Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant versus Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA .
Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on June 27, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe exfoliators. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any oils, parabens 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.
Exfoliator
Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.
Exfoliator
Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.
Price
Ingredient Info
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant 13 ingredients
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA 25 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 🎉
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 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Contains Silicon
Ingredients in this product that are types of silicon:
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 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
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 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant 13 ingredients
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA 25 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient 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 1 ingredient 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:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient 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 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
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 3 ingredients 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:
This product contains 3 ingredients 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:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient 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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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant 13 ingredients
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA 25 ingredients
Water • Butylene Glycol • Dimethicone • Salicylic Acid • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Glycerin • Aminomethyl Propanol • Adenosine • Allantoin • Potassium Glycyrrhizinate • Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract • Avena Sativa Bran Extract • Punica Granatum Fruit Extract • Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract • Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract • Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract • Peucedanum Graveolens Extract • Hydrogenated Lecithin • Xanthan Gum • Citric Acid • Disodium EDTA • Benzyl Alcohol • Phenoxyethanol
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 Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 1.
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA contains this as ingredient number 1.
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.
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 3.
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA contains this as ingredient number 2.
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 Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 5.
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA contains this as ingredient number 4.
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract comes from the grape vine. Grape seeds are a byproduct of creating grape juice or wine.
The components of grape seeds have many skin benefits. Research has found it to be antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. It also contains many potent antioxidants such as Vitamin E , Vitamin C, proanthocyanidins, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Proanthocyanidin has been shown to help even out skin tone.
Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals by donating extra electrons. Grape seed extract may help reduce the signs of aging.
The antimicrobial properties of grape seed may help treat acne. However, more research is needed to support this claim.
Grape seed has also been found to help absorb UV rays. Grape seed extract should not replace your sunscreen.
Learn more about Vitis Vinifera Seed ExtractPaula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 8.
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA contains this as ingredient number 11.
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract is the extract of the leaves of Camellia Oleifera, Theaceae.
Camellia Oleifera Leaf is a green tea plant native to China. It is closely related to Camellia sinensis. Both plants have very similar properties.
Camellia Oleifera Leaf is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals. Antioxidants may help reduce the signs of aging.
Camellia Oleifera Leaf also has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
Learn more about Camellia Oleifera Leaf ExtractPaula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant contains this as ingredient number 9.
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA contains this as ingredient number 15.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant 13 ingredients
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA 25 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant 13 ingredients
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA 25 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant 13 ingredients
Single-handedly cleared up my ever present stubborn blackheads!
Single-handedly cleared up my ever present stubborn blackheads!
This product layers so well underneath my sunscreen. It gives me the confidence that my acne is being treated during the day. I absolutely love this!
This product layers so well underneath my sunscreen. It gives me the confidence that my acne is being treated during the day. I absolutely love this!
Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA 25 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 4 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant.
See 4 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 4 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment 4% BHA.
See 4 alternatives
