Lactic ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily used as an alpha hydroxy acid exfoliant, pH adjuster, and mild humectant. In skin care, it helps loosen surface cell buildup while also supporting formula acidity.
What does Lactic do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily used as an alpha hydroxy acid exfoliant, pH adjuster, and mild humectant. In skin care, it helps loosen surface cell buildup while also supporting formula acidity.
Is Lactic clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks generally treat this ingredient as acceptable and well understood, with tolerability depending on concentration, final pH, and user skin sensitivity. It is not a typical restricted-list concern, but exfoliating formulas using it should be clearly strength- and pH-aware.
Is Lactic sustainable?
This ingredient is commonly produced by fermentation of plant-derived sugars and is readily biodegradable. Its sustainability profile is generally strong when renewable feedstocks and efficient fermentation processes are used.
Is Lactic COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic standards when produced from allowed natural or biotechnology-derived sources. It aligns well with Green Chemistry because it can come from renewable feedstocks, biodegrades readily, and does not require persistent synthetic chemistry.
How does Lactic work chemically?
The molecule is a small water-soluble alpha hydroxy acid with one carboxyl group and one hydroxyl group, which gives it acidity, humectancy, and exfoliating behavior. In rinse-off or leave-on formulas it is typically managed by final pH, often around pH 3.5 to 5 for exfoliating use, and it is commonly paired with buffers or soothing ingredients to improve skin feel.
Last updated 2026-05-13