alpha-hydroxy acid

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Any of various fruit acids that are capable of trapping moisture in the skin and initiating the formation of collagen.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun organic chemistry Any hydroxy acid, of general formula RCH(OH)COOH, used in the cosmetic industry for their supposed property of reducing wrinkles.