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Jack Black Face Buff Energizing Scrub Versus Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

Jack Black Face Buff Energizing Scrub Versus Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Ascorbic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin. This smoothing exfoliator is formulated arou

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Jack Black Face Buff Energizing Scrub Versus Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Ascorbic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid to refine skin texture and refine the look of pores.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Polyethylene

Glyceryl Stearate

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate

Hexylene Glycol

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate

Cetyl Alcohol

Ceteth-2

Menthyl PCA

Calendula Officinalis Extract

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Allantoin

Ascorbic Acid

Menthol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Isohexadecane

Polysorbate 80

Propylene Glycol

Caprylyl Glycol

Parfum

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

Water, Polyethylene, Glyceryl Stearate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteth-2, Menthyl PCA, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Ascorbic Acid, Menthol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Propylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

Methylpropanediol

Butylene Glycol

Salicylic Acid

Polysorbate 20

Camellia Oleifera Leaf

Sodium Hydroxide

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Camellia Oleifera Leaf, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA

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Alternatives

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. 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.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Ferulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant that can be naturally found in the cell walls of grains like rice, oats, and corn. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and has the ability to boost the performance of other antioxidants as well.
  4. 04A well-known study found that adding Ferulic Acid to a solution of Vitamins C and E doubled the photoprotection of skin. This is why you'll often see it paired with Vitamin C or Vitamin E serums rather than sold on its own.
  5. 05A 2025 review of 18 human studies found that using Ferulic Acid (0.5-1%) daily for one to three months showed improvements in:
  6. 06As far as allergies go, Ferulic acid is generally well-tolerated but can cause an allergic reaction in very rare cases. It's also worth noting that Ferulic acid is often extracted from plant sources like rice bran or wheat bran, so be sure to path t…
  7. 07Outside of skincare, researchers are also looking into Ferulic Acid for its potential benefits in areas like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart health.
  8. 08Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
  9. 09Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
  10. 10Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
  11. 11Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
  12. 12This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
  13. 13Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
  14. 14Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
  15. 15Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It is used in skincare because it tends to be more formulation friendly than pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
  16. 16According to research, MAP has three major benefits:
  17. 17While MAP is gentler on the skin than ascorbic acid, it is thought to be less easily absorbed into the skin.
  18. 18In a well-known absorption study, pure vitamin C increased skin vitamin C levels when formulated correctly, but derivatives like MAP did not in that experiment. This suggests MAP may not always convert into active vitamin C in the skin.
  19. 19Due to MAP's stability up to a pH level of 7, it is more stable to air and sunlight exposure than ascorbic acid. The best pH range for MAP is between 5 and 6.
  20. 20Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Paula's Choice The Unscrub

Paula's Choice The Unscrub Paula's Choice The Unscrub ingredients explained: Aqua (Water), Jojoba Esters (Cleansing Beads), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Skin-Replenishing), Glycerin (Skin …

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side

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