Glycolic acid is among the most popular actives in anti-aging formulations and has strong consumer recognition as an ingredient in many anti-aging skin care products. Extensive clinical data show that glycolic acid penetrates the skin effectively and stimulates cellular activity, supporting its use in a wide range of skin care products, including: cell turnover/exfoliation products; moisturizing skin lotions and creams; wrinkle reduction creams; and anti-aging creams.

Although the positive effects of using glycolic acid in skin care products are well documented, similar research did not exist for the effects of using glycolic acid in hair care products. That’s why PureTech Scientific, the manufacturer of Glypure®, a cosmetic-grade glycolic acid used in many cosmetics and personal care products, investigated the role glycolic acid could play in the formulation of hair care products.

The first study was conducted to determine the effect of glycolic acid on both healthy and bleached Caucasian hair.1 PureTech Scientific then expanded the investigation to include the study of the effect on other hair types.

This paper provides background information about glycolic acid and a brief explanation of the complex structure of hair before discussing the experiments that were conducted by PureTech Scientific researchers and a third-party testing lab under contract to PureTech Scientific. Experiments were performed using African, Asian, and Latino hair samples. Both healthy and chemically damaged hair samples were used. Data from each of the five classes of experiments are presented.

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