Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol

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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Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"I enjoy Paula's Choice retinols. Right now, you can get this here for $16.99. That's not too bad."

All 2 takes from Dr Dray

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"I've got Paula's Choice here with retinol, green tea, and ceramides, and it's on sale for $14.99."

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"I enjoy Paula's Choice retinols. Right now, you can get this here for $16.99. That's not too bad."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

✓Yay

"For somebody who has more of that combination skin, more of that dry skin, this is going to be like my preferred range of moisturizer from them. I just really like something that's a little bit heavier, something that when I wake up, my skin feels hydrated. [...] This to me is really just a wonderful thicker moisturizer. Paula's Choice is fragrance free because they have like a pretty stringent ingredient list."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Nay

"This was an old, old, old product, and I had like two pumps left, so I just used it on the back of my arms. It's the Paula's Choice intensive repair cream for dry or very dry skin. I don't think they make this anymore, and I have no idea how long I've had it. It's probably very old. I put it on the back of my arms because I think it had some retinol and anti-aging ingredients in there, but I didn't want to use it on my face since I didn't know how old it was."

All 2 takes from No BS Beauty

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"This was an old, old, old product, and I had like two pumps left, so I just used it on the back of my arms. It's the Paula's Choice intensive repair cream for dry or very dry skin. I don't think they make this anymore, and I have no idea how long I've had it. It's probably very old. I put it on the back of my arms because I think it had some retinol and anti-aging ingredients in there, but I didn't want to use it on my face since I didn't know how old it was."

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"This one's very spreadable, probably the most spreadable one of all of them. It's a little more shiny than the others. It feels nice. This one also has some peptides in it."

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Yay

"I'm going to go in with the Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer and this is really nice for those that are looking for that lightweight formulation that is still extremely moisturizing and repairing to the skin."

All 2 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash

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"I'm going to go in with the Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer and this is really nice for those that are looking for that lightweight formulation that is still extremely moisturizing and repairing to the skin."

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"This has shea butter and there are several different types of ceramides in here which can help prevent transepidermal water loss. Ceramides can help to keep moisture in the skin but it can also help to repair and strengthen your skin barrier at the same time, and shea butter is extremely moisturizing. So this really is lovely. One pump will give me that amount, but if my skin was super dry I would probably put two pumps."

The Budget Dermatologist

724k subs

✓Yay

"This one is by Paula's Choice. It has five skin-identical ceramides in it. This is just a really nice lightweight moisturizer. It has hyaluronic acid, cholesterol, glycerin, other oils containing fatty acids, and peptides. So I would consider this one to be kind of an all-in-one, well-rounded barrier repair product."

All 2 takes from The Budget Dermatologist

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"This Paula's Choice one also has ceramides and peptides in it and it comes in this pump top container too. The difference I would say between these two is that this Paula's Choice one is just a little bit lighter on the skin whereas the Drunk Elephant one is a little bit heavier but very very minimally. They both have shea butter in it and they are both very hydrating and repairing on the skin. This one by Paula's Choice is $38 so almost half the price."

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"This one is by Paula's Choice. It has five skin-identical ceramides in it. This is just a really nice lightweight moisturizer. It has hyaluronic acid, cholesterol, glycerin, other oils containing fatty acids, and peptides. So I would consider this one to be kind of an all-in-one, well-rounded barrier repair product."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Yay

"This first one is from Paula's Choice. This is the Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol. It is super, super creamy, but it does have a retinoid in it. Can you see how it's kind of like toothpaste? It really holds its shape. It has licorice for brightening the skin, but it also has that jojoba oil we just talked about, so it has more of a melted butter consistency. It does feel a little slicker on the skin, and it has that retinoid, which is notorious for drying people out."

All 2 takes from Cassandra Bankson

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"This first one is from Paula's Choice. This is the Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol. It is super, super creamy, but it does have a retinoid in it. Can you see how it's kind of like toothpaste? It really holds its shape. It has licorice for brightening the skin, but it also has that jojoba oil we just talked about, so it has more of a melted butter consistency. It does feel a little slicker on the skin, and it has that retinoid, which is notorious for drying people out."

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"Paula's Choice barrier repair moisturizer with retinol is fantastic if you have dry skin or a damaged skin barrier. For example, if you use something like the prescription retinoic acid and it burned your freaking face off, this is a really good way to get a retinoid in that doesn't overly burn the face. This [...] takes a lot of the guesswork out. It has ceramides, shea butter, and green tea so if you have a damaged skin barrier your skin will love this."

Alexandra Anele

1.45M subs

✓Yay

"I also really like the Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer which is with tripeptides and ceramides, really great and just like a little bit more accessible."

What the evidence says.

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

Urea

Urea both holds water in the skin and gently loosens dead surface cells. At higher strengths it has good evidence for very dry or thickened skin.

Source: DermNet

Ceramides

Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.

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

Frequently asked.

What is Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol?

Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol is a fragrance-free face moisturizer with retinol, designed to hydrate and help repair the skin barrier.

Is Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol worth it?

Mostly yes. 7 of the 8 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 81%.

What is Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol's Guru Score?

Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol holds a Guru Score of 81%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 8 expert reviewers we have collected.