Objective To investigate the effect of glycolic acid peels combined with intensive pulsed light in the treatment of chloasma. Methods From February 2020 to January 2024, 66 female patients with chloasma admitted to Zhangjiagang Joy Chi Mei Medical Cosmetic Clinic were selected and divided into control group and observation group according to random number table method, with 33 patients in each group. The control group was treated with intensive pulsed light, and the observation group was treated with glycolic acid peels on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy, skin lesion improvement (skin lesion score, skin stratum corneum water content and transepidermal water loss), oxidative stress level [superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), malondialdehyde (MDA)] were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 96.97%, which was higher than 78.79% in the control group (P <0.05). After treatment, the skin lesion score and transepidermal water loss in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the skin stratum corneum water content was higher than that in the control group (P <0.05). After treatment, the level of MDA in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and the levels of SOD and GSP-Px were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion Glycolic acid peels combined with intensive pulsed light can improve the therapeutic effect of chloasma patients, improve their skin lesion status and oxidative stress level, which is worthy of clinical application.