Product Review: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

Paula’s Choice’s Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid is a Salicylic Acid based toner/lotion designed to unclog pores for combination and oily skin. It promises to “reshape the pores” and offers a “dramatic improvement to the skin’s appearance, feel and function.” I used this for about a week on my “summer normal” skin (my skin is more “normal” in the summer and dry to very dry in the winter) and am ready to report my findings!!!

Key Ingredients: methylpropanediol, salicylic acid, green tea, BHA (beta hydroxy acid)

Product Ingredients:
Water, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol (slip agents/penetration enhancers), Salicylic Acid (beta hydroxy acid/exfoliant), Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (anti-irritant/antioxidant), Polysorbate-20 (solubolizing agent), Sodium Hydroxide (pH balancer), Tetrasodium EDTA (chelating agent).

The ingredients in this product are pretty straightforward and the claims made by Paula’s Choice are right on board with the ingredients listed. It penetrates the skin very well due to the second and third ingredients on the list, making this form of Paula’s BHA exfoliant particularly aggressive (as compared to the 2% BHA Gel, which doesn’t have these ingredients). All of this is good for people with clogged pores, particularly those with acne, blackheads, etc but this type of exfoliation is good for all skin types. BHA (and AHA’s for that matter) exfoliant are great for anti aging and can be used (according to Paula’s website) with retinoids and Retin A (which I use regularly).
 

One of the claims about this product are that it is “100% non irritating.” Unfortunately, I did not find that to be the case. To be fair, though, I do not have acne or blackheads or very oily skin. While testing, I used it in place of my normal acid containing  toner (Biologique Recherche P50), which I use every morning and evening. After about four days of using this product, the skin around my nose and on my chin became very dry, flaky and itchy. At that point, I stopped using the liquid and began applying my Skin Actives Every Lipid Serum to take care of the problem (which it did). So while it should work for people with skin like me (it does say it’s suitable for all skin types), it definitely didn’t work for me for every day use. Now, I will use this again in a few weeks but this time will only use it once per day. If that still doesn’t work, I’ll use it every other day until I find a cadence that works. BHAs are excellent for aging skin and this product deserves another shot!

Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHa Liquid is available for $19.95 for a four ounce bottle on the Paula’s Choice website here, making it a very economic purchase for a product of this type.

Ages of Beauty rating: ***

Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser

I thought it was about time that I tried (and reviewed) some of the Paula’s Choice product line since I have heard so many things about it. Before my stepson started on Accutane, I purchased the acne line for him and while it didn’t clear his acne, it didn’t hurt it either. He liked it a lot better than the Pro Active products but after having tried just about every over the counter acne product and all of the prescription products except Accutane, his skin was obviously a special case. Anyway, many rave about Paula’s line so I had to try it for myself.

I purchased a variety of Paula’s Choice products (both sample sizes and full sizes) and one of those products was the Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser. Cream cleansers are a “thing” for me because they generally don’t foam. Foaming cleansers tend to strip the skin of oil and they happen to leave my skin tight. That “squeaky clean” feeling is not a good sign when it comes to the face, no matter if your skin is dry, normal or oily. I am happy to report that Paula’s Softening Clean Cleanser does not strip the skin and it actually feels downright soothing!

Key Ingredients: soy oil, glycerin, beta-glucan, Chamomilla recutita flower extract, cocamidopropyl betaine

Product Ingredients:
Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate (very mild cleansing agent), Hydrogenated Polydecene (emollient), Acrylates Copolymer (suspending agent), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (plant oil/emollient), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (thickener), Polysorbate-80 (emulsifier), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (lather agent), Glycerin (skin-identical ingredient), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (anti-irritant), Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) (emollient), Beta-Glucan (skin-conditioning agent), PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate (thickener), Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol (slip agents), Tetrasodium EDTA (chelating agent), Laureth-4 (surfactant), Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin (all preservatives), Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide (pH adjuster).

One of the nice things about Paula’s website and her product labels, is that the ingredients are clearly spelled out as well as explained. Although the ingredients list indicates that the cleanser contains lathering and cleansing agents, I don’t find that this cleanser lathers at all, which I like very much. It contains several oils, thickeners and emollients and while it does contain mineral oil (which I generally DO NOT like), it’s far enough down the ingredients list that it hopefully won’t be a problem. Those of your who are reactive to products with mineral oil should probably steer clear, though.
 


This lovely, creamy cleanser has an almost “organic” smell. Not that it smells bad---it doesn’t at all. It almost smells like an “oatmealy” or “grainy” smell that I find quite comforting. Much better than those cleansers that contain a lot of fragrance! I find this cleanser very soothing on my skin and last week, when I accidentally over used another (Paula’s Choice) product that did irritate my skin (my fault not the product’s fault), it didn’t “react” like a lot of products will do. The feeling on my irritated skin was benign and soothing (I know---I have overused that word in this review but it’s the best way I can describe it).

One of the best things about this product is that it’s priced very reasonably at $15.95 for 8 ounces or $23.95 for 16 ounces. You can also purchase samples (like I did) before trying a full sized product. I believe that at Paula’s Choice, your first three samples are free.

Would I purchase this cleanser again in a full size? Absolutely! It’s gentle and seems to treat my skin just right. Check it out on the Paula’s Choice website by clicking here.

Ages of Beauty rating: ****