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Glycolic Acid
AKA “2-Hydroxyacetic acid, hydroxyacetic acid, Hydroxyethanoic acid, Glycollic acid, glycolate, alpha-Hydroxyacetic acid, 2-Hydroxyethanoic acid, Kyselina glykolova”
Ingredient Facts
Glycolic acid
AKA: 2-Hydroxyacetic acid, Hydroxyacetic acid, Hydroxyethanoic acid, Glycollic acid, Glycolate, Alpha-Hydroxyacetic acid, 2-Hydroxyethanoic acid, Kyselina glykolova
Varies With Manufacturer · Humectant · EWG: 6
Varies With Manufacturer
Humectant
Exfoliant
Skin Conditioner
Chemical Exfoliant
Clean
Glycolic Acid gently exfoliates dead skin cells to reveal smoother, brighter skin. Use with sunscreen daily for best results.
Formula
C2H4O3
Mol. Weight
76.05
CAS #
79-14-1
See origin →
Functions
Buffering
Exfoliating
Removes dead skin cells so fresh ones can come through. Chemical exfoliants (acids) are generally gentler than physical scrubs.
Skin Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Humectant
A moisture magnet. Pulls water from the air and deeper skin layers up to the surface to keep skin plump and hydrated.
Supports cell turnover
Smooths skin texture
Brightens uneven skin tone
Traditional Use
This is not a cosmetic ingredient but a cautionary statement.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Melanin-Rich Skin
Suitable
EWG
6
CIR
Insufficient
Pregnancy
—
CIR Safety Findings
ewg-6
medical-approval
all-shades-safe
Phototoxicity Concern
Regulatory Status
USAunder review
CANADA✔ permitted
Regulatory Agencies
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
Final amended report on the safety assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2009
→
HPLC determination of thioglycolic acid and other aliphatic thiols in cosmetic formulations using ethacrynic acid as precolumn derivatization reagent.
Cavrini V, Andrisano V, Gatti R, Scapini G
International journal of cosmetic science, 1990
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Final Amended Report on the Safety Assessment of Ammonium Thioglycolate, Butyl Thioglycolate, Calcium Thioglycolate, Ethanolamine Thioglycolate, Ethyl Thioglycolate, Glyceryl Thioglycolate, Isooctyl T
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Ammonium and Glyceryl Thioglycolates and Thioglycolic Acid
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Glycolic Acid, Ammonium, Calcium, Potassium, and Sodium Glycolates, Methyl, Ethyl, Propyl, and Butyl Glycolates, and Lactic Acid, Ammonium, Calcium, Potassium,
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
Ammonium Glycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Ammonium Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyl Glycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyl Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Calcium Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Ethanolamine Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Ethyl Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Glyceryl Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Glycolic Acid
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Isooctyl Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Isopropyl Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Magnesium Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Methyl Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Sodium Glycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Sodium Thioglycolate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Thioglycolic Acid
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Protective effect of conditioning agents on Afro-ethnic hair chemically treated with thioglycolate-based straightening emulsion.
Dias TC, Baby AR, Kaneko TM, Velasco MV
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2008
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Protective effect of conditioning agents on Afro-ethnic hair chemically treated with thioglycolate-based straightening emulsion.
Dias TC, Baby AR, Kaneko TM, Velasco MV
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2008
→
Protective effect of conditioning agents on Afro-ethnic hair chemically treated with thioglycolate-based straightening emulsion.
Dias TC, Baby AR, Kaneko TM, Velasco MV
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2008
→
Protective effect of conditioning agents on Afro-ethnic hair chemically treated with thioglycolate-based straightening emulsion.
Dias TC, Baby AR, Kaneko TM, Velasco MV
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2008
→
Protective effect of conditioning agents on Afro-ethnic hair chemically treated with thioglycolate-based straightening emulsion.
Dias TC, Baby AR, Kaneko TM, Velasco MV
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2008
→
Ammonium Glycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Ammonium Thioglycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Calcium Thioglycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Glyceryl Thioglycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Glycolic Acid
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Isooctyl Thioglycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Sodium Glycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Sodium Thioglycolate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Thioglycolic Acid
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Effects of Thioglycolate Compounds in an Emerging Technique in the World of Cosmetics-Brow Lamination.
Ghanem L, Chagoury S, Issa A, Khoury KM, Karam KK et al.
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2025
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Glycolic acid
Health Canada
Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
→
Thioglycolic acid and its salts
Health Canada
Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
→
Thioglycolic acid esters
Health Canada
Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
→
RALGA (Diacneal), a retinaldehyde and glycolic acid assoc...
A D Katsambas
Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland), 2005
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The use of glycolic acid as a peeling agent.
H Murad, A T Shamban, P S Premo
Dermatologic clinics, 1995
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Toxicity studies of sodium thioglycolate administered dermally to F344/N rats and B6C3F1/N mice.
National Toxicology Program
Toxicity report series, 2016
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Pd/C-Catalyzed Efficient and Selective Synthesis of Glycolic Acid from Ethylene Glycol.
Schmoll A, Huo YW, Shao S, Wu XF
ChemSusChem, 2025
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Examination on biological activities and fates of new steroids, steroid-17-yl methyl glycolate derivatives.
Suzuki T, Tada H, Sato E, Tojima Y
The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine, 1999
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Chitosan-Glycolic Acid Gel Modification of Chloride Ion T...
Olga Zavyalova, Dominika Dąbrowska-Wisłocka, Konrad Misiura, Iga Hołyńska-Iwan
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2023
→
Chitosan-Glycolic Acid Gel Modification of Chloride Ion T...
Olga Zavyalova, Dominika Dąbrowska-Wisłocka, Konrad Misiura, Iga Hołyńska-Iwan
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2023
→
Chitosan-Glycolic Acid Gel Modification of Chloride Ion T...
Olga Zavyalova, Dominika Dąbrowska-Wisłocka, Konrad Misiura, Iga Hołyńska-Iwan
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2023
→
Verified Feb 2026
Data: PubChem · CosIng · EWG · CIR