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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Topicals Faded Serum versus Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on October 20, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, sensitive skin and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, 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.

Serum American Brand United States
Facial Treatment American Brand United States

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

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 Faded Serum

Starts at $38.00
Shop

Buy Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide

Starts at $23.00

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
Vitamin E
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating (5)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots (4)
Scar Healing (4)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea

Notable Ingredients

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benefits

Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema (2)
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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

Topicals Faded Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

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 Allantoin

Topicals Faded Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.

Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide contains this as ingredient number 5.

3
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.

Topicals Faded Serum contains this as ingredient number 37.

Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide contains this as ingredient number 14.

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

43% are loved or liked
14% have mixed ratings
32% are disliked or very disliked
11% have no rating yet
29% are loved or liked
21% have mixed ratings
43% are disliked or very disliked
7% 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

Topicals Faded Serum 37 ingredients

4.4 /5
from 5 ratings
Irritating (2) Strong Scent (2) Works Well (2) Great Value (1)
AshN.'s avatar

AshN.

3 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

(Tried Nov 2022) One of the few brightening creams that I tried where I actually saw results. I only ever applied this as a spot treatment and not...

(Tried Nov 2022) One of the few brightening creams that I tried where I actually saw results. I only ever applied this as a spot treatment and not all over. Giving it 4 stars because I did find it slightly irritating and the smell was rather strong, so I ended up switching over to applying it as needed. I think the $18 Mini version was more than enough for me!

bsabrina's avatar

bsabrina

11 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

give it time to fade dark spots-glowy skin comes faster
Love this product. I was worried about all the actives in it because of my sensitive skin,...

give it time to fade dark spots-glowy skin comes faster
Love this product. I was worried about all the actives in it because of my sensitive skin, but I had no reactions or breakouts. It takes some time to fade dark spots & acne scars but after a few weeks (3-4) they should be noticeably lighter or almost gone. I noticed my skin seemed glowier and more clarified within a week or two. No noticeable difference for improving acne

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 19 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Topicals Faded Serum.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 31 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide.

See 31 alternatives
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