PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE SKIN PERFECTING 2% BHA LIQUID EXFOLIANT – BEST EXFOLIATING TREATMENT FOR OILY SKIN
PAULA’S CHOICE | SKIN PERFECTING 2% BHA LIQUID EXFOLIANT
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Acid Toners – Some of the Best BHA / AHA Toners for Face from Paula's Choice, Farmacy and More. You can still catch the full piece here.
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And so, admittedly, I’ve saved the best for last — as I am often wont to do. Quiet simply, the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is the OG of exfoliating acid toners — and the very first that I ever used.
I’d venture to say that it’s Paula’s best selling treatment. Many people swear by the stuff. It’s just that good. Newsflash: Earlier today, I coincidentally received an email from Paula’s Choice touting the fact that one Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is sold every sixty seconds! Funny, when I was at Kiehl’s the marketers used to say that one Lip Balm #1 one was sold every minute. I wonder of those are the same people!?
With a pH of about 4, Paula’s Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is in the optimal range for the formula’s Salicylic Acid to work wonders both on and in the skin.
It’s also a relatively simple formula — with just eight ingredients in all. Among them, is a two-percent concentration of tried-and-true, clogged pore-busting Salicylic Acid; power antioxidant Green Tea Leaf Extract; and hydrating Methylpropanediol — which enhances the penetration of the Salicylic Acid into the skin.
What is Salicylic Acid and What does Salicylic Acid do for your skin?
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, Salicylic Acid is among the best ingredients for promoting skin health:
“Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid, or BHA, which is a desmolytic ingredient. That means it targets certain protein bonds in skin, known as desmosomes, that keep dead cells clinging to skin instead of sloughing off. Skin’s natural shedding process can become faulty due to age, sun damage, and problems like acne and excess oil. Exfoliating helps restore this natural ability.
“Salicylic acid is unique because it not only loosens the bonds between dead skin on the surface but also deep in the pore lining, where spent cells mix with oil and debris, becoming trapped below the surface. Left unchecked, all this buildup leads to dull, rough skin and clogged pores, setting the stage for blackheads and bumps.
“Compared to water-soluble alpha hydroxy acids, this type of acid is oil soluble, so it’s able to get through the oil, thinning it so it can flow freely to skin’s surface where your cleanser washes it away. Its oil-soluble nature makes it preferred for oily, breakout-prone skin, and it’s why medicated salicylic acid products for acne work so well; however, all skin types can benefit from this ingredient.”
How’s your daily pore maintenance?
Even if your skin isn’t oily or acne-prone, Salicylic Acid is a wonderful active for enhancing skin health. I use a Salicylic Acid treatment regularly along with my daily Niacinamide serum.
The combination works effectively to flush out my pores and keep my complexion looking bright. It prevents those large pores on my nose from appearing any larger than they need to.
If you aren’t incorporating a Salicylic Acid treatment into your daily regimen, the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is the ideal way to do so. Get yourself a bottle and slot it into your AM and/or PM routine right after cleansing and toning — before the application of water-based serums.
Trust me, you’ll see a difference within days…
SHOP THE BLOG: For a limited time, purchase the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant for $34 here.
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The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant:
exf|aacne|so|pres, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract 
aox|so, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Tetrasodium EDTA chel
