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Ingredient intelligence

Mandelic acid

Exfoliant · Mandelic Acid · C8H8O3

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Mandelic acid is an aromatic alpha hydroxy acid. Its larger molecular size relative to glycolic acid is the usual explanation offered for slower penetration, though comparative human data are limited.

Single human studyOne curated human study — the finding has not been independently repeated in this dataset.

Molecular identity

Two-dimensional chemical structure of Mandelic acid
Formula
C8H8O3
Molecular weight
152.15 g/mol
PubChem CID
1292
ChEBI
Data unavailable
Open PubChem record →

Biological targets

  • Corneodesmosin (CDSN)

    medium confidence

    modulates · structural protein

    Acid pH is described as weakening corneodesmosomal cohesion.

    UniProt Q15517

  • Kallikrein-7 (KLK7)

    low confidence

    modulates · enzyme

    UniProt P49862

  • Tyrosinase (TYR)

    low confidence

    inhibits · enzyme

    Pigment endpoints reported in small studies; direct enzyme inhibition is weakly characterised.

    UniProt P14679

Molecules & genes

Molecules

  • Mandelic acidC8H8O3 · 152.15 g/mol

Genes / proteins

How could this ingredient interact with biology?

Biological network

Ingredient → molecule → target → gene/protein → pathway → process → studied outcome. Relationship strength is drawn from the curated confidence tier; nothing is added to make the chain look complete.

100%
Mandelic acidMandelic acidCorneodesmosin (CDSN)CDSNFormation of the cornifie…Desquamation

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IngredientMoleculeTargetGenePathwayProcessOutcome

6 lower-confidence relationships are hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.

Text alternative for this network
  • Mandelic acid is molecule Mandelic acid — high confidence
  • Mandelic acid modulates Corneodesmosin (CDSN) — medium confidence
  • Corneodesmosin (CDSN) encoded by CDSN — medium confidence
  • CDSN participates in Formation of the cornified envelope — medium confidence
  • Formation of the cornified envelope associated with Desquamation — medium confidence

Biological pathways

Formation of the cornified envelope

medium confidence

Desquamation depends on proteolysis of corneodesmosomes, which is pH sensitive.

Reactome R-HSA-6809371

Evidence engine

Moderate

Some human evidence exists, but replication or sample sizes are limited.

Skinceptor Evidence Index

46

experimental · of 100

This index is a research-navigation aid describing how much evidence exists and how it was produced. It is not a medical safety score, an efficacy guarantee, or a clinical recommendation.

Study composition

  • Human1
Total studies
1
Human studies
1
Largest sample
40
Range
2018–2018

Index breakdown

  • Study design quality70% × 28%

    Mean design weight across curated studies (meta-analysis 1.0, RCT 0.9, other human 0.7, review 0.45, animal 0.35, in-vitro 0.25).

  • Human evidence share33% × 22%

    Proportion of curated evidence measured in people rather than cells or animals.

  • Evidence volume32% × 14%

    Log-scaled count of curated studies, so volume alone cannot dominate the score.

  • Largest sample size53% × 12%

    Log-scaled largest reported sample size across curated human studies.

  • Replication33% × 12%

    Independent human studies, capped at three; one study is never treated as replicated.

  • Recency60% × 7%

    Linear decay over a twenty-year window from the most recent curated publication.

  • Source traceability0% × 5%

    Share of curated studies with a verified PMID or DOI in this dataset.

How is this determined? →

Insufficient comparable evidence for quantitative synthesis.

Research timeline

How the evidence accumulated

  1. 2018

    Mandelic acid versus glycolic acid peels for facial pigmentation: a comparative study

    Humann = 40 · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology

Ingredient fingerprint

12 nodes · 14 relationships · seed "mandelic-acid"

The fingerprint is a deterministic visual signature: ridge amplitude comes from the number of entities in each tier, node placement from identifier hashes, and opacity from confidence. Two ingredients can never produce the same figure unless their networks are identical.

Open in Biology as Art →

Research

1 curated study

HumanJournal of Cosmetic Dermatology · 2018n = 40

Mandelic acid versus glycolic acid peels for facial pigmentation: a comparative study

Reported similar pigmentation improvement between the two acids, with fewer irritation events in the mandelic acid arm.

Limitations — Small, unblinded, investigator-graded; identifier not verified during curation.

Identifier not curated — search Europe PMCMandelic acid · Glycolic acid

Community evidence

Submitted by readers

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Reader submissions appear here only after review. They are not part of the curated dataset and do not affect the Skinceptor Evidence Index.

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Sources

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