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Skin science article

Pacifica Bacne Warrior Spray Versus Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray

Pacifica Bacne Warrior Spray Versus Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Salicylic Acid 2% Alcohol Denat. Water Propanediol Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Niacinamide Cucumis Sativus Fruit E

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Pacifica Bacne Warrior Spray Versus Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Salicylic Acid 2%

Alcohol Denat.

Water

Propanediol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Niacinamide

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Glycerin

Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract

Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract

Mentha Pulegium Extract

Sodium Hydroxide

Parfum

Salicylic Acid 2%, Alcohol Denat., Water, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Niacinamide, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Mentha Pulegium Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum

Dipropylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Polysorbate 20

Pentylene Glycol

Salicylic Acid

Panthenol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Berberis Vulgaris Root Extract

Lauric Acid

Allantoin

PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer

Methyl Gluceth-20

Glycereth-26

Sodium Metabisulfite

Disodium EDTA

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Pentylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Berberis Vulgaris Root Extract, Lauric Acid, Allantoin, Glycerin, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glycereth-26, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Metabisulfite, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate

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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.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your 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.

Aquaporin-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.

This 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.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is a well-known ingredient for treating skin that struggles with acne and clogged pores. It exfoliates both the skin's surface and deep within the pores to help clear out buildup, control oil, and reduce inflammation.

Unlike AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), salicylic acid is oil-soluble. This allows it to penetrate into pores which makes it especially effective for treating blackheads and preventing future breakouts.

Salicylic acid is also known for its soothing properties. It has a similar structure to aspirin and can calm inflamed or irritated skin, making it a good option for acne-prone skin that is also sensitive.

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 this ingredient into your routine.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun sensitivity, it’s still important to wear sunscreen daily to protect your skin.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

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!

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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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