Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel versus Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum .
Published on April 24, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free exfoliators. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain AHA, BHA and hyaluronic acid
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 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 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 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel 25 ingredients
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum 26 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:
Not Reef Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not reef safe:
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of 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 🎉
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 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel 25 ingredients
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum 26 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 5 ingredients 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:
Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 5 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 6 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 6 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 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel 25 ingredients
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum 26 ingredients
Water • Aminomethyl Propanol • Glycolic Acid • Lactic Acid • Mandelic Acid • Isoamyl Laurate • Tartaric Acid • Propanediol • Salicylic Acid • Butylene Glycol • Clitoria Ternatea Flower Extract • Sodium Hyaluronate • Glycyrrhetinic Acid • Glycerin • Tocopherol • Bisabolol • Allantoin • Hydroxyethylcellulose • Hydrogenated Lecithin • Xanthan Gum • Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate • Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 • Titanium Dioxide • CI 77015 • Phenoxyethanol
Water • Glycolic Acid • Lactic Acid • Citric Acid • Tartaric Acid • Malic Acid • Salicylic Acid • Panthenol • Glycerin • Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract • Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract • Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract • Vitis Vinifera Leaf Extract • Citrus Medica Fruit Juice Extract • Beta Vulgaris Extract • Sodium Hyaluronate • Hydroxyethylcellulose • Polysorbate 20 • Allantoin • Phenoxyethanol • Sodium Hydroxide • Tetrasodium EDTA • Ethylhexylglycerin • Urea • Sodium Benzoate • Potassium Sorbate
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 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 1.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 3.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.
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 Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 4.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
Tartaric Acid is an AHA. It can help to improve skin texture, reduce large pores, heal scars, and brighten skin. It can cause irritation and worsen rosacea.
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 7.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.
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 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 9.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.
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 HyaluronatePaula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 12.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.
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 Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 14.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 9.
Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.
Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.
Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Learn more about AllantoinPaula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 17.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 19.
Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
Hydroxyethylcellulose helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcellulosePaula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel contains this as ingredient number 18.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 17.
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.
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum contains this as ingredient number 20.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel 25 ingredients
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum 26 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel 25 ingredients
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum 26 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum 26 ingredients
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.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Luv it! AHA + BHA Peeling Serum.
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