What is mandelic acid and how can I use it to exfoliate without irritating my skin?

Mandelic acid is a gentle way to exfoliate with an AHA.

Few ingredients get skin glowing like alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), but how do you use one without risking irritation? In case you’ve missed them, AHAs are a popular family of ingredients that can improve dryness, dark spots and uneven texture when used for exfoliation.

AHAs weaken the bonds between skin cells so we can shed them faster and more efficiently. They leave skin brighter and smoother. The AHAs most often used for exfoliation are glycolic, lactic, tartaric, malic and mandelic acids. Each works at a different pace but towards the same goal. I focus on mandelic acid here because it is gentler than the others and may be a good ‘starter’ AHA if you are wary of exfoliants. If you use retinol or retinaldehyde every night, remember that these ingredients are already causing your skin to shed faster.