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INCI ingredient

Lactic Acid

Also listed as: Lactic Acid/Lactic Acid, Lactic Acid)

An alpha hydroxy acid used to adjust pH and as a humectant and exfoliating acid.

What it triggers

  • Vegan originNot sureplant or animal source
  • FragranceNonot a perfume ingredient
  • ParabenNonot a preservative of this family
  • SulfateNonot a sulfate surfactant
  • SiliconeNonot a silicone
  • AlcoholNonot a drying alcohol

What it does

Lactic acid is the acid of sour milk, but the cosmetic grade is almost always made by fermenting sugar with bacteria. Formulators use small amounts to set the pH of a product and larger amounts in exfoliating toners and peels. CosIng lists it as buffering, humectant and skin conditioning.

Because the label does not say how it was made, on its own it leaves the vegan answer at not sure unless the brand marks the product as vegan.

Functions: buffering, humectant, skin conditioning

Products with Lactic Acid

in 983 products

Showing 24 of 983 products with this ingredient, most scanned first.

In the EU ingredient database

Functions listed by CosIng
  • buffering
  • humectant
  • skin conditioning
  • buffering: Stabilising the pH of an aqueous medium in a narrow range even if an acid or base is added. Altering and/or maintaining a cosmetic product's pH at the desired level.
  • humectant: Retaining and/or preserving the moisture in a product during use.
  • skin conditioning: Maintaining the skin in good condition.

CAS 50-21-5 · EC 200-018-0

EU regulation

Not on a restricted-substances annex. Listed as an allowed cosmetic ingredient.

Source: CosIng, European Commission. Informative, no legal value; the regulation text is the reference.

Classification from the INCI name; product lists from Open Beauty Facts.Report a mistake