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Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Versus e.l.f. cosmetics Gentle Peeling Exfoliant

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Versus e.l.f. cosmetics Gentle Peeling Exfoliant This pore-care exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Phytosphingosine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture. This calming exfoliator

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Versus e.l.f. cosmetics Gentle Peeling Exfoliant

This pore-care exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Phytosphingosine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture.

This calming exfoliator is formulated around Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate to calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Methylpropanediol

Butylene Glycol

Polysorbate 20

Salicylic Acid

Phytosphingosine

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Epilobium Angustifolium Extract

Bisabolol

Tetrasodium EDTA

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Salicylic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Bisabolol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide

Propylene Glycol

Microcrystalline Cellulose

Quaternium-60

Glycerin

Carbomer

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Carica Papaya Leaf Extract

Citrus Reticulata Fruit Extract

Caprylyl Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Parfum

Water, Propylene Glycol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Quaternium-60, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Carica Papaya Leaf Extract, Citrus Reticulata Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum

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.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

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 Moisture Boost Daily Restoring Complex Spf 30Ingredients explained

  1. 01The famous Avobenzone. It is a special snowflake as it is the only globally available chemical sunscreen agent that provides proper UVA protection (in the US, new generation sunscreen agents are not approved because of impossible FDA regulations). I…
  2. 02It gives very good protection across the whole UVA range (310-400 nm that is both UVA1 and UVA2) with a peak protection at 360 nm. The problem with it, though, is that it is not photostable and degrades in the sunlight. Wikipedia says that avobenzon…
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04The cosmetic's industry is trying to solve the problem by combining avobenzone with other UV filters that enhance its stability (like octocrylene, Tinosorb S or Ensulizole) or by encapsulating it and while both solutions help, neither is perfect. In…
  5. 05As for safety, avobenzone has a pretty good safety profile. It counts as non-irritating, and unlike some other chemical sunscreens, it shows no estrogenic effect. The maximum concentration of avobenzone permitted is 5% in the EU and 3% in the US.
  6. 06An oil-soluble chemical sunscreen agent that protects the skin from UVB (295-315 nm) with a peak protection at 306 nm. Homosalate is not a strong UV filter in and of itself (gives only SPF 4.3 protection at max. allowed 10% concentration) and it is …
  7. 07Regarding Homosalate's safety profile, we do not have the best news. In-vitro (made in the labs) studies have shown that it might have some estrogenic activity. Do not panic, these studies were not conducted on real humans under real world condition…
  8. 08As of 2020, Homosalate is permitted to be used up to 10% in the EU and 15% in the US, but the EU is currently considering restricting it to only 1.4% (probably taking effect from 2022).
  9. 09A colorless to light yellowish oily liquid that works as a UVB (280-320nm) sunscreen filter with a peak absorbance at 306 nm. It's not a strong filter in itself, it's always used in combination with other sunscreen agents to further enhance the SPF …
  10. 10It has a good safety profile and is allowed to be used at a max concentration of 5% both in the US and in Europe (10% is allowed in Japan).
  11. 11An oil-soluble chemical sunscreen agent that protects skin in the UVB and somewhat in the UVA II range with a peak absorption of 304 nm. Its protection is not strong enough on its own but it is quite photostable (loses 10% of SPF protection in 95 mi…
  12. 12Octocrylene's safety profile is generally quite good, though a review study in Contact Dermatitis reports an "increasing number of patients with photo contact allergy to octocrylene." Mainly adults with ketoprofen-sensitivity and children with sensi…
  13. 13A chemical sunscreen agent that absorbs UVB and short UVA rays (280-350nm) with its peak protection at 288 nm. Unlike many other chemical sunscreens, it is highly stable but its UV absorbing abilities are weak so it always has to be combined with ot…
  14. 14Regarding safety, BP-3 is somewhat controversial. First, its molecules are small (228 Da) and very lipophilic (oil loving) and these properties result in very good absorption. The problem is that you want sunscreens on the top of your skin and not i…
  15. 15Another concern of BP-3 is that it shows some estrogenic activity, though it's probably not relevant when applied topically to the skin. Estrogenic activity was confirmed only in-vitro (in test tubes) and when taken orally by lab animals, and not wh…
  16. 16If that was not enough, Wikipedia claims that BP-3 is nowadays the most common allergen found in sunscreens, and the always-trustworthy smartskincare writes that "[benzophenones] have been shown in some studies to promote the generation of potential…
  17. 17On the up side, sunscreens are pretty well regulated in several parts of the world, and BP-3 is considered "safe as used" and is an allowed sunscreen agent everywhere. It can be used in concentrations of up to 10% in the EU and up to 6% in the US.
  18. 18Overall, BP-3 is probably our least favorite sunscreen agent and we prefer sunscreens without it. However, if you find a formula that you love and contains BP-3, we do not think that you should throw it away. A sunscreen with BP-3 is definitely bett…
  19. 19Good 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.
  20. 20It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
Source · incidecoder.com ⟶
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Paula's Choice C25 Super Booster

Paula's Choice C25 Super Booster Paula's Choice C25 Super Booster ingredients explained: Cyclopentasiloxane (Hydration), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C/Antioxidant), Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate (E…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side

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