Paula's Choice Pore Clarifying Charcoal Gel Mask Versus The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque

Paula's Choice Pore Clarifying Charcoal Gel Mask Versus The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque

This wash off mask is made with Bentonite and Kaolin for a rinse-off pore-care boost.

This wash off mask is formulated around Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and unclog pores.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Tapioca Starch

Glycerin

Decyl Glucoside

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Butylene Glycol

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Bentonite

Kaolin

Charcoal Powder

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Bisabolol

Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Lactic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

CI 77499

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Water, Tapioca Starch, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Butylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Bentonite, Kaolin, Charcoal Powder, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Bisabolol, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, CI 77499, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol

Squalane

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Silica Cetyl Silylate

Salicylic Acid

Sodium Polyacrylate

Pentylene Glycol

4-T-Butylcyclohexanol

Sclerotium Gum

Acacia Senegal Gum

Phytic Acid

Polysorbate 20

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Chlorphenesin

Water, Kaolin, Squalane, Glycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Silica Cetyl Silylate, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentylene Glycol, Charcoal Powder, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Sclerotium Gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Phytic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol

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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.

Charcoal powder comes from grounded charcoal. Charcoal can originate from peat, bamboo, coal, wood, coconut shell, or petroleum.

This ingredient has absorbent properties, making it great at absorbing oil.

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.

Kaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.

Some types of kaolin may have exfoliating properties. When water is added to kaolin, it becomes a paste with small abrasive particles.

Most kaolin is a white color, but may be pink/orange/red depending on where it comes from.

The name 'kaolin' comes from a Chinese village named 'Gaoling'. Kaolin clay comes from rocks rich in kaolinite. Kaolinite, the mineral, has a silicate layered structure. Kaolinite is formed from chemical weathering of aluminum siilicate minerals.

Besides skincare, kaolin is commonly used to make glossy paper, in ceramics, toothpaste, and as medicine to soothe stomach issues.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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