I had written a 1 star review for this, but it is no longer here and so I shall share my feedback once again. For reference, my skin runs very dry and sensitive. I purchased my products directly from The Ordinary and was gifted some from the line as well, including this item as I am a fan of other quite popular Lactic acid products.

I am not new to acids. I ve been using these types of AHA s at various strengths, including clinical strength, since I was in high school.

Lactic at 5% is my favorite exfoliation for dry skin. Lactic acid not only stimulates collagen, making it effective for anti-aging, but it causes the cells to turn over at a more rapid rate, acting to chemically exfoliate. This reveals brighter, more even-toned skin with a glow.

This, however, even on my experienced skin and with a very light hand was painful. It felt like horrible sunburn just moments after I applied it to my clean, dry skin...and from there, the discomfort became painful. My face was left so irritated and red that it remained as such for a couple of days, during which I applied aloe to soothe.

This is not a dupe in my experienced view; I use and enjoy another, less expensive Derm-recommended Lactic options that moisturizes perfectly with no burning and so I shall stick with that. I also have a higher priced version that I feel is lovely and so this was the biggest disappointment of all of my purchases. There were, however, quite a few stars in the line. This simply relates my personal experience and something those who also have sensitive skin may want to take into consideration.

If you have sensitive skin, I would not recommend this particular formulation. If you did purchase it and are new to it, I d test patch on the delicate area of the forearm or on the neck, behind the ear, but away from the skin fold ...and use a light hand.

It s disappointing my review was removed; especially since i have been quite generous in my reviews for this line based on 3-6 months experience with each item. In this instance, I could not proceed testing further. There s much better, I assure you.

I would never recommend this.