should always start with a low concentration, gradually building up your skin's tolerance.

Another thing to note when using AHAs is that they can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, so you should always follow up your skincare routine with a broad-spectrum sunscreen, ensuring your skin stays safe and free from damage.

Five Of Our Favourite Mandelic Acid-Enriched Skincare Saviours

Looking to introduce mandelic acid into your skincare routine? We’ve rounded up five of our favourites, sharing the features and benefits of the sensitive skin-friendly ingredient that delivers transformative results for a range of skin types and concerns.

VOTARY Radiance Reveal Mask - Lactic and Mandelic Acid

Unveiling a healthy and radiant complexion, this VOTARY Radiance Reveal Mask harnesses the power of lactic and mandelic acid to deliver an incredible resurfacing treatment. Gently exfoliating and revitalising your skin, this transformative mask improves skin texture, decongests pores, evens out pigmentation, and smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, revealing a brighter, more youthful-looking complexion.

Sensitive skin-friendly and fragrance-free, this Radiance Reveal Mask works beautifully to unveil your best skin yet, the gentle yet effective formula leaving your skin healthy, vibrant, and glowing.

Nip+Fab Charcoal Fix & Mandelic Acid Serum

Transforming your complexion, this Nip+Fab Charcoal Fix & Mandelic Acid Serum is a gentle yet powerful formula that purifies, exfoliates, and nourishes your skin, the 4% mandelic acid-enriched serum providing gentle chemical exfoliation to effectively unclog pores and remove dead skin cells without irritating.

Revealing a smoother, brighter, and more radiant complexion, this detoxifying charcoal extract-infused serum absorbs excess oil and impurities, the addition of cocoa butter hydrating and nourishing to reveal a balanced, healthy, and radiant complexion.

NeoStrata Mandelic Clarifying Cleanser

Gentle and soap-free, this NeoStrata Mandelic Clarifying Cleanser effectively cleanses, exfoliates, and controls excess oil production, revealing clearer, more radiant skin.

Formulated with mandelic acid, a gentle AHA, this cleanser effectively removes dead skin cells and unclogs pores without irritation, making it ideal for oily and blemish-prone skin.

Infused with polyhydroxy acid (PHA) and salicylic acid, this complexion-clarifying cleanser improves skin texture, reduces the appearance of enlarged pores, and washes away problematic bacteria, leaving your skin smooth, more balanced, and beautifully clear.

lady using a mandelic acid enriched moisturiser on her face


PSA HEROINE Mandelic & Licorice Superfood Glow Toner

Gentle yet powerful, this PSA HEROINE Mandelic & Licorice Superfood Glow Toner, reveals your skin's natural radiance, the 6% mandelic and lactic acid-enriched formula gently exfoliating and brightening while minimising the appearance of pores.

Infused with liquorice root, kombucha, pomegranate, and Centella Asiatica, this antioxidant-rich toner hydrates, calms, and protects your skin from environmental damage, the nutrient-rich formula giving your complexion a boost to reveal radiant and youthful skin.

Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum

Targeting hyperpigmentation and uneven skin texture, this award-winning Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum leaves your skin bright, balanced, and radiant, the potent yet gentle 11% mandelic, lactic, and salicylic acid enriched formula exfoliating and boosting cellular renewal to reveal a healthy and glowing complexion.

Formulated with 1% Bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol, this transformative night serum smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while you sleep, the addition of eight brightening agents, seven antioxidants, and nourishing peptides, addressing discolouration while hydrating, strengthening your skin barrier, and protecting against environmental damage.

Shop Mandelic Acid-Enriched Skincare

VOTARY Radiance Reveal Mask - Lactic and Mandelic AcidVOTARY Radiance Reveal Mask - Lactic and Mandelic Acid
VOTARY Radiance Reveal Mask - Lactic and Mandelic Acid

Infused with Lactic and Mandelic Acid, this glow-enhancing face mask is sensitive skin friendly, improves texture and helps to even pigmentation and reduce fine lines.

£65.00
Nip+Fab Charcoal Fix & Mandelic Acid SerumNip+Fab Charcoal Fix & Mandelic Acid Serum
Nip+Fab Charcoal Fix & Mandelic Acid Serum

£13.36 £19.95 33% offsaving
NeoStrata Mandelic Clarifying CleanserNeoStrata Mandelic Clarifying Cleanser
NeoStrata Mandelic Clarifying Cleanser

£21.70 £31.00 30% offsaving
Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night SerumAllies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum
Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum

A multitasking serum, Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum brings all the benefits of an AHA but none of the negatives, such as tightness and irritation.

£63.70 £98.00 35% offsaving

Loved learning all about the benefits of benefits of mandelic acid? Stick around a while longer and delve into another blog post, where we share the Top 5 Trending Ingredients For Glowing Skin: The Menopause Skincare Edition.


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