Fruit acids are ingredients found in a range of skin care products including cleansers, toners, moisturizers and serums. Derived from a wide range of fruits (or milk – lactic acid) such as sugar cane (glycolic acid), apples and pears (malic acid), oranges and lemons (citric acid), grapes (tartaric acid) or bitter almonds (mandelic acid), these alpha hydroxy acids are used because they penetrate skin and help to exfoliate, or ‘unglue’ dead skin cells that sit on the skin’s uppermost surface, leaving newer and healthier skin cells to show through. There is some evidence to show that fruit acids may help to stimulate collagen and elastin production as well.
The benefits of fruit acid are many and they have been shown to help:
- Reduce the appearance of wrinkles
- Reduce skin roughness leading to smoother, softer skin
- Decrease skin pigmentation
- Improve the appearance of sun damage skin
Glycolic acid and lactic acid are the most widely used fruit acids, but others are found in a range of preparations as well. One of the benefits of glycolic acid is that its small molecular size allows it to penetrate skin quickly, leading to faster results. However, this same benefit may have drawbacks in sensitive and darker skin leading to irritation and possibly hyperpigmentation. For this reason, glycolic acid should be used with caution in these skin types. Lactic acid and mandelic/malic acids tend to better tolerated and safer in sensitive and/or darker skin types.
Fruit Acids: Use With Care
Just because fruit acids come from nature, it doesn’t mean that they come without risks. If used as directed, fruit acids are well tolerated by most individuals. However, as mentioned earlier, they do carry the risk of skin irritation including itching, burning, redness, pain and even scarring. Fruit acids also increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight so always wear a broad spectrum UVA/UVB blocking sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30.
If you are interested in incorporating fruit acids into your skin care regimen consider the following:
- Neostrata and Reversa . These brands carry a range of glycolic acid preparations including creams, cleansers and peels.
- M2 Skin Care. Formulated with mandelic acids and malic acids, which carry less of a risk of irritating skin, the M2 line is suitable for sensitive and darker skin types.
- Epilyt Lotion – for problematic dry skin, this lactic acid formulation also contains humectants to soothe dry skin with eczema.
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