Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

I’m not sure about you but I cannot stand Instagram advertising, I never click on them because I don’t want to give Instagram or the algorithm the satisfaction of knowing that they have successfully targeted me. With that said, Instagram ads introduced me to Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant and for that I am eternally grateful because it truly has changed and transformed my skin.

What is Paula’s Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant?

Put simply, it is a fast absorbing, non-abrasive, leave-on exfoliant. Paula’s Choice claims that it “exfoliates dead skin cells both on the surface and deep inside pores to reveal smoother, clearer, more radiant-looking skin”. It contains salicylic acid which is a BHA that has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to reduce blackheads, blemishes and redness.

When and how do I use it?

I use it morning and evening straight after cleansing my skin using my hands not a cotton pad. I watched a Korean skincare tutorial and the lady applied toner and essence with her hands and though at first I was like ‘what even?’, I’ll never go back to using a cotton pad and it’s ridiculous how much product I’ve been wasting on cotton pads. Try it! Your toners will last longer and more product will get absorbed into your skin.

Is it worth the hype?

Short answer – yes. It has really evened out my skin tone and I noticed results in under a week. Even though I can’t say to you that I haven’t broken out at all since using this, I can say that my breakouts have cleared up quicker than usual and most importantly it has stopped marks being left of my skin from those breakout. My main struggle has been dark marks left from the odd spot here and there but finally I can say that I have found a product is truly clearing and healing my skin. Honestly, I can’t tell you how often I’m told that my skin is glowing and I do believe it is thanks to this product.

Okay but there has to be something wrong with it, so what is it?

It is drying so if you aren’t a moisturiser fanatic don’t even touch this product. I have oily skin and even my skin has felt dry using this even with me hydrating and then moisturising my skin. I just really would not recommend this to anyone with dry skin at all. Over-stripping skin of its natural oils causes it to produce even more sebum which in turn creates more breakouts. If you have dry skin I would suggest using this acid.

Some helpful tips

• Do not use if you are not going be lazy and not wear an SPF. Exfoliants make your skin more susceptible to burning and even you struggle with dark marks and acne scarring using and exfoliant without sunscreen can actually make those marks and scars worse.
• Some days my skin does feel a little dry from using this and on those days I use a gel moisturiser after cleansing then this exfoliator and follow up with my regular moisturiser. I can get away with this because I apply this product with my hands not with a cotton pad.
• If you have other areas on your body that need a little tlc and exfoliation then use this and of course, don’t neglect your neck – whatever you’re putting on your face, cleanser, spf, etc should be going on your neck too.
• Go easy if you have not used acids before or this high a percentage of salicylic acid because it can irritate your skin and cause a rash. Start with once a week just at night, then once a day every other day at night then go up from there if need be. Just trust me, go slow with this one!

Places you can buy it:

UK: Paula’s Choice, Net-A-Porter, SPACENK, Cult Beauty & Selfridges
US: Nordstrom, Paula’s Choice, Selfridges & Sephora

I hope this was a helpful review and do leave a comment if you have any questions as I would be happy to help! I would never write a review if I have not used the product for longer than a month because especially for women it’s important to see how your skin responds to a product when it’s that time of the month and just to give the product enough time to show it’s true colours.