Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant: Guru Score 81%

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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✓Yay

"If you're new to BHA entirely, start at 1%. Paula's Choice literally has a 1% that you can start with, not the 2%, and definitely not the 4%. Build slowly, skincare is not a sprint, it's a marathon."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"[Paula's Choice] they use BHA in the form of salicylic acid this is going to be a great ingredient for acne prone skin especially like around your back some people are more prone to acne uh on their body certain areas of their body their chest things like that. [...] So this one it will also help a little bit with firmness but salicylic acid is more helps with breakouts and things like that but it's still a really nice product and it will help firm up your skin to some extent."

All 2 takes from No BS Beauty

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"[Paula's Choice] they use BHA in the form of salicylic acid this is going to be a great ingredient for acne prone skin especially like around your back some people are more prone to acne uh on their body certain areas of their body their chest things like that. [...] So this one it will also help a little bit with firmness but salicylic acid is more helps with breakouts and things like that but it's still a really nice product and it will help firm up your skin to some extent."

Holy Grail Products for Sooothing Skin and Gentle Actives

"For a gentle exfoliant that also is soothing, I've got the Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant. It's really nice, it's $35. It's got 1% salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a unique exfoliant in the fact that it goes deep down in your pores to really help with breakouts and blackheads, but it also is soothing for your skin. A lot of exfoliants can't do both, but BHA does. We've also got vitamin E in here, [allantoin], and then mushroom extract."

Dr. Jenny Liu

323k subs

✓Yay

"The Paula's Choice Calm line has a 1% salicylic acid that I think is great to spot treat the T zone area if you have congestion and acne. It's gentle enough to spot treat with."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

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"The one from Paula's Choice that contains 1% salicylic acid can be a great exfoliant to help with pore congestion but does it in a more gentle way with other hydrating ingredients that's going to be more nourishing but still very fast absorbing. And certainly it's 1% so you could put it all over your face as well as tolerated. I do find that some individuals may not tolerate salicylic acid as well as vitamin C together, which can cause irritation."

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"The Paula's Choice Calm line has a 1% salicylic acid that I think is great to spot treat the T zone area if you have congestion and acne. It's gentle enough to spot treat with."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"This is the Paula's Choice one percent BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant. I've been putting it on in the morning. It's pretty moisturizing, it's got one percent salicylic acid. [...] It's nice, it's like a moisturizer with a little bit of acne, oily control, and anti-inflammatory, hyperpigmentation, skin smoothing."

All 3 takes from Dr Dray

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"This is the Paula's Choice one percent BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant. I've been putting it on in the morning. It's pretty moisturizing, it's got one percent salicylic acid. [...] It's nice, it's like a moisturizer with a little bit of acne, oily control, and anti-inflammatory, hyperpigmentation, skin smoothing."

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"I'm coming in with the Paula's Choice BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant. [...] This is one of the products from the Calm line that I actually like. I'm not going to put my tretinoin on tonight because I don't want the irritation, but I think I'm going to start maybe using this in the morning. I [...] actually do like it."

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"I love this product, I really liked this one a lot. It's a one percent salicylic acid exfoliant with a nice gel consistency that doesn't do any clumpy thing like [...] some of the others, [...] it's hydrating, doesn't pill, and it's easy to spread evenly on the skin so you don't miss areas. I actually prefer it to the two percent liquid BHA exfoliant because it's a lot easier to apply precisely than a liquid."

Gothamista

683k subs

✓Yay

"Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant works effectively but also feels quite soothing on the skin. For something that isn't a leave-on treatment, it's kind of like a flash treatment but super effective."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant?

A gel-based 1% salicylic acid (BHA) exfoliant from Paula's Choice's Calm line, made for sensitive skin to clear pores and smooth the skin's surface.

Is Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant worth it?

Yes. All 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 81%.

What is Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant's Guru Score?

Paula's Choice 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant holds a Guru Score of 81%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected.