Objective To explore the clinical effect of 570 nm intensive pulsed light combined with glycolic acid in the treatment of chloasma. Methods A total of 57 patients with chloasma admitted to the Department of Dermatology of Chengdu 363 Hospital from May 2022 to February 2023 were randomly divided into normal group (n =28) and observation group (n =29). The normal group was treated with 570 nm intensive pulsed light, and the observation group was treated with glycolic acid on the basis of the normal group. The clinical efficacy, skin condition, oxidative stress index level and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 96.55%, which was higher than 71.43% in the normal group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). After treatment, the skin damage score, stratum corneum water content and transepidermal water loss in the observation group were better than those in the normal group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). After treatment, the serum malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the observation group were better than those in the normal group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 3.45%, which was lower than 32.14% in the normal group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion 570 nm intensive pulsed light combined with glycolic acid can improve the skin condition of patients with chloasma, reduce oxidative stress response, improve clinical efficacy, and has high treatment safety, which is worthy of clinical application.