If I’ve learned any lessons in life, it is to tread very carefully with acids.

Full disclosure, I used this product when it was called AHA Souffle, and actually found that, with only semi-weekly use, it was great. I actually think it kept a lot of acne at bay, and kept my skin looking fresh. I think I used the 8% glycolic acid formulation, which seems to no longer be a percentage that they use. Then, the company Alpha Hydrox rebranded into Alpha Skincare, and re-released all their packaging.

I’m guessing during the timeframe that it took them re-brand and change up their product lines, they also reformulated as well. That was when this product stopped working for me. My skin started to break out a TON. Now, the thing to keep in mind with acids is that there is a natural purging period where you start to break out like crazy. Then, with consistent use of the acid, that won’t occur as often. So I thought that was the case with me, and I pushed through — for two months!!! — and it ended up absolutely destroying my skin.

I wasn’t really into looking at the ingredients back then so much as I am now, and looking at the listing online it doesn’t seem like there’s anything too damning that would cause it to do this. Even the alcohols in it are fatty alcohols only, and not drying. Perhaps even a 2% shift in glycolic acid was enough to destroy my skin. In any case, my opinion of this product is that it is very harsh.

Amazon cleanly states that the packaging may vary, due to the rebranding (and also an extremely confusing product listing — there’s a lot of seemingly overlapping products with totally different images). The AHA Souffle was a white cream in a tube. The tube lasted for quite awhile, since you don’t need to apply too much. Now it looks like it’s in a small bottle. Given the amount of product in this, the pricetag of $12-18 (depending on where you buy from) doesn’t seem too crazy.

I don’t know. I used to really like this. If you are suffering very mild acne or scarring, glycolic acid is good to keep some of that at bay. But I’m not convinced that this product is the method to do that anymore, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for cystic acne sufferers either. If you want to try it out, I’d recommend starting at the lowest level possible, but even 10% seems a little steep to me. ~A

Perceived efficacy: 3/5

Longevity: n/a

How much I actually like this product: 1/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: No