Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA versus CeraVe Acne Control Gel .
Last updated on September 15, 2023. Published on February 19, 2022
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 8 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain AHA, BHA and ceramides
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any oils, parabens or silicones
What's Inside
They both contain fragrances
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Facial Treatment
Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.
Facial Treatment
Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.
Price
Ingredient Info
Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA 34 ingredients
CeraVe Acne Control Gel 24 ingredients
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 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Contains Sulfate
Ingredients in this product that are types of sulfate:
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
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 RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA 34 ingredients
CeraVe Acne Control Gel 24 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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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 RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA 34 ingredients
CeraVe Acne Control Gel 24 ingredients
Water • Butylene Glycol • Glycolic Acid • Glycerin • Lactic Acid • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride • Malic Acid • Tartaric Acid • Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 • Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 • Ceramide Ng • Salicylic Acid • Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Punica Granatum Extract • Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract • Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract • Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract • Camellia Oleifera Leaf • Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract • Peucedanum Graveolens Extract • Allantoin • Adenosine • Hydrogenated Lecithin • Bisabolol • Polyquaternium-10 • Xanthan Gum • Carbomer • Polysorbate 20 • Sodium Bicarbonate • Sodium Hydroxide • Aminomethyl Propanol • Phenoxyethanol • Benzyl Alcohol
Salicylic Acid 2% • Water • Glycerin • Sodium Hydroxide • Glycolic Acid • Lactic Acid • Niacinamide • Ceramide NP • Ceramide AP • Ceramide EOP • Carbomer • Cetearyl Alcohol • Behentrimonium Methosulfate • Triethyl Citrate • Sodium Hyaluronate • Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate • Cholesterol • Chlorphenesin • Disodium EDTA • Hydroxypropyl Guar • Caprylyl Glycol • Xanthan Gum • Phytosphingosine • Benzoic Acid
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 RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 1.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 2.
Glycolic Acid is arguably the most famous AHA with research to back up its benefits. Its main role is to peel the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.
Glycolic Acid has shown to boost collage production, a protein that helps skin stay firm. Overall, Glycolic Acid helps with improving uneven tone, rough patches of skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and sun damage. It also increases skin hydration by playing a role in creating molecules that create hyaluronic acid naturally.
When applying Glycolic Acid, it is normal to feel slight stinging. The pH value and concentration of glycolic acid play a role in the effectiveness of the product.
Recent studies have shown Glycolic Acid may protect the skin against UV damage. However, you should always wear SPF, especially when using exfoliants.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Glycolic AcidPaula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 3.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 5.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPaula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 4.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 3.
Lactic Acid is an AHA that is derived from fermenting lactose, a carbohydrate from milk. It removes the top layer of old and dead skin cells and helps increase cell turnover.
Benefits of Lactic Acid are that it can help to reduce large pores and reduce the effects of aging. Some potential downsides are that it can be bad for dry skin, cause irritation, worsen eczema, and worsen rosacea.
Not only does it help exfoliate the skin, it helps strengthen the skin's barrier. When applied, lactic acid helps the skin create ceramides.
Lactic acid is an over-the-counter chemical exfoliant that comes from the fermentation of lactose — a carbohydrate found in milk.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidPaula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 5.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 6.
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 RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 12.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 1.
Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan GumPaula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 27.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 22.
Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.
Carbomer is commonly found in many types of cosmetics products. It is found to be safe in concentrations up to 15%. However, a high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Most products contain 1% of less of carbomer.
Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 28.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 11.
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 RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA contains this as ingredient number 31.
CeraVe Acne Control Gel contains this as ingredient number 4.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA 34 ingredients
CeraVe Acne Control Gel 24 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA 34 ingredients
CeraVe Acne Control Gel 24 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA 34 ingredients
CeraVe Acne Control Gel 24 ingredients
ab666
help
I don't know what exactly happened, whether I mixed it with other products whose ingredients didn't go well with those in this gel, but this...
help
I don't know what exactly happened, whether I mixed it with other products whose ingredients didn't go well with those in this gel, but this thing made my skin purge. I might have overused it as well, since I know nothing about skincare, though nonetheless it made my skin angry after one use. Just not for me.
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 11 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA.
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