ABSTRACT
The alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), known by the media as the fruit acids because they occur naturally in various fruits, form a group of carboxylic acids that have actually been used in cosmetic treatments and products for many centuries. They are chemically characterized by having a hydroxyl group on the alpha carbon, the first carbon after the carbon contained in the carboxyl group. Glycolic acid is the smallest of the AHAs, the group’s general formula being RCHOHCOOH, as seen in Fig. 1. With glycolic acid, R is H, making the formula for glycolic acid C2H4O3 or HOCH2COOH, also known as hydroxy acetic acid.
