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COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner Versus Paula's Choice Calm 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner Versus Paula's Choice Calm 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant This smoothing toner is formulated around Salix Alba Bark Water and Glycolic Acid to refine skin texture and refine the look of pores. This smoothing exfoliator

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner Versus Paula's Choice Calm 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant

This smoothing toner is formulated around Salix Alba Bark Water and Glycolic Acid to refine skin texture and refine the look of pores.

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Allantoin to refine skin texture and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Salix Alba Bark Water

Pyrus Malus Fruit Water

Butylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium Lactate

Glycolic Acid

Betaine Salicylate

Allantoin

Panthenol

Ethyl Hexanediol

Water, Salix Alba Bark Water, Pyrus Malus Fruit Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Lactate, Glycolic Acid, Betaine Salicylate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Ethyl Hexanediol

Methylpropanediol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

C15-19 Alkane

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Salicylic Acid

Propanediol

Inulin

Caprylyl Glycol

Tocopherol

Sodium Hydroxide

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Sorbitan Isostearate

Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide

Glycerin

Laminaria Digitata Extract

Albatrellus Confluens Extract

Glycine Soja Oil

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract

Galactoarabinan

Citric Acid

Schizophyllan

Maltodextrin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Methylpropanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, C15-19 Alkane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Salicylic Acid, Propanediol, Inulin, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Glycerin, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Albatrellus Confluens Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Galactoarabinan, Citric Acid, Schizophyllan, Maltodextrin, Phenoxyethanol

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

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. Remember to stay hydrated!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment 10% AhaIngredients explained

  1. 01Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
  2. 02It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  5. 05One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
  6. 06It's a type of glycol that - according to the manufacturer - is an extremely good replacement for other glycols like propylene or butylene glycol. Its main job is to be a solvent, but it has also very good antimicrobial properties and acts as a true…
  7. 07It’s the most researched AHA with the most proven skin benefits
  8. 08It gently lifts off dead skin cells to reveal newer, fresher, smoother skin
  9. 09It can help skin’s own collagen production that results in firmer, younger skin
  10. 10It can fade brown spots caused by sun damage or PIH
  11. 11Choose a product where you know the concentration and pH value because these two greatly influence effectiveness
  12. 12Don’t forget to use your sunscreen (in any case but especially so next to an AHA product)
  13. 13Slight stinging or burning with a stronger AHA product is normal
  14. 14If your skin is very sensitive, rosacea prone choose rather a BHA or PHA product
  15. 15Butylene glycol, or let’s just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. It’s a great pick for creating a nice feeling product.
  16. 16BG’s main job is usually to be a solvent for the other ingredients. Other tasks include helping the product to absorb faster and deeper into the skin (penetration enhancer), making the product spread nicely over the skin (slip agent), and attracting…
  17. 17It’s an ingredient whose safety hasn’t been questioned so far by anyone (at least not that we know about). BG is approved by Ecocert and is also used enthusiastically in natural products. BTW, it’s also a food additive.
  18. 18The unfancy name for it is lye. It’s a solid white stuff that’s very alkaline and used in small amounts to adjust the pH of the product and make it just right.
  19. 19For example, in case of AHA or BHA exfoliants, the right pH is super-duper important, and pH adjusters like sodium hydroxide are needed.
  20. 20BTW, lye is not something new. It was already used by ancient Egyptians to help oil and fat magically turn into something else. Can you guess what? Yes, it’s soap. It still often shows up in the ingredient list of soaps and other cleansers.
Source · incidecoder.com ⟶
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Product index

Related product references

Product

Paula's Choice 7% Ectoin Booster

Paula's Choice 7% Ectoin Booster Paula's Choice 7% Ectoin Booster ingredients explained: Water (Aqua/Eau), Ectoin, Isopentyldiol, Triethylhexanoin, Diisopropyl Adipate, Isoamyl Laurate, Dic…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
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Comparison edit

Read side by side

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