6 of The Best Chemical Peels for Skin Lightening (Products Below)

Skin whitening has been a popular beauty routine practiced by many women over the last decade, especially thanks to celebrities such as Blac Chyna promoting skin whitening creams to lighten one’s complexion by several shades to have whiter youthful skin. While these lightening creams and serums can alter the tone of the skin by several shades, the amount of time it takes to notice visible results can be as long as four months! Luckily, there are excellent alternatives to these creams and serums that can cut this time in half and allow you to achieve a lighter complexion in no time at all, and the best news is, you can do it yourself!

Welcome to the world of chemical peels, a unique skin lightening treatment that offers whiter skin at a faster rate. Unlike lightening products that need to be applied daily, chemicals peels are more convenient in terms of application requirements, because they only need to be applied to the skin once per week at most and left on for only 5 minutes. Despite the brief period to be left on the skin, chemical peels can produce drastic results.

How Do Chemical Peels Work?

Most chemical peels are made with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as lactic acid and glycolic acid or from the beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) like salicylic acid. Both AHAs and BHAs work great on the skin because they are both non-abrasive exfoliants. In terms of exfoliant capabilities, these chemicals work by increasing the PH levels within the skin to bring the acidity levels higher in order to loosen dead skin cells to allow newer cells to come through. From this, the production of collagen is increased significantly to improve skin radiance, making it appear more youthful by fading away dark spots, acne scarring, and even hyperpigmentation.

Standard exfoliation cannot achieve these same results. This is because chemical peels are specifically designed for skin lightening purposes and contain melanin-inhibiting ingredients. In addition, they further speed up the skin lightening process with the use of exfoliants built right into their formula.

Now that you have a good understanding of how chemical peels work let’s dive into our top picks. Based on their strength, we’ve decided to list them in order with the first four chemical peels being suitable for those just starting out and the last two suitable for those who have tried chemical peels before and have worked up a tolerance for using them.

We recommend reading through the reviews of each product to find the one that will work best for you. Let’s dive in!

6 of Our Top Picks for Skin Lightening Chemical Peels

Retin Glow Vitamin C and Kojic Acid Peel Kit

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It can be a daunting feeling when first starting out using a chemical peel for the first time, however, the Retin Glow Vitamin C and Kojic Acid Peel Kit is a safe and gentle option compared to other chemical peels on the market. This peel is gentle to use on the skin without unwanted side effects, such as burning or irritated skin, but strong enough to show actual results. This is why we believe it is perfect for beginners that are starting out.

The formula has a great combination of exfoliating ingredients such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, and retinol as well as a combination of stronger ingredients used for skin lightening like kojic acid, bearberry, licorice, and Vitamin C.

One of the best things about this peel is the potent combinations of AHAs (lactic acid & glycolic acid) to help peel away the dead skin cells to reveal softer, whiter skin that lies underneath. Not only does this peel help to fade dark spots and exfoliate, but with the high dose of Vitamin C, your skin will have a lasting glow that lasts up to 3 full days, overall improving your complexion. We especially love that this peel comes with a soothing after-peel neutralizer that you can use after the first treatment.

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Eminence Arctic Berry Peel and Peptide Illuminating System

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Here we have yet another gentle and safe chemical peel for you to try out that is safe enough to use more than once a week and that will boost your skin’s radiance. Unlike the chemical peels we have mentioned, the Eminence Illuminating System is a 3-step peel process.

Here’s how it works. To start, you begin with the Arctic Berry Enzyme Exfoliant. You will distribute it to the face and massage gently to warm the product for 3 minutes. This helps to prep the skin for deeper peeling.

Leaving the exfoliant on the skin, you will now apply The Arctic Berry Advanced Peel Activator MA10 (multi-acid 10%) peel which is used to gently eliminate the layers of skin naturally, to reveal smoother, brighter skin that is radiant and luminous.

After 8 minutes have passed, wipe away and remove the excess peel and apply The Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream to help balance the skin by nourishing and replenishing it.

We recommend this chemical peel for those who have sensitive skin but want to achieve a lighter complexion with a natural glow.

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Philosophy Microdelivery Triple-Acid Peel Pads

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Ideal for those who suffer from sensitive skin and have unwanted blemishes, the Philosophy Microdelivery Triple-Acid Peel Pads is mild enough for quick and regular use.

This pack contains 12 pre-saturated chemical peel pads with a triple-acid formula that consist of phytic acid, azelaic acid, and mandelic acid.

Mandelic acid specifically, is an all-natural ingredient made from bitter almonds. It is classified as an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) like both lactic acid and glycolic acid, but much less irritating when used on the skin because of its larger molecular structure. Because of its bigger sized molecule, the time it takes to penetrate through the dermis of the skin is longer. This makes it less irritating, thus, perfect for sensitive skin types.

Mandelic acid is also a melanin inhibitor, used to inhibit the enzyme tyrosinase to lower the production of melanin in the skin (dark pigments within the skin). Mandelic acid has also proven to be an effective way to treat conditions of melasma without the need of using harsh bleaching treatments that contain the chemical hydroquinone. The same applies to azelaic acid, which is another powerful ingredient that inhibits melanin.

Both azelaic acid and mandelic acid are great when tackling different forms of acne too. As for phytic acid, it’s classified as a very gentle acid that has great skin lightening properties and blocks the entryway of iron and copper during the formation of melanin particles. Another benefit to phytic acid is that it helps to combat free radicals damage on the skin. This helps to reduce any visible skin damage.

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Perfect Image Skin Lightening Delivery System Hydro-Gel Peel Pads

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If you’ve had previous experience with chemical peels before, then your skin might be able to handle the active ingredients contained within these peel pads.

Not only are these peel pads quite convenient, but they’re also pre-saturated cotton pads enhanced with the best ingredients for your skin and a professional strength lightening peel that’s ready to go as soon as you remove them from the pack!

These peel pads pack a punch with their combo of 10% mandelic acid and a whopping 30% lactic acid to maximize the lightening effects. Don’t worry though, despite containing a hefty dose of each acid, both are naturally gentle for the skin and shouldn’t cause irritation or burning. However, don’t mistake “gentle” for “subtle” as these acids are strong enough to fade dark blemishes and reduce the visibility of fine lines.

As a bonus, this chemical peel contains additional powerful ingredients like glutathione and kojic acid to enhance the whitening of the skin. As a result, you get a pack of potent skin lightening pads that are gentle and effective!

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Refresh Skin Therapy Fruit Acid Facial Peel

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If you’re someone in the market for a potent brightening and lightening chemical peel, then the Refresh Skin Therapy Fruit Acid Facial Peel is just what you need to lessen the appearance of pesky unwanted dark blemishes and fine lines.

This facial peel offers a combination of alpha hydroxy acids such as lactic acid and glycolic acid that is combined with pyruvic acid (helps to improve and increase the levels of hyaluronic acid found within the skin to provide tighter skin) and kojic acid.

With a concentrate of 15%, this formula is a little stronger than other chemical peels mentioned above but still mild enough for beginners that are just starting out. We would recommend this to those who have used skin lightening products before that contain Retin A and would be interested in a 2-in-1 solution for both plumping and skin lightening properties.

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Perfect Image Lactic Acid 50% Gel Peel

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After trying a few of the “beginner friendly” peels we mentioned above, you can now move on to the “alpha” of all chemical peels, which is the Perfect Image Lactic Acid 50% Gel Peel.

As mentioned previously, lactic acid is a gentle chemical used in peels. Found naturally within the contents of milk and yogurt (and the human skin), lactic acid is an all-natural skin lightener that has moisturizing benefits and is less irritating than other AHAs found in different peels.

Ideally, this chemical peel is perfect for skin brightening and is great for those who suffer from skin conditions like rosacea and hyperpigmentation.

The potency of this chemical increases by combining lactic acid with two melanin inhibitors (kojic acid and bearberry extract) to create a strong and powerful skin lightening chemical peel.

Just remember, we don’t suggest high concentrated chemical peels to those just starting out. It’s a good idea to start with one of the few above and work your way up to this one.

You can find this product on Amazon.com