40% Mandelic Acid Peel

8 Reviews

1. 

   tautSeahorse2

   Reply

   I am a huge fan of MUAC peels, especially the 40% mandelic acid peel. I have been using it 2-4 times a month for the last year and it helps tremendously with breakouts, enlarged pores and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (red marks after acne). When I first began using it, it would tingle or itch slightly upon application. Today, I can hardly feel it. I apply it for five minutes and wash off. I don’t have any visible peeling after using this. After the first three weeks of use, my skin was visibly clearer, smoother, with reduced pore size and less redness. When I keep up treatments once a week, I don’t get any breakouts at all. It does not help with oil reduction at all – for me, only Accutane made a difference. However, these two products should not be combined, as they both help the skin slough off dead skin cells and the combination of the two products would probably be too harsh. Though the results of the peel is brilliant, I am taking two lippies off the price, because shipping prices for the EU are horrendous. I also will not be repurchasing when I run out, as I have found a European source for mandelic acid which I’ll give a go. For American residents, I’d highly recommend. For EU-citizens, I recommend looking for other sources.

2. 

   cheerfulLeopard3

   Reply

   This is great stuff! Mandelic acids is one of my favorite peels, so this gives you a great light peel without the discomfort of the other popular acids (lactic, glycolic burn a bit more for me). One thing to note is that you should cover dry or damaged skin with vaseline and make sure the acid doesn’t cover those areas. I had a bad cold and decided to do a peel, and forgot that I needed to protect my poor raw nose. So my poor nose got a much deeper and painful peel than intended.

3. 

   boastfulViper5

   Reply

   This stuff is amazing. It clears up my skin every time. I like to experiment with new products but I always end up coming back to this and it gives me the best skin I’ve had in ages. I use this every 4 days and use no other actives except a BP face wash a few times a week. I would HIGHLY recommend this product. It doesn’t burn at all, unlike the man/sal or lactic peels. It is slowly fading my hyperpigmentation, but more importantly has stopped the terrible purging I was getting from trying differin. My only concern is that I don’t know if it works forever. After I finish off my bottle I might try the lactic acid for a month or so just to give a break and then come back to this.

4. 

   zestyBoa7

   Reply

   I was looking for something to help with the few red post-acne marks I had, blackheads, and texture. After seeing posts on MUA about MUAC peels I decided to try one for myself.
   I’ve already done at-home chemical peels, so I decided to purchase the 40% mandelic.

   I left it on for 8 minutes before I washed it off with only water. I felt nothing during the peel & some stinging when I rinsed it off.

   I’ve done 2 of these peels so far & my skin is sooo soft and smooth. The texture is amazing and my marks had faded slightly. My skin has a glow that I haven’t seen in a long time.
   Overall, this is a great peel. I will definitely be repurchasing.

5. 

   awedWildfowl5

   Reply

   I’ve tried at least five different peels from Makeup Artist’s Choice and have yet to be disappointed (their other products are a different story). In my opinion, you can almost never go wrong with their peels. Their customer service is great and I’m still very much in love with the idea that you can buy ample samples that give you more than a good idea if you like the peel.

   For the last few years, the skin on my nose has become obnoxiously annoying. I’ve always had the always appealing whiteheads/blackheads/sebaceous filaments issue but now the pores seem to be enlarging so much so that you can see them from space. At one point, I had a weird raised freckle that I suppose could be considered a mole which I burned off with apple cider vinegar a few years back (yes, that actually works!). Where that weird raised freckle was, I now have what looks like a pock mark. And yes, that does look as good as it sounds! In addition to the pore issue, the skin on my nose also peels and is perpetually dry yet oily. Exfoliating the area just makes everything worse and while pore strips are good, I don’t feel like they’re really “cleaning” the pores. They’re just basically ripping out little hairs and gunk. Those “magic” pore erasers primers don’t really cut it on my nose area either. They look nice until I put any makeup on my nose, then they just begin to flake and look awful. I knew I had to basically find a product that would clean out my pores and help to minimize the appearance of them.

   I went on MUAC’s site, read through all the descriptions of their peels and decided on the mandelic peel because it’s suppose to help with blackheads and pores. I went straight to the 40% because I’ve used peels before and my skin tends to be stubborn. I wouldn’t recommend doing this unless you know your skin and are sure about your tolerance. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. Other peels I’ve done have always made an improvement on my nose for a day or two but the gross nose skin issues come right back. The mandelic really does clean out pores and, amazingly, reduces the appearance of big pores. The “pock mark” pore that gives me endless grief is virtually invisible after I do this peel. My nose is actually smooth and clean for about a week!

   Since skin is constantly producing oil and other ick, the mandelic is one of those peels that needs to be done weekly. This isn’t a huge issue as there is no down time require (ie you’re not going to look like a molting snake or have an angry red face after using this). I leave this on for about four to five minutes and simply neutralize it with water. Done! The first few times I used this, it tingled a bit but I’ve never had issues with burning or frosting. Just make sure to steer clear of skin folds. I also bought the mandelic/salicylic acid peel which I’ve used a few times and that is much, much harsher than this peel. It’s effective but pretty harsh. I’ve used the mandelic on the rest of my face but I haven’t seen any fantastic, visible results mainly because I don’t have blackheads elsewhere besides my nose.

   If you’re having issues with blackheads anywhere, I would highly suggest getting this peel along with the mandelic/salicylic acid peel. The mandelic alone is beneficial on a weekly basis while the stronger mandelic/salicylic acid combo can be used for more issues. As always, I recommend buying the sample size first because you really do get a generous amount that will definitely help you gauge how effective it is. Be sure to always do a patch test no matter what peel you get and for goodness’ sake, follow the directions!

6. 

   sadCake7

   Reply

   I have been using MUAC’s 25% mandelic acid peel for just about a year now. I liked the way that it dissolved blackheads and kept acne at bay, so I decided to level up to the 40% after a particularly stressful / breakout heavy month.

   I used a cotton swab to swirl the 40% mandelic peel all over my face with a second application over my cheeks and chin where I see hormonal breakouts. I washed it off after 6 minutes. I experienced no flaking or peeling and had just minimal, temporary redness in select spots.

   After washing it off, the 40% has the same great effect as the 25% but with more intensity. It had a very strong smoothing effect and left my skin with a very clean, almost glassy texture (in a good way). I also noticed that in addition to clearing out my pores, this stronger peel did a good job of flattening out some small bumps that were promising to be new breakouts. Looks like I prevented them from erupting! I also spot treated a bit on some large spots and found that to be pretty successful at flattening those as well.

   Overall, I think this is another great product from MUAC and will try to get the 40% into my weekly regimen. Mandelic is one of the few peels where you see immediate results. It’s a pore scrubber and minimizer and this 40% does a fantastic job of it. I haven’t found any other treatment that works as well at the pore level as mandelic acid.

7. 

   emptyCardinal2

   Reply

   I ordered the trial/sample size and it only cost $4 USD. I have used it 3 times now and still have enough for what looks like anouther 4-6 applications. Thats a great deal!
   I have experience using glycolic, and TCA peels. The glycolic seemed to do nothing, the TCA burned and made me peel a lot, and was too much downtime for my liking so I decided to try Mandelic because I read great reviews.
   I have tried this 40% Mandelic acid peel 3 times now within 2.5 weeks. So far I really like it, it seems to refine my skin a bit, reduce the oiliness and tone it a bit. However, I was really expecting better overall brightening, scar fading and pore reduction. I am hoping with weekly use I will eventually get these kinds of positive results.

   I ordered this and 2 other items from the MUAC website and I have to say I love the fact that the products are inexpensive, and seem to be high quality and effective, with out wasteful fancy packaging. I dont want to pay for pretty boxes,bottles and jars. I want simple products that are effective for good price. MAUC seems to be that way, but I havent ordered enough from them yet to really tell yet.

8. 

   fondLapwing3

   Reply

   I have been using Muac’s products for a few years now and the Mandelic Acid has become my favorite product from there peels. I also love the Radiance peel and the other Mandelic acid products like the serum, toner, and cleanser. I credit this for me not having to use retin a anymore except for occasional spots. This peel when they came out with the 40% I was so excited because I was so tolerant to the 25%. What I love is the glow, how it cleans my pores, and softens fine lines, also it keeps my dark spots from coming back. The sun did a number on me and it took a long time to remove the damage.

   This peel I left on for 5 minutes it didn’t burn or sting at all for me. I apply with a clean q tip each time on each part of my face. Sometimes I will do a second layer on my forehead and cheeks because that’s where the most damage is. After the time was up and I rinsed with cool water and washed with the DMAE cleanser my skin felt amazing! So soft like wow soft! My pores are so clean and minuscule. My genetic forehead lines are so small and yes, I have the glow. I followed with a spritz of there Rosewater Hydrosol and moisturized with Laniege, CeraVe PM or, Dr Jart Ceramidin I like to rotate my moisturizers. With this I can definitely feel more tightening or I need more moisturizer. So hydration for the skin is important after this.

   My face isn’t red at all now in fact it is so smooth and even. They say you should have done at least 6-8 of the 25% before you move on to the 40%. I can see why because I can feel this peel if you know what I mean. The results are way better then the 25% was for me. I am so happy the 40% is out! If you like Mandelic acid this is a great one and I think the highest percentage out there? Also it was very reasonable and I got a huge percent off because of their daily deals. So this was less than 25$ for 1 ounce that will last a very long time for me.

   I will start with once a week then move to every 4 days as directed. This is my favorite AHA because I find it to be most gentle on my skin. I have also gotten the best results with this acid. If you are used to the 25% get this you will be so happy! It has that extra kick that my skin needed. Very stoked! Totally Recommended!

   Update: did my second peel and I can’t believe results from 2 of these!?! My skin looks amazing my smile lines gone! Now they were fine but still gone. My forehead lines that I really don’t care for are so much finer! Also I had this pore that wouldn’t close and if I tried to pop it mayhem would ensue. Now it’s barely visible and my acne scars are barely there. This really did an amazing job. I’m oily so I used 9% BHA first to cut the oil as Muac says then this for only 5 minutes. I’m shocked my skin looks this great so fast. Also it is soooo soft! Seriously fantastic peel and so worth it!