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Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant Versus The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant Versus The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid to refine skin texture and refine the look of pores. This brightening serum is formulated around Alph

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant Versus The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA

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

This brightening serum is formulated around Alpha-Arbutin and Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

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

Alpha-Arbutin

Propanediol

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Ergothioneine

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Metabisulfite

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Ethoxydiglycol

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

Water, Alpha-Arbutin, Propanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ergothioneine, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Metabisulfite, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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.

Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.

It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.

The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.

Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).

True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.

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 Boost C15 Super BoosterIngredients 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. 06Works best between a concentration of 5-20%
  7. 07Boosts the skin’s own collagen production
  8. 08Fades pigmentation and brown spots
  9. 09If used under sunscreen it boosts its UV protection
  10. 10Extremely unstable and oxidizes very easily in presence of light or air
  11. 11Stable in solutions with water only if pH is less than 3.5 or in waterless formulations
  12. 12Vit E + C work in synergy and provide superb photoprotection
  13. 13Ferulic acid doubles the photoprotection effect of Vit C+E and helps to stabilize Vit C
  14. 14Potent Vit. C serums might cause a slight tingling on sensitive skin
  15. 15A nice odorless liquid used mainly as a superior solubilizer and efficacy booster for cosmetic active ingredients such as skincare bigshot vitamin C, self-tanning active DHA or the anti-acne gold standard, benzoyl peroxide.
  16. 16Other than that it can also be used in hair care products where it gives a longer-lasting and more uniform coloring. According to a manufacturer, it might even prevent the formation of split ends.
  17. 17A helper ingredient that usually comes to the formula coupled with PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. The two together work as surfactants and oil solubilizers. It's a non-sticky duo that works at low concentration and is often used to solubilize fragr…
  18. 18A mildly viscous, amber-colored liquid with fatty odor, made from Castor Oil and polyethylene glycol (PEG).
  19. 19If it were a person, we’d say, it’s agile, diligent & multifunctional. It’s mostly used as an emulsifier and surfactant but most often it is used to solubilize fragrances into water-based formulas.
  20. 20Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin
Source · incidecoder.com ⟶
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