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The Ordinary

Mandelic Acid 10%.

The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10%
Serums

About this product

A 10% mandelic acid exfoliating serum designed to gently exfoliate and brighten skin using an alpha hydroxy acid with a larger molecular size.

Best for

Sensitive skinAcne-prone skin
Serums

The Guru Index verdict

83%

Approved

Approved · 83%
5Reviewers
5Approved
0Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus consistently praise this as one of the gentlest chemical exfoliants on the market, ideal for sensitive skin, rosacea, and those new to exfoliation. It's noted for hydrating properties and suitability for daily or occasional use without irritation. The main drawback is a slightly oily feel that some find uncomfortable on oily or regular acne-prone skin. Reviewers emphasize pairing it with SPF and appreciate its anti-inflammatory benefits, especially for skin of color.
Synthesized from 5 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Hyaluronic acidAHAFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Propanediol, Aqua (Water), Mandelic Acid, Glycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/​Leaf Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"Mandelic acid is great for exfoliation and it can help to brighten the skin as well. I really love the one from The Ordinary. I was once really consistent with this product from The Ordinary and I really love it. It's also very hydrating on the skin, super gentle. I've never experienced irritation with it and it can be used every day, but depending on skin tolerance, if you just want to use it a couple of nights per week you can do that. It's a nice alternative to glycolic and lactic acid."
All 3 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
MOST UNDERRATED ANTI-AGING INGREDIENTS THAT ACTUALLY WORK | STOP SLEEPING ON THESE HIDDEN GEMS!
"Mandelic acid is great for exfoliation and it can help to brighten the skin as well. I really love the one from The Ordinary. I was once really consistent with this product from The Ordinary and I really love it. It's also very hydrating on the skin, super gentle. I've never experienced irritation with it and it can be used every day, but depending on skin tolerance, if you just want to use it a couple of nights per week you can do that. It's a nice alternative to glycolic and lactic acid."
THE BEST CHEMICAL EXFOLIANTS FOR A BRIGHT & SMOOTH COMPLEXION - INSTANT RESULTS! SINCERELY MISS ASH
"The mandelic acid from the ordinary is another great option, it's even more gentle than lactic but this one does a good job to give your skin that brighter look."
5 POWERFUL HYBRID CHEMICAL EXFOLIANTS - ANTI-AGING, COLLAGEN BOOSTING, IMPROVED TEXTURE & TONE!
"Mandelic acid is still a part of the AHA family but it also has a large molecule to it as well where it penetrates slower into the skin. There is a lovely mandelic acid from The Ordinary which I do like to use occasionally. It's a nice starter point if you're just starting off with a chemical exfoliant and you're a little bit unsure on how your skin is going to react to an exfoliant."
Approved
"The mandelic acid from The Ordinary is one of the products that I like on the market. For skin of color, mandelic acid is great because the trick is to remove enough dead skin cells to see young juicy glowing skin. You want to make sure you're getting hydration into the top layer, so you want humectants in the actual chemical exfoliator. It's a gentle exfoliant that can help to calm down the melanocytes, the cells producing the pigment melanin, and you want all this to happen in a very anti-inflammatory way."
All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan
GLASS SKIN FOR SKIN OF COLOUR
"I do like this one from the ordinary so I like lactic acid and I also like the mandelic acid but in addition to really make it special you want to have 7% humectant in it too that will then give you hydration at the same time as exfoliation also you want to avoid deaged alcohol fragrance or essential oils especially in an exfoliator which is already irritating the skin."
30s Haircare/Skincare Routines 2025
"The mandelic acid from The Ordinary is one of the products that I like on the market. For skin of color, mandelic acid is great because the trick is to remove enough dead skin cells to see young juicy glowing skin. You want to make sure you're getting hydration into the top layer, so you want humectants in the actual chemical exfoliator. It's a gentle exfoliant that can help to calm down the melanocytes, the cells producing the pigment melanin, and you want all this to happen in a very anti-inflammatory way."
Approved
"One of the stronger exfoliants I used was mandelic acid. This is an alpha hydroxy acid, it is a little more gentle than some of the other AHAs you can use, but it's a good way to help turn the skin over and help sort out the scars. It's important to wear SPF when you're doing any type of exfoliation whether you're using mandelic acid or glycolic acid."
Approved
"Mandelic acid is great for rosacea and dry acne because it breaks up the oil in the skin, it hydrates the skin, and it also kind of reduces the redness. If you have dry acne, if you have rosacea, or if you just are very sensitive and have very sensitive skin, this is a very gentle exfoliator. It's anti-microbial, it's antibacterial, it will mop up the oil in your skin and just give that skin a little bit of a break and gentle exfoliation while your skin is healing. It's a perfect exfoliator to kind of get rid of those dead skin cells very gently. The one thing that folks who have regular acne or just not dry acne might not like is it feels a little bit oily on the skin, so it might feel a little uncomfortable on people who have oily acne skin."
Approved
"Their mandolic acid is great for exfoliant if you're looking for a more gentle one. It's pretty good for being kind of gentle on the skin and it's really nice."
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