Mandelic acid is the latest trending skincare ingredient the internet is obsessed with—except it's not new at all. Made popular by a variety of product launches featuring this star ingredient, mandelic acid is known for its gentle exfoliation and excellence in treating acne-prone skin .

But what exactly is mandelic acid? The word acid can be scary, especially considering previous skincare trends focused on over-exfoliating skin .

But mandelic acid isn't scary. In fact, it's one of the most gentle exfoliators out there. It's especially great for sensitive and acne-prone skin!

Still, we're not professional skin experts—so, we spoke to one. Amity Murray is the lead esthetician at the Spa at Hotel Chelsea , and knows all about this star ingredient .

Keep reading to learn

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