Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Review

Hi guys, welcome back to my blog! Today I'll be sharing my long overdue review of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid!

First of all this was a post that I really wanted to post so long ago but I just couldn't find the time to finish it T.T

WHAT IS IT

Paula's Choice has grown so much from just a review site to now having their own products. Paula’s Choice Skincare is quite famous around the world for their extensive assortment of leave-on BHA (beta hydroxy acid, also known as salicylic acid) exfoliants, ranging from liquid (for all), gel (for oily) and lotion (for dry). Among all these, the bestseller + #1 fan fave is the Skin Perfecting 2% BHA liquid.

A little background, the percentage in BHA products is very important. Paula's Choice carries several different percentages in their products to fit everyone's skincare needs:

1% - For daily use/extra sensitive skin

2% - For daily use for all skin types

4% -  For weekly use

9% - For really stubborn skin concerns)

2% is usually enough to give people with normal skin radiant & healthy-looking skin. 4% is more for a weekly deep exfoliation and 9% is for those spots that are difficult to treat (like blackheads, acne and post-acne marks that never seem to go away). If 9% does not work on your stubborn problems, it is recommended you go to your dermatologist for consultation on other methods like laser.

Initially, I thought this product was a toner, but its actually a leave-on exfoliant that promises to quickly unclogs pores, smooths wrinkles and brightens and evens out skin tone.

This product claims to be able to exfoliate both the skin's surface and unclogging pores, improving the skin's cell renewal. It also claims to be able to help with wrinkles and stop blemishes from forming.

WHERE TO BUY

I got my 2% BHA Liquid from Worthee Cosmetics, and they're Paula's Choice's authorized dealer here in Malaysia. The 118ml bottle costs RM150, the 30ml bottle costs RM35 and the sample costs RM5. Worthee kindly sent over the 30ml bottle for me try out. (Lil' disclaimer, although it was sent to me, as always my review will still be 100% honest 😉)

I would say the price is pretty reasonable and is around the same price range as 30ml Korean serums. Worthee also has a few sets, sales and deals available on their site so don't forget to click here to check them out.

PACKAGING

The package came in a carton box and the product itself comes in a plastic bottle.

The bottle comes sealed with plastic and you have to break it to be able to get some product out. Do note that you should make sure that the bottle is closed tight. I made the mistake of not closing it tight enough and some product leaked out.

INGREDIENTS

Aside from BHA, this liquid also contains Camellia Oliefera Leaf extract that soothes redness and irritation.

Full list of ingredients: Water (Aqua), Methylpropanediol (penetration enhancer/hydration), Butylene Glycol (penetration enhancer/hydration), Salicylic Acid (beta hydroxy acid/exfoliant), Polysorbate 20 (stabilizer), Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract (green tea/skin calming/antioxidant), Sodium Hydroxide (pH balancer), Tetrasodium EDTA (stabilizer).

TEXTURE AND FRAGRANCE

It has a lightweight formula and looks transparent. It has a slightly slippery/oily feel to it and smells...sour haha. Almost like antiseptic?

HOW TO USE

After toning, I usually soak a cotton pad and apply this over my entire place in a gentle upward motion. I don't rinse it off just sleep with it. In the morning, its suggested to wear sunscreen after applying it.

MY REVIEW & VERDICT

To test this product out, I applied it on my entire face but focused more on my forehead. I also didn't use any serums on my forehead and only used this product to help speed up the skin turnover. As you can see in the pic below:

All three pics of my forehead have acne scars. BUT! They're all in different places. If you look closely, the scars in pic 1 aren't as prominent in pic 2, and the scars in pic 2 are different from pic 3. It does help to get rid of my scars faster but my dumb ass still kept on getting acne scars because of my irregular sleep and pimple popping tendencies. I tried a different approach a month ago and really tried hard to not touch my forehead. I religiously applied the BHA liquid and jjajjang!

Clearer skin! This product really works fast and managed to help clear out my acne scars. I guess all it really takes is perseverance and self-discipline to make your skin better.

WILL I REPURCHASE

Definitely! The effects of this liquid appears very quickly and the results are amazing. After using it for a few weeks and seeing the results, I'm now halfway through. I'll defintely be buying more of this so I can work on clearing my whole face. I might even step up and move on to 4% if the stubborn spots don't go away, but 2% at the moment seems to be doing a good enough job.

And that's all for this review! I hope you guys found the info on BHA as well as my product review helpful. If you guys would like to try it out as well, I suggest getting some samples from Worthee Cosmetics first. They're only RM5 and I can assure you, you'll love the product just as much as I did!

As always, thanks for reading and see y'all in the next post!