ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish Versus Paula's Choice Calm 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish Versus Paula's Choice Calm 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Allantoin to refine skin texture and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

PEG-8

Sodium Bicarbonate

Magnesium Oxide

Ethoxydiglycol

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Oleth-20

Trihydroxystearin

Glyceryl Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

Paraffinum Liquidum

Water

Tocopheryl Acetate

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

Glycine Soja Sterols

Parfum

Limonene

Linalool

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Retinyl Palmitate

Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Linoleic Acid

Phospholipids

Phenoxyethanol

CI 61565

PEG-8, Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Ethoxydiglycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Oleth-20, Trihydroxystearin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Phenoxyethanol, CI 61565

Methylpropanediol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

C15-19 Alkane

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Salicylic Acid

Propanediol

Inulin

Caprylyl Glycol

Allantoin

Tocopherol

Sodium Hydroxide

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Sorbitan Isostearate

Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide

Laminaria Digitata Extract

Albatrellus Confluens Extract

Glycine Soja Oil

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract

Galactoarabinan

Citric Acid

Schizophyllan

Maltodextrin

Water, Methylpropanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, C15-19 Alkane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Salicylic Acid, Propanediol, Inulin, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Glycerin, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Albatrellus Confluens Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Galactoarabinan, Citric Acid, Schizophyllan, Maltodextrin, Phenoxyethanol

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.

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.

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!

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