An acid like 15% ammonium lactate exfoliates and hydrates, but it also stresses the skin barrier. That is why the ingredients around the acid matter so much.
This formula had 12 ingredients and no ceramides, in a plain mineral-oil and petrolatum base. It also used a paraben preservative and propylene glycol. It exfoliated, but it did nothing to rebuild the barrier the acid damaged.
AmLactin's Intensive Healing 15% has the same acid at the same strength, but adds three ceramides, phytosphingosine and cholesterol — the actual lipids that make up the skin barrier. Same job, better support. That is why it is the one to choose.
| Key active | Ammonium lactate 15% |
| Texture | Cream |
| Best for | See below — buy Intensive Healing instead |
| Approximate price | $15–$22 |
| Fragrance | Fragrance free |
The acid was real. 15% ammonium lactate is a strong, effective keratolytic, and it worked for the same things every other AmLactin works for — rough, dry, bumpy skin.
It was cheap and widely stocked.
That is the honest case, and we will not stretch it, because AmLactin themselves have stopped making it.
It appears to be discontinued. It is gone from AmLactin's current lineup. What is on shelves is old stock.
And you should not chase it, because it was their worst formula. Set side by side with Intensive Healing 15% — the same acid, the same strength:
Ultra Smoothing: 12 ingredients. No ceramides. Contains methylparaben and propylene glycol. A plain mineral-oil and petrolatum base. Intensive Healing: 21 ingredients. Three ceramides, phytosphingosine, cholesterol. Paraben-free.
Same acid. One of them repairs the barrier that acid damages; the other does not.
If you liked this, buy Intensive Healing 15%. It is the same strength, and it is better.
It makes you burn more easily — and the label says for longer than you think. The alpha hydroxy acid warning tells you to use sunscreen and protective clothing while using it "and for a week afterwards." Almost nobody reads that far.
Water, Ammonium Lactate, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Steareth-21, Steareth-2, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum
1. Comparative efficacy of 12% ammonium lactate lotion and 5% lactic acid lotion in the treatment of moderate to severe xerosis (https://doi.org/10.1016/s0190-9622(89)70242-5) — Double-blind trial showing 12% ammonium lactate lotion is a strong, effective agent that significantly reduces the severity of moderate-to-severe xerosis (rough, dry, scaly skin). 2. Comparison of salicylic acid and urea versus ammonium lactate for the treatment of foot xerosis. A randomized, double-blind, clinical study (https://doi.org/10.7547/87507315-88-7-332) — Randomized double-blind study confirming 12% ammonium lactate (Lac-Hydrin) acts as an effective keratolytic that reduces xerosis, comparable to salicylic acid/urea. 3. A controlled comparative efficacy study of 5% ammonium lactate lotion versus an emollient control lotion in the treatment of moderate xerosis (https://doi.org/10.1016/s0190-9622(08)80982-6) — Controlled multicenter trial supporting ammonium lactate lotion's efficacy over a plain emollient for treating moderate xerosis (dry, rough skin). 4. Ichthyosis vulgaris: An updated review (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9892433) — Peer-reviewed review confirming ammonium lactate 12% lotion helps scaling and dryness, and that ceramide/lipid-based repair creams add barrier benefit ammonium lactate alone does not. 5. DailyMed - Ammonium Lactate lotion labels (Lac-Hydrin and generics) (https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?query=ammonium+lactate) — NIH/FDA drug-label database confirming ammonium lactate 12% lotion is a real, widely marketed keratolytic formulation from multiple manufacturers.