Compositions for improved topical delivery of lactic acid

A composition comprising in combination lactic acid and an amphoteric or pseudoamphoteric agent selected from the group consisting of glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, threonine, cysteine, cystine, methionine, asparagine, glutamine, arginine, lysine, 5-hydroxylysine, histidine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, 3-hydroxyproline, 4-hydroxyproline, proline, homocysteine, homocystine, homoserine, ornithine, citrulline, creatine, aminoaldonic acids, aminouronic acids, aminoaldaric acids, lauryl aminopropylglycine, neuraminic acid, desulfated heparin, deacetylated hyaluronic acid, hyalobiuronic acid, chomdrosine, deacetylated chondroitin, creatinine, 2-aminobutanoic acid, 4-aminobutanoic acid, 2-amino-2-methylpropanoic acid, 2-methyl-3-aminopropanoic acid, theanine, phenylglycine, canavanine, canaline, 4-hydroxyarginine, 4-hydroxyornithine, 2,4-diaminobutanoic acid, 2,3-diaminopropanoic acid, 2,6-diaminopinelic acid, 2-amino-3-phenylbutanoic acid, taurine, methionine sulfoxide, methionine sulfone, 3,5-diiodotyrosine, thyroxine, monoiodotyrosine, pipecolic acid, 4-aminopipecolic acid, 4-methylproline, glycylglycine, carnosine, anserine, ophidine, homocarnosine, .beta.-alanyllsine, .beta.-alanylarginine, glutathione, ophthalmic acid, norophthalmic acid, cocoamphoglycine, cocoamphopropionate, cocoamphopropylsulfonate, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, and sphingomyelin, wherein said composition has a pH of less than or equal to 4.2.