Before I start to talk about anything, I’m going to talk about why Glycolic acid is a thing. Glycolic acid is an exfoliator, which removes the top layer of dead cells. In turn, this means your skin will look fresher and brighter. It’s also said to treat scars, discoloration and even signs of aging.

I’d seen so many people rave about Pixi Glow Tonic (£18, Boots) back in May 2018, I took the plunge. I say it in that way as £18 for a bottle of toner is a hell of a lot of money, but the reviews had made me want it. I found the bottle lasted me around two months and I was fast to repurchase before I got to the end.

Since I started using the Glow Tonic, I noticed my skin looked fresher each day. My red blemishes had seemed to have calmed down and I overall felt a lot happier with the way my skin looked without makeup. Which is always a bonus.

The way I apply mine is by completing my full makeup removal routine in the evening, taking a cotton pad and gently circling the product around the face. Make sure that whatever you do, you don’t take the product too close to the eyes. Trust me, it’ll sting like a bitch. I’ll then add my moisturiser and I’m ready to go to sleep.

When it got towards Christmas of last year and I was scrimping as much as I could, I mean presents don’t buy themselves do they! I noticed that The Ordinary had released their own glycolic acid and it was over half the price (£6.75, Beauty Bay)! I immediately bought it, thinking that if I wasn’t a fan, at least I’ve tried it.

Honestly, I didn’t notice any difference between using the Pixi Glow Tonic and The Ordinary. There was no sudden changes in my skin, the blemishes stayed away and my skin still looked fresh when I woke up in the mornings.

I looked into the ingredients for both products and found that they were extremely similar. The Ordinary actually contains 7% glycolic acid, whereas Pixi only contains 5%. Depending on the sensitivity of your skin, personally I feel you’re going to see more benefits from the one which contains more of the magic product.

Another amazing thing about both of these products is that they’re cruelty-free and vegan – you know how much I love that on my blog!

So would I recommend either or the other? Honestly, I didn’t notice a massive difference when going from the splurge item to the save one. My skin hasn’t craved the slight difference in ingredients and it still looks great. Another thing worth mentioning is that I ran out of The Ordinary one about two weeks ago and decided to not use glycolic acid for a little bit. Even after doing this, there’s been no changes to my skin – which makes me wonder whether any of it was worth the money at all?

I’d love to know your opinions on glycolic acid and if there’s any major splurge and saves that you’d like to tell me about. Much like my wear test, this is another series in the making and I’m looking forward to trying out a few different high-end and high-street products. If there’s any particular type of product you’d like to see, please be sure to let me know in the comments.

Love, always.

Becca-x

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