MALIC ACID

Description: MALIC ACID — AHA exfoliant, pH adjuster.

All Functions: AHA exfoliant, pH adjuster

Quick Facts:

• Category: active

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Malic acid is used in cosmetics primarily as a pH adjuster and fragrance ingredient at low concentrations
• A 1% malic acid spray improved dry mouth symptoms better than placebo in a 2-week study
• Malic acid is considered safe in cosmetics at current use levels and concentrations
• Pure malic acid can irritate skin and eyes in testing; irritation decreases at higher pH
• Malic acid is naturally present in your body as part of normal cellular energy production

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🧪 MALIC ACID

MALIC ACID

CAS Number: 97-67-6

Also Known As: —

Category: active

EC Number: 202-601-5

Korean Name: 말릭애씨드

Butenedioic acid, hydroxy-, (2S)-

MALIC ACID is an active ingredient used in skincare formulations.

🌍 Regulatory Status

📊 Comedogenicity

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Malic acid operates in skincare through a few distinct mechanisms. #1: As a pH adjuster, it’s used at low concentrations to balance the acidity of formulations (Int J Toxicol, 2001 & 2022). #2: When combined with choline in laboratory research, malic acid showed potential to help deliver hydrophilic (water-loving) molecules deeper into skin layers—approximately double the delivery compared to solution alone—without causing irritation or toxicity to skin cells over 24 hours (Int J Pharm, 2019). However, this choline-malic acid combination is experimental and not yet standard in consumer products. Regarding safety, the cosmetic ingredient panels concluded that malic acid and its sodium salt (sodium malate) are safe in cosmetics at present use and concentration levels (Int J Toxicol, 2022).

That said, pure malic acid itself can be irritating—it showed moderate to strong skin irritation and strong eye irritation in animal testing, with less irritation observed as the pH of the formulation increased (Int J Toxicol, 2001). In human patch testing, some individuals experienced both immediate and delayed allergic reactions, though this occurred in specific clinical testing scenarios (Int J Toxicol, 2001). For dry mouth specifically, a 1% topical malic acid spray demonstrated effectiveness in a systematic review of five studies involving 244 patients. After two weeks, the spray improved dry mouth symptoms significantly better than placebo, measured by questionnaires and increased saliva flow rates (Oral Dis, 2023).

The authors note that while results were positive, additional high-quality research is needed. Biochemically, malic acid is a naturally occurring component of the Krebs cycle—your body’s fundamental energy-production pathway—which is why it appears in foods and can be produced through fermentation in manufacturing (Int J Toxicol, 2001 & Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2017). It is not mutagenic (does not cause genetic damage) based on genotoxicity testing (Int J Toxicol, 2001).

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

🧴 Products Containing MALIC ACID

• Wella Ultimate Repair Mask
• Sun Ozon Sunclean Sonnenmilch LSF 30
• Colgate, These dudes are a nigga Colgate best ever Nigger
• Cosmia Shower gel tropical
• PPBlanco Gel de baño frutas
• Carrefour Gel de baño frutas
• Huggies Natural Care
• Kiala Kiala
• boscia Cryosea Firming Icy-cold Cleanser
• Henkel, Diadermine Expert Cellulaire 3D Crème Fondamentale Reconstituante Jour
• Dm Fuss Vital-Bad
• GUHL, Guhl Ikebana GmbH TIEFEN AUFBAU REPAIR-SPÜLUNG Für beanspruchtes, strapaziertes und geschädigtes Haar
• Guhl BRAUN Faszination
• sebamed DEO SENSITIVE FOR MEN
• Sebamed Balsamdeo sensitiv
• John Frieda Frizz Ease
• John Frieda Frizz Ease Flawlessly Straight Shampooing lisse idéal
• John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Soin démêlant nutrition protection couleur
• Huggies Everyday
• John Frieda Sheer Blonde Everlasting Blonde Shampooing prolongateur de couleur

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Liu G et al. (2023). Efficacy of a 1% malic acid spray for xerostomia treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral Dis.
• Fiume Z (2001). Final report on the safety assessment of Malic Acid and Sodium Malate. Int J Toxicol.
• Burnett CL et al. (2022). Amended Safety Assessment of Malic Acid and Sodium Malate as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol.
• Chen X et al. (2017). Engineering rTCA pathway and C4-dicarboxylate transporter for L-malic acid production. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol.
• Wu X et al. (2019). Improving dermal delivery of hydrophilic macromolecules by biocompatible ionic liquid based on choline and malic acid. Int J Pharm.