Versus

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant - US Versus Revolution Beauty Blemish 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc Serum

Exfoliator
Serum
American Brand United States
British Brand United Kingdom

Updated on May 07, 2025

Overview

What they are

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

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, fragrances, oils, 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

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

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
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

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

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Learn more about Butylene Glycol

When to use

5,465 Routines
25% use in am
75% use in pm
62% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
100 Routines
46% use in am
54% use in pm
95% 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 8 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 73 ratings
Expensive (26) Works Well (21) Irritating (12)
skinogre's avatar

skinogre

1 year ago
Review

The first night I used Paula’s choice exfoliant just once, it cleaned up my skin scraping it whole, I was left GLOWING but it felt kind of tight like I had been using corsx salicylic acid for 3 days straight, it takes some getting used to, to the extent that the instructions literally say to start off once a week and slowly build your usage up overtime, it’s really strong but does the job well. Show more

#strong scent
#works well
Vman's avatar

Wiesław Gierczak

10 months ago
Review

Blackheads? Gone. Dry flakes? Gone. Nose? Smooth. Clogged pores who? My skin tends to be sensitive at times but it could easily handle this product.

#great value
#expensive
#light
#absorbs well

Revolution Beauty Blemish 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc Serum 10 ingredients

2.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Broke Me Out (1) Great Value (1) Light (1)
Amarantha's avatar

Amarantha

8 months ago
Review

I had a break out after I started using this but didn't make the connection at first. After about a week I thought this might be the culprit and stopped using to see if that was the case and it indeed was. And oh my goodness, it smells horribly. So yeah, there it goes to the trash can. I've also decided that dedicated niacinamide products are pointless since there's niacinamide in pretty much Show more

#broke me out
#strong scent
ronyyy13's avatar

Rony

2 months ago
Review

It's fine, but it didn't help me with my pores at all 🙃. Otherwise no problem, there were no breakouts or anything for me.

#great value
#light
#sticky
#light scent