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Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant Versus BeautyAct HydraGlow Face Mist

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant Versus BeautyAct HydraGlow Face Mist This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid to refine skin texture and refine the look of pores. This brightening treatment is formulated around Sodiu

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant Versus BeautyAct HydraGlow Face Mist

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

This brightening treatment is formulated around Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Niacinamide to brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

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

Propanediol

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Niacinamide

Phenoxyethanol

Glycerin

Panthenol

Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phytic Acid

Citric Acid

Sodium Metabisulfite

Saccharide Isomerate

Sodium Citrate

Water, Propanediol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phytic Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Citrate

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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.

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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. 03C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
  4. 04In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
  5. 05The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
  6. 06This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
  7. 07It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
  8. 08Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
  9. 09This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
  10. 10Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which …
  11. 11Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
  12. 12The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
  13. 13In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
  14. 14So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
  15. 15Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
  16. 16Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
  17. 17Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
  18. 18Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
  19. 19It 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.
  20. 20On 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.
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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Product index

Related product references

Product

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Comparison edit

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