The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution Review

We all know there’s some controversy surrounding this brand right now, and whilst I don’t agree with a lot of the chaos I’m seeing, I agreed to receive this and numerous other products from Deciem Korea in PR ( for free- see my disclaimer for policies) before the drama unfolded, and I’m still happy to talk about them and do reviews. Mainly because this product has been so damn good for my skin. Let’s get into it.

Purpose & How To Use

The product is described by Deciem as offering “mild exfoliation for improved skin radiance and visible clarity. The formula also improves the appearance of skin texture with continued use”. This is generally what AHAs will do for skin- they help exfoliate the surface layer.

The directions for use are lengthy but really quite simple:

“Use ideally in the PM, no more frequently than once per day. After cleaning, saturate a cotton pad with the formula and sweep across face and neck. Avoid the eye contour and contact with eyes. Do not rinse off. Continue with additional skin treatments as needed. If persistent irritation occurs, discontinue use and consult a physician. (Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards. Use only as directed. Contact of the product with the skin must be of limited frequency or duration.)”

I actually use this product in the morning, because I use Vitamin C at night and like to use just one or the other. I cleanse my face, wipe my face with this toner, give it about 15 minutes while I potter around, and then carry on with the rest of my routine. In my initial testing phase a few months back I used it every day alone, then I started using it every day with my BHA too, and Vitamin C at night. Currently I find using EITHER the AHA or BHA in the morning, followed by the Vitamin C every night, is working best for me. I always slather on the SPF 50 PA ++++ and generally stay out of the sun because of this acid routine.

Product Details & Ingredients

Full name: Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

Amount: 240ml (SO much, yay!)

pH: 3.5-3.7 according to Deciem. This is optimal for a glycolic acid product to work.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Glycolic Acid, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Aminomethyl Propanol, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Aspartic Acid, Alanine, Glycine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glutamic Acid, Arginine, PCA, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose, Urea, Hexyl Nicotinate, Dextrin, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Gellan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Hexylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.

Packaging

I think the packaging is fantastic. It’s a huge bottle but the small twist opening couldn’t be more perfect for getting the right amount onto a cotton pad.

I also really like the simplistic design in general of The Ordinary products. Super classy.

Texture & Scent

The texture is extremely thin and watery, and disappears into skin. It adds some verrry light hydration, but I still follow with all of my usual skincare steps.

I really can’t detect a scent! Which is great.

Overall Performance

First a disclaimer- I’d only ever used very weak AHA products before this. And man, have I been missing out! My skin has changed so much over the past few months by incorporating this toning solution. I always felt the acid products that are so popular in Korea had been okay for me (like many of the exfoliating pads), but not mind blowing. I really think my skin just needed the higher %.

There has been incredible smoothing of my skin texture. I have naturally quite rough skin, and the change has been obvious. I’ve also seen a reduction in the tiny red pimples I often get (reduction, not disappearance), and the bumps along my hairline. My makeup seems to be applying better, and I really do think it’s all about the texture change.

I can’t say I’ve seen much of a brightening effect. I think there has been to some extent because of skin buffing (clarity is a better term for my results as opposed to brightening), but when I incorporated a new Vitamin C serum the combined effects were really good. With this toning solution alone, it’s largely just been the awesome smoothing effect.

Like I said, because I haven’t tried other similar % AHA products, I don’t have a comparison. All I can go off is my comparison to lower %, which clearly haven’t been best for me. I do have the COSRX AHA product in my stash, so I’m quite keen to try that and see how they square up. The results have really been so good though, I’m a total AHA convert.

Price and Availability

Another point that just cannot be beaten about this product. It’s an astonishing £6.80 on the British Deciem website, and I believe a similar price in Korean won in the Sinsa Deciem store. I can’t get over it, despite knowing the low prices are what The Ordinary is renowned for. It’s just so affordable. The only downside I’ve heard from a lot you is that this product is frequently sold out. That’s unfortunate, and I hope the stock can get figured out, because I think a lot of people would also love this as much as I do!

What’s your favourite The Ordinary product? Or your best AHA?