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Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant - EU Versus Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator

Exfoliator
Exfoliator
American Brand United States
American Brand United States

Updated on August 13, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe exfoliators. They have a total of 2 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

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

Free From

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

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

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

When to use

127 Routines
34% use in am
66% use in pm
53% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
649 Routines
36% use in am
64% use in pm
59% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant 9 ingredients

3.4 /5
from 66 ratings
Expensive (22) Works Well (18) Irritating (10)
asud1's avatar

asu d

10 days ago
Review

i bought this for my very visibly clogged pores in my nose and i honestly cant say i liked it it kind of has an oily feeling on the skin and it just didnt do the job - thoigh i have to say i might have over-used it i used it every second night after obly havibg used it for a few weeks and it may have triggered my acne/closed comedones (but not sure if it was this product or the sunscreen i was Show more

#expensive
#doesn't work
linnakjellman's avatar

Linkje

2 months ago
Review

I love this, a big favourite and Holy Grail of mine since somewhere between 2016-2018! I used to use it every day, now I only use it 1-2 a week and that is usually enough!

Lately though I’ve usually been switching it up with other salicylic acid toners (because of the price of this) and most I’ve tried have worked fine, or even very well, even though this is the best! But it’s not such a big Show more

#expensive
#oily
#light scent
#works well

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator 28 ingredients

4.6 /5
from 11 ratings
Works Well (5) Expensive (3) No Scent (2)
mikey420x's avatar

mikey

10 months ago
Review

this has been my first time using it as i got a free sample mini bottle. just wow the only time i have never felt my skin so smooth is from over exfoliating with gritty abrasive sugar scrubs but not anymore. i left it on as a mask for 10 minutes and with wet hands gently brought it to a foam again before rinsing. honestly thinking about stealing a crate of this because of the price but that’s the Show more

#expensive
#no scent
#works well
emmat's avatar

emmat

2 years ago
Review

scrumptious
love this, best thing ive ever used, makes my face bright and clear and uncongested. I dont use it every night since it irritates me, if you have sensitive skin i wouldnt use this every night test a patch on your neck every night to see if your skin can take it