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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel versus Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops .

Published on March 29, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free . They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA and hyaluronic acid

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 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 need an update? Let us know.

Exfoliator American Brand United States
Facial Treatment American Brand United States

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

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

Shop

Buy Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel

Starts at $44.00
Shop

Buy Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops

Starts at $32.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA (4)
BHA
Vitamin E
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (5)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (6)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (7)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (6)
Rosacea (5)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin (2)
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Water

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 1.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Solvent
Community Rating: Liked

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 Propanediol

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 8.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 20.

3
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

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

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 9.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 10.

4
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

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 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 10.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 18.

5
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 12.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 14.

6
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Bisabolol is pimarily used to add fragrance to a product. However, it is also famous for helping soothe skin.

Bisabolol comes from German chamomile essential oil. Synthetic Bisabolol has been shown to be less effective.

Bisabolol helps soothe skin. It does this by blocking the inflammatory signals, helping to reduce your body's reaction to irritation.

Bisabolol also interferes with the process of hyperpigmentation. This can help with reducing dark spots and uneven tone.

Bisabolol is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. By fighting these free-radicals, Bisabolol may slow down signs of aging.

Studies have shown Bisabolol to have antimicrobial properties and may be a fungicide. These properties help preserve a product's shelf life.

Bisabolol also helps the absorption of other ingredients.

Learn more about Bisabolol

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 16.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 15.

7
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 25.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops contains this as ingredient number 28.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

56% are loved or liked
16% have mixed ratings
16% are disliked or very disliked
12% have no rating yet
32% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
23% are disliked or very disliked
26% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops 31 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 2 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops.

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