These Glycolic Acid Pads Wipe Dullness Off the Face
Swipe on, wake skin up.
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If you’re chasing that radiant, smooth, post-facial glow but want to achieve it from the comfort of your own home, glycolic acid peel pads might just be your skincare soulmate.
These portable, pre-soaked pads are a go-to for anyone looking to brighten dull skin, minimize pores, smooth texture, and even out their complexion.
Whether you’re a skincare newbie or a seasoned pro, peel pads are an easy, mess-free way to incorporate chemical exfoliation into your routine. In case you’ve never used one before, though, here’s your guide to glycolic acid pads, their benefits, and the best ones to try.
What Are Glycolic Acid Peel Pads?
Glycolic acid pads are pre-soaked pads infused with glycolic acid, a type of alpha-hydroxy acid, that works as a chemical exfoliator. Glycolic acid pads exfoliate your skin and encourage skin turnover.
They minimize common skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation, dullness, wrinkles, acne, and uneven skin texture. You can also think of these pads as ready-made glycolic acid toners because they are.
Benefits of Glycolic Acid Pads
So what do glycolic acid pads do? A lot! They smooth out skin texture and help with flaky skin. They help clear up skin by unclogging pores through exfoliation.
You can also collect anti-aging benefits, as exfoliants also help reduce the visibility of fine lines, increase skin radiance, and reduce dullness. Plus, they sometimes come in textured pads, which provide a little bit of physical exfoliation too.
Needless to say, a glycolic acid pad, compared to a regular glycolic acid toner, is travel-friendly, mess-free, and convenient, as the pads are for single use only. So with a simple motion of wiping, you can significantly improve your skincare game with glycolic acid pads.
Best Glycolic Acid Pads
Whether it’s for acne or wrinkles, find below the best glycolic acid pads.
1. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
Acne, pores, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles—these innovative pads cover everything! This is a 2-step treatment. The first pad is soaked in glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids to exfoliate and smooth the skin texture. The second pad is soaked in the ultimate anti-ager retinol as well as the potent antioxidant resveratrol to target lines and wrinkles. The duo is as potent as it gets to get clear and youthful skin. So if wrinkles are your concern, this is an overall effective formula that will not disappoint.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactic acid
Best For: Wrinkles, uneven skin texture
Size: 30 pads
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
2. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
Making exfoliation possible for sensitive skin, these contain glycolic acid as well as lactic acid, which is super hydrating and good for sensitive skin. And to avoid irritation, the pads contain aloe, cucumber, feverfew, and green tea to calm the skin. They get rid of dullness and congestion and contain botanical extracts to brighten the complexion. You can use them to exfoliate without aggravating redness, sensitivity, or irritation.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactic acid, aloe
Best For: Gentle exfoliation
Size: 60 pads
Good To Know: Vegan, fragrance-free, cruelty-free
3. Pixi Glow Peel Pads
With a whopping 20% glycolic acid, you’d better use these pads on your neck, chest, hands, elbows, and knees until the pads are bone dry! The concentration makes it perfect for oily and combination skin that can tolerate it. Soothing aloe and rosewater help with irritation while you target acne, scarring, dullness, dark spots, pores, and lines!
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, aloe
Best For: Pores, uneven skin tone
Size: 60 pads
Good To Know: Cruelty-free
4. Goop Goopglow 15% Glycolic Acid Overnight Glow Peel
This one has 15% glycolic acid topped with hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid and fruit extracts that are naturally rich in alpha-hydroxy acids like citric and malic. The antioxidant-rich overnight formula makes these the best glycolic acid pads to wipe your face with before you hit the hay so you wake up to glowing skin ready for the day. The trick is the Kakadu plum, which is crazy rich in skin-brightening vitamin C.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, Kakadu plum
Best For: Dullness, discolorations
Size: 12 pads
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
5. DERMAdoctor Kakadu C Intensive Vitamin C Peel Pad
These rich glycolic acid pads infuse the skin with amazing goodies like hydrating hyaluronic acid, antioxidant ferulic acid, and toning rose water. The pads exfoliate with a blend of alpha and beta hydroxy acids, brighten the skin with Kakadu plum, and provide antioxidants to ward off free radicals. Plus, the antioxidants make the pads even more effective if you’re dealing with hyperpigmentation and discolorations. Apply your glow pad on your clean face and watch your complexion freshen up with a healthy dose of radiance.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, Kakadu plum
Best For: Antioxidant benefits
Size: 30 pads
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, hypoallergenic
6. Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads
With 10% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid, these pads get rid of dead skin cells and acne-causing bacteria. They do that without irritating the skin thanks to skin-soothers aloe and allantoin. The glycolic acid pads reduce the visibility of pores by keeping them clean, which is great for clearing up congested skin. Additional benefits include softened wrinkles and a revitalized complexion.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, salicylic acid
Best For: Clogged pores, acne
Size: 60 pads
7. Replenix Gly-Sal 10-2 Clarifying Pads
Just like the one above, this one also has a ratio of 10-2 glycolic acid and salicylic acid to target excess oil, breakouts, scars, and enlarged pores on acne-prone skin. Additionally, it has witch hazel, which we all know from its anti-inflammatory and anti-acne benefits.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, salicylic acid
Best For: Congested skin, blackheads, large pores
Size: 60 pads
8. Eve Lom Rescue Peel Pads
Another potent formula to help you achieve glowing skin one wipe at a time is in these glycolic acid pads. With naturally derived alpha and beta hydroxy acids as well as lactobionic acid, the pads exfoliate while increasing the skin’s moisture levels to keep it plump. Anti-inflammatory niacinamide and allantoin keep irritation at bay and your glow 100.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactobionic acid
Best For: Glowing skin
Size: 60 pads
9. HydroPeptide 5X Power Peel Face Exfoliator
Lastly, these targeted pads come at skin problems with a potent blend of glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids. The formula is super rich in antioxidants, such as green tea and chamomile, to neutralize free radicals. It’s an overall great formula if you have wrinkles or mature skin and you’re dealing with sun damage.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactic acid
Best For: Anti-aging, dullness
Size: 30 pads
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, vegan
So these are some of the best glycolic acid pads you can use to tackle your skin issues. Remember that these are all exfoliants. So there’s always the potential to overdo it and over-exfoliate, which might make things worse. Here’s how to properly use your pads.
How to Use Glycolic Acid Pads
Because these are exfoliating pads, you need to start slowly, especially if you’re new to glycolic acid. So start by using your pads 1-2 times a week to avoid over-exfoliating and irritation.
Like all exfoliants, glycolic acid can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. So don’t forget to apply your sunscreen during the day to protect your skin.
Exfoliants can cause dryness. So while making sure you don’t overuse your pads, also make sure to follow with a moisturizer after exfoliating to lock in moisture.
