Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum .
Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on May 08, 2023
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 6 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain oils
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Exfoliator
Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.
Serum
Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.
Price
Ingredient Info
Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant 26 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant 26 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 5 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant 26 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients
Water • Methylpropanediol • Dicaprylyl Carbonate • C15-19 Alkane • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Salicylic Acid • Propanediol • Inulin • Caprylyl Glycol • Allantoin • Tocopherol • Sodium Hydroxide • Ethylhexylglycerin • Hexylene Glycol • Sorbitan Isostearate • Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide • Glycerin • Laminaria Digitata Extract • Albatrellus Confluens Extract • Glycine Soja Oil • Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract • Galactoarabinan • Citric Acid • Schizophyllan • Maltodextrin • Phenoxyethanol
Water • Alcohol Denat. • Propanediol • Glycolic Acid • Niacinamide • Dimethyl Isosorbide • Pentylene Glycol • Salicylic Acid • Sodium Hydroxide • Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil • Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid • Citric Acid • Peg-30 Glyceryl Cocoate • Capryloyl Salicylic Acid • Biosaccharide Gum-1 • Maltodextrin • Phytic Acid • Polyquaternium-10 • Parfum
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 WaterPaula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 1.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 AcidPaula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 6.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 8.
Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use.
It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolPaula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 7.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
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 HydroxidePaula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 12.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 9.
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.
As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidPaula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 23.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 12.
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinPaula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 25.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant 26 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant 26 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant 26 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients
Lapaki
Dependable anti-blemish and anti-marks serum for sensitive skin
This is a very good and gentle exfoliating serum for sensitive skin. It helped me...
Dependable anti-blemish and anti-marks serum for sensitive skin
This is a very good and gentle exfoliating serum for sensitive skin. It helped me get rid of some hormonal acne few years ago, cleared my skin and somehow made it more resistant to acids, which I had to be very carful with before. Its also good for treating backne.
GabriellaTsoukalas
Worth the try for ACNE skin
I used it for about 2 years and I was more than satisfied. Upon returning on my Erasmus trip, it broke me out and made...
Worth the try for ACNE skin
I used it for about 2 years and I was more than satisfied. Upon returning on my Erasmus trip, it broke me out and made my skin dry. I don't know if anything happened during the trip but right now I don't use it. It's really good if you have taken acne treatment pills and you need smt to keep the acne away (from my experience at least).
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 15 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant.
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