Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum versus Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant US .

Last updated on December 05, 2023. Published on February 04, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe . They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Serum American Brand United States
Exfoliator American Brand United States

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

Price

Shop

Buy T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum

Starts at $134.00
Shop

Buy Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

Starts at $15.60

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA (3)
BHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (5)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (5)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (5)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (4)
Rosacea (5)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant US contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant US contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant US contains this as ingredient number 7.

4
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant US contains this as ingredient number 4.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

33% are loved or liked
22% have mixed ratings
19% are disliked or very disliked
25% have no rating yet
25% are loved or liked
38% have mixed ratings
25% are disliked or very disliked
13% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum 36 ingredients

1.7 /5
from 3 ratings
Irritating (2) Expensive (2) Strong Scent (1) Broke Me Out (1) Light (1) Sticky (1)
Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous

4 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

It does the job, but not only is the fragrance really irritating, and it’s super expensive. Definitely not worth the money…

KyleighWallace_646's avatar

KyleighWallace_646

9 days ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Got this as a freebie/trial with the F Balm Hydrofacial moisturizer (which is amazing) so I decided I would try it on my nose / chin and a little...

Got this as a freebie/trial with the F Balm Hydrofacial moisturizer (which is amazing) so I decided I would try it on my nose / chin and a little bit of t zone because I have lots of sebaceous filaments, blackheads and huge pores . Horrible idea for my sensitive skin. I only used it ONLY in those spots, as the ONLY exfoliating product in the routine, and ONLY 1x a week. Every time I used it even with LOADS of ultra hydrating products to counterbalance it it stung my skin so bad, and the next morning I would wake up with juicy inflamed pimples on my nose / only on spots Where I had applied it. I did notice my pores looked a little smaller maybe and sebaceous filaments were less prominent but it was NOT worth it for the inflamed acne it caused. Idk if it’s a specific ingredient or if this stuff is just incredibly harsh but if your skin is sensitive at all avoid this stuff like the plague. Even strategic use can’t be achieved.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant 8 ingredients

4.4 /5
from 34 ratings
Works Well (6) Expensive (5) Light (2) No Scent (2) Absorbs Well (1) Sticky (1)
MichelleR's avatar

MichelleR

5 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

Viral for a REASON
This product is popular for a reason. Back in the day [showing my age] we used to use Noxzema and Stridex for our acne. But...

Viral for a REASON
This product is popular for a reason. Back in the day [showing my age] we used to use Noxzema and Stridex for our acne. But those products were so harsh, burned, and didn't produce any results. This product not only clears pores but is also nourishing [suspect it is the green tea]. After I apply, my skin doesn't feel raw or sensitive. The formulation of this product is FANTASTIC. Truly viral for a reason. It will forever be in my skincare collection.

lonelydeath's avatar

lonelydeath

14 days ago · Combination Skin
Review

I have put off on using this product for so long due to the price, but it is worth it. I have tried so many products with salicylic acid and this...

I have put off on using this product for so long due to the price, but it is worth it. I have tried so many products with salicylic acid and this one is the first to work. It has an oil consistency, but does not feel oily at all.

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum.

See 50 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 30 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant US.

See 30 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...