As the bare-faced, “no makeup” trend continues to dominate the runways for spring and summer, moisturized, healthy, and glowing skin has become the absolute must-have “accessory” for fashion-forward consumers and trend-following beauty devotees this year.
And one of the best ways to achieve this “fresh-faced” look? Glycolic acid, of course. The smallest Alpha Hydroxy Acid of the bunch still is capable of delivering the ultimate in exfoliative properties, making GA a mainstay ingredient for knocking out acne and blemishes, zapping fine lines and wrinkles, and revealing healthy, smooth skin.
Whether it’s a mud-based mask for acne or a sheet mask designed to dissolve the appearance of fine lines, glycolic acid is the key ingredient needed in facial masks for consumers hoping to achieve the “you but better” skincare trend this season…and beyond.
Glycolic acid is the key ingredient needed to achieve the “you but better” skincare trend.
8 facial masks powered by glycolic acid
Check out these eight glycolic acid-packed facial masks that have consumers and celebrities swooning over their healthy, glowing complexions:
- Glow Recipe, Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask – Jelly masks are one of the hottest trends for skincare this year, and this K-Beauty brand mask, packed with glycolic acid, helps exfoliate and reveal smoother skin over multiple uses. No wonder this fun, pink watermelon mask has garnered rave reviews from beauty editors and had a 5,000 person waitlist last year!
- Ultramud Exfoliating & Clarifying Facial Mud Mask – Combining the best properties of both a mud mask and a chemical peel, this clinical strength, glycolic acid-rich mask helps restore damaged and sun-ravaged skin to reveal healthy skin cells.
- OLEHENRIKSEN Instant Transformation™ Lemon Facial Peel – Inspired by the company founder’s troubles with cystic acne growing up, this lemon facial peel helps smooth out the physical bumps and lumps of acne – with a powerful dose of exfoliating glycolic acid. An exclusive mask to Sephora, this mask/peel combo has over 10,000 Sephora “loves!”
- Murad Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel – This unique mask treatment uses two steps to help consumers find their best, most hydrated skin. First, a giant, glycolic acid-packed swab is swiped across the face for acne and wrinkle spot treatment. Next, a sheet mask, infused with hyaluronic acid, helps pack in moisture and enrich skin with a post-Plus, this mask glow.
- HERBIVORE Botanicals Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask – This once tiny Etsy-shop, now turned global beauty skincare line, has created one of the ultimate acne and pore-reducing masks, thanks to powerhouse ingredient glycolic acid. Another bonus for consumers? This mask is vegan, non-comedogenic, and cruelty-free.
- Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask – The Andalou brand, a favorite of influential “clean” and “natural” claims beauty fans like GreenBeautyTeam, combines the near-magical resurfacing powers of glycolic acid with ingredients like organic pumpkin and manuku honey, for a triple-packed-punch of facial mask exfoliation.
- StriVectin Glycolic Skin Reset Mask – This time-honored, beloved mask packs in a mega-dose of glycolic acid to “resurface skin.” By exfoliating off dead and damaged skin cells, this Strivectin mask reveals the healthier, fresher skin cells underneath, making it the perfect addition to any consumer’s arsenal of beauty products.
- goop by Juice Beauty Exfoliating Instant Facial – This iconic facial mask, designed by actress turned lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow, uses whopping doses of glycolic acid to create a super-fast facial (10 minute application!) that first spreads on as a mask and then is scrubbed off. The result? Instantly refreshed, revitalized skin, that has Gwyneth Paltrow beaming and camera-ready.
The virtues of a natural, fresh-faced look are being embraced by millions of beauty product consumers. For formulators, that means glycolic acid has to be a key ingredient, and the purity and quality of the ingredient are going to be vital to success, too.
Beauty product users are, more than ever, unafraid to look “natural” – but they’re also more discerning than ever about the naturalness of the products that help them get that look!
