Head to head
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution vs The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution vs The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution.
The bottom lineThe Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution and The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution does the same job for less.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€0.05 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €8 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.05 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution: the table has no dose for a exfoliant.
Which should you pick?
Pick AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution if
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
- you want the more affordable option
Pick Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution if
- it is the one you can get most easily or already trust
What each delivers
Side by side
| AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution | Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Exfoliant | Exfoliant |
| Key actives | Glycolic acid 30%, Salicylic acid (BHA) 2%, Glycerin | Glycolic acid 7%, Glycerin, Sodium PCA |
| Texture | A middleweight lotion, enough to comfort without feeling heavy. | A middleweight lotion, enough to comfort without feeling heavy. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Feeds Malassezia | 1 measured / none inferred | 1 measured / none inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 24 listed | 42 listed |
| Price | ~€8 | ~€9 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 13 of the 53 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum for The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution and The stratum corneum, Not established for The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
Only in The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution is a different bottle only for: sodium pca, urea, ginseng root extract, fructose.
Where each label stops telling you the dose
Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
ordered for its first 67%
- 1Glycolic Acid
- 2Aqua (Water)
- 3Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
- 4Sodium Hydroxide
- 5Daucus Carota Sativa Extract
- 6Propanediol
- 7Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
- 8Salicylic Acid
- 9Lactic Acid
- 10Tartaric Acid
- 11Citric Acid
- 12Panthenol
- 13Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
- 14Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract
- 15Glycerin
- 16Pentylene Glycol
- 17Xanthan Gum
- 18Polysorbate 20
- 19Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 20Potassium Sorbate
- 21Sodium Benzoate
- 22Ethylhexylglycerin
- 231,2-Hexanediol
- 24Caprylyl Glycol
8 of 24 sit below the line, marked by Xanthan Gum.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
ordered for its first 90%
- 1Aqua (Water)
- 2Glycolic Acid
- 3Rosa Damascena Flower Water
- 4Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water
- 5Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
- 6Propanediol
- 7Glycerin
- 8Triethanolamine
- 9Aminomethyl Propanol
- 10Panax Ginseng Root Extract
- 11Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract
- 12Aspartic Acid
- 13Alanine
- 14Glycine
- 15Serine
- 16Valine
- 17Isoleucine
- 18Proline
- 19Threonine
- 20Histidine
- 21Phenylalanine
- 22Glutamic Acid
- 23Arginine
- 24Pca
- 25Sodium Pca
- 26Sodium Lactate
- 27Fructose
- 28Glucose
- 29Sucrose
- 30Urea
- 31Hexyl Nicotinate
- 32Dextrin
- 33Citric Acid
- 34Polysorbate 20
- 35Gellan Gum
- 36Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 37Sodium Chloride
- 38Hexylene Glycol
- 39Potassium Sorbate
- 40Sodium Benzoate
- 411,2-Hexanediol
- 42Caprylyl Glycol
4 of 42 sit below the line, marked by Potassium Sorbate.
Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.
The molecule doing the work
Better for…
- Fine lines & firmnessEither works
- Breakouts & congestionAHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
Who each suits
- The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
- dry, combination, oily, sensitive, normal · avoid with compromised barrier, very sensitive skin, pregnancy (at high strength) and rosacea
- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
- dry, normal · avoid with compromised barrier, rosacea, sensitive skin and very sensitive skin (at high strength)
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is the cheaper of the two (~€8 vs ~€9).
Ready to pick one?
Affiliate links, so a purchase sends us a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Glow Simplified earns from qualifying purchases. We make and sell nothing here, so the verdict above never bends toward a sale.
And if you keep both?
Most people reading a comparison are choosing. If you already own both, the question is a different one, and it has an answer.
Use these with care.
Two exfoliants at once is usually one too many, and a common cause of irritation.
Pick one, and alternate days if you want to use both.
Common questions
Is The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution or The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution better for breakouts & congestion?
For breakouts & congestion, The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution and The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution does the same job for less.
Which is cheaper, The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution or The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution?
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is the cheaper of the two (~€8 vs ~€9).
Can I use The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution and The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution together?
They are both exfoliants, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.
What the scene shows
The cross-section at the top of this page is not decoration and not a diagram of the skin in general: it places the molecules these two are sold on at the layer each is understood to act on. The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is placed by Glycolic acid (the stratum corneum), Salicylic acid (BHA) (the stratum corneum), Glycerin (the stratum corneum). The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution is placed by Glycolic acid (the stratum corneum), Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Sodium PCA (the stratum corneum). A layer is where an ingredient does its work, never how deep it travels, and never a claim about how well it works.
Compare it with…
9 duels are built for this exfoliant, The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA and The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA among them: type a name, or pick one below.