Glycolic Acid: How Celebrities Use It To Look Younger, Fade Dark Spots And Brighten Skin

The beauty secrets of celebrities can go a long way to help everyday women look just as beautiful as famous women. As reported by the Inquisitr, Olivia Munn spilled her secrets — not only expressing how Munn lost 12 pounds with the “80-20 Diet,” but also how Munn faded her dark spots with Proactiv+ Mark Correcting Pads. Munn claimed that she faithfully wiped her face with the pads every night for a year in order to fade the dark spots on her face and make them less noticeable so that her face would reflect more light, as seen below from her Instagram post.

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However, with those Proactiv pads running nearly $40 — everyday women might look for similar products with a cheaper price that include the same ingredients. According to Proactiv, their pads contain glycolic acid at a 5 percent strength — as well as salicylic acid at a 2 percent strength.

“Each convenient no-rinse pad contains professional-strength (5 percent) glycolic acid to exfoliate layers of pigmented dead skin cells, plus maximum-strength (2 percent) salicylic acid acne medicine to help keep pores clear and looking smaller.”

Similar products exist from Bliss called Ingrown Hair Eliminating Pads — priced at $38 — that contain glycolic acid and salicylic acid, but the strengths aren’t known — and they aren’t advertised as products that can be used on the face. Since the Bliss ingrown eliminating pads are intended to soothe the skin prior to shaving or after waxing, using them on the face would be an experiment for the bold indeed. It could be a nice surprise to find the interaction between the oat extract, witch hazel, and lavender oil make for a nice dark spot fading product along with the glycolic acid — but use at your own risk.

The Bliss That’s Incredi-Peel pads contain glycolic acid and are targeted for the face, but are priced at $49 at this time.

Glycolic acid is something that is worth the hunt, reports Telegraph, noting how the acid works to slough off the dead layers of skin in order to bring forth the fresher and younger skin beneath the top layers.

“Glycolic is often prescribed to resolve major skin concerns related to dryness, texture, clarity, firmness and elasticity. Where dry skin can cause dullness, using an acid removes the top, dull layers, promoting the production of collagen and elastin. It’s a rapid exfoliant that will slough away dead, dry skin cells resulting in an even-toned radiant and glowing appearance.”

Just like Proactiv recommended using their pads for five days straight, the Telegraph spoke of using glycolic acid for several days straight to get the skin used to the glycolic acid, which could sting a bit — based on a person’s tolerance of the acid.

Margot Robbie jokes about using glycolic acid in “a propriety glycolic and pearl mask,” as seen in the following spoof of her beauty routine, as reported by Elite Daily.

However, the sales and popularity of glycolic acid products are no joke, with the Inquisitr reporting just how popular the glycolic acid peels that run from 50 percent to 70 percent strength and beyond are on Amazon. Some of those include lauric acid as well.

Products like the “Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads – 60 Count” enjoy good reviews on the Target and Ulta Beauty websites, both priced at $12.99 as of this writing.

CVS has the “Skin + Pharmacy Advanced Anti-Aging Therapy Glycolic Peel Pads, 20CT” for $19.99, which promise to brighten and exfoliate the skin with the glycolic acid contents. Those directions advise users to rinse after using the glycolic acid pads, if they so desire. According to a Reddit user who contacted CVS, those glycolic acid pads contain 8 percent glycolic acid.

“These peel pads help revitalize and renew dull complexions, revealing fresher, younger-looking skin with continued use.”

Olivia admitted that she doesn’t rinse her face after using the glycolic pads from Proactiv, since she uses them at night. However, most all of the glycolic pad products come with instructions to make sure to avoid the sun and to wear plenty of sunscreen when using the products.

DIY Chemical Peels For Younger Skin: 50 Percent And Up Glycolic Acid Peels All The Rage On Amazon

[Image via Shutterstock]