Cosmetic Grade vs Technical Grade Glycolic Acid, Compared
Glycolic acid is not a single product. It is a chemistry that gets manufactured, purified, and documented differently depending on where it is going. A formulator building a leave-on serum and a process engineer sourcing a descaling agent are both buying glycolic acid, but they are not buying the same thing, and treating the two as interchangeable is where sourcing decisions go wrong.
This article compares AviGa™ HP70, Avid Organics' cosmetic grade glycolic acid, against AviGa™ T, the technical grade. Both are 70 percent concentration. The difference is in purity control, documentation, and the applications each one is actually built for.
A grade designation is not a marketing label. It reflects the level of impurity control built into the manufacturing process, the testing that goes into every batch, and the documentation that accompanies it. Higher-purity grades cost more to produce because they require tighter process control and more extensive quality testing, not because the underlying molecule is different.
For glycolic acid specifically, this matters because the acid is used in genuinely different contexts. One drop into a facial serum sits on skin for hours. One dose into a descaling line reacts with metal and is rinsed away. The purity requirements for those two situations are not remotely the same, and neither is the price point that makes sense for each.
AviGa™ HP70 is Avid Organics' cosmetic grade glycolic acid, manufactured using a proprietary, precision-controlled synthesis process developed in-house. It is FSSC 22000 certified and designed for formulations where purity, consistency, and an ultra-low impurity profile are non-negotiable.
Leave-on skincare: serums, toners, anti-aging treatments, chemical peels
Formulations requiring batch-to-batch consistency at a regulatory level
Applications where full documentation, including REACH registration, needs to travel with every shipment
AviGa™ T is the technical grade version of the same 70 percent glycolic acid, manufactured for industrial and specialty applications rather than skin-contact formulations.
Cleaning and descaling operations, where glycolic acid's chelating properties bind effectively to metal ions
Chemical synthesis and process applications where predictable reactivity matters more than cosmetic-level purity
High-throughput industrial processes where process compatibility and consistent performance are the priority
Factor | AviGa™ HP70 (Cosmetic Grade) | AviGa™ T (Technical Grade) |
Concentration | 70% | 70% |
Primary application | Leave-on skincare, cosmetic formulation | Cleaning, descaling, chemical synthesis |
Certification focus | FSSC 22000, cosmetic-grade documentation | Technical data sheets, industrial safety documentation |
Purity control | Ultra-low impurity profile, precision-controlled synthesis | Controlled for process compatibility and predictable reactivity |
Typical buyer | Cosmetic formulators, personal care brands | Process engineers, industrial buyers |
Specifying the wrong grade creates two kinds of problems. Using technical grade in a cosmetic formulation risks impurity levels and documentation gaps that will not clear a certification body's review, regardless of how the finished product performs. Using cosmetic grade in an industrial process means paying for purity control your application does not need and cannot recoup in performance.
The starting question should always be the application, not the price list.
How to Choose
If your formulation is a leave-on cosmetic product, a chemical peel, or anything else with sustained skin contact and a certification pathway attached to it, AviGa™ HP70 is the correct starting point. If you are sourcing for descaling, industrial cleaning, or a synthesis process where glycolic acid functions as a reagent rather than an active ingredient, AviGa™ T is built for that role and priced accordingly.
Avid Organics manufactures both grades at its ISO-certified Vadodara facility, which means switching between them, or running both in parallel for different product lines, does not mean switching suppliers or documentation formats.
Compare full specifications for AviGa™ HP70 and AviGa™ T, or speak to the technical team about grade selection, at avidorganics.net/en/products/alpha-hydroxy-acids or contact info@avidorganics.net
Yes, both are 70 percent glycolic acid. The difference is in impurity control, testing depth, and the documentation package built around each grade, not the base chemistry.
It is not built or certified for that purpose. Cosmetic and skin-contact applications should use AviGa™ HP70, which carries the purity control and documentation cosmetic buyers need.
AviGa™ HP70 is FSSC 22000 certified and produced with cosmetic-grade documentation. AviGa™ T is documented for industrial and technical use instead.
Yes. Both grades are manufactured at the same ISO-certified Vadodara facility, so buyers running both applications can source from a single supplier relationship.
