Ci
Citric Acid
Citric AcidExfoliant
Citrus-derived AHA. Most common use is pH adjustment; weaker exfoliant than glycolic or lactic acid.
What it does
Citric acid is technically an alpha hydroxy acid, but its most common cosmetic role is pH adjustment — bringing a formulation into its target acidic pH window. As a stand-alone exfoliant it's weaker than glycolic or lactic acid at comparable concentrations. Citric acid is also a chelator, binding trace metals that would otherwise destabilize formulations.
The evidence, graded
strongAHAs (glycolic, lactic, mandelic) need an acidic pH (typically 3.5-4) to deliver advertised exfoliation. Products with neutral or partially neutralized pH still hydrate but won't drive meaningful keratolysis.Smith 1996 · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ↗
expert consensusAHAs and BHAs can be combined safely in well-formulated products. The 'never mix them' rule is overstated — the real concern is total acid load on the skin barrier, not the chemistry of mixing them.Kornhauser 2010 · Clinical and Cosmetic Investigative Dermatology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Pairs worth knowing
This page is public and indexed on purpose (unlike profiles and drops, which are unlisted) — it’s the citation behind shared ingredient cards, and it should be findable.
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