Paula's Choice Calm Rescue and Repair Intensive Moisturizer.

Moisturizers

About this product

A creamy moisturizer formulated with sunflower seed oil, allantoin, and prebiotics designed to hydrate and calm the skin.

Full ingredients

Water⁠, C13-15 Alkane⁠, Glycerin⁠, Propanediol⁠, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil⁠, Cetearyl Alcohol⁠, Arachidyl Alcohol⁠, Stearic Acid⁠, Inulin⁠, Behenyl Alcohol⁠, Cetyl Alcohol⁠, Butylene Glycol⁠, Hydrogenated Lecithin⁠, Myristyl Myristate⁠, Arachidyl Glucoside⁠, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer⁠, Caprylyl Glycol⁠, Allantoin⁠, Tocopherol⁠, Ethylhexylglycerin⁠, Hexylene Glycol⁠, Xanthan Gum⁠, Alpha Glucan Oligosaccharide⁠, Sodium Phytate⁠, Glycogen⁠, Yeast Extract⁠, Laminaria Digitata Extract⁠, Albatrellus Confluens (Mushroom) Extract⁠, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract⁠, Galactoarabinan, Schizophyllan⁠, Citric Acid⁠, Maltodextrin⁠, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8⁠, Phenoxyethanol⁠, Potassium Sorbate⁠

Guru Score

72%

Mixed

4 experts · Moderate agreement

What the gurus are saying

This moisturizer splits the experts sharply. One dermatologist found it hydrating and non-greasy with a pleasant creamy finish, while another reported it left her skin feeling tight and dry, with an odd texture that clumps and foams rather than spreading smoothly, plus a lingering cooking oil smell. If you have tried Paula's Choice moisturizers before and loved them, patch test first, since reformulations can hit skin differently.

Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take December 2024

What they liked

Hydrating creamy texture
Finishes without greasiness or shine

What they flagged

Leaves skin feeling dry and tight
Clumps and foams on application
Odd cooking oil odor

Best for

Dry skin Sensitive skin

Type

MoisturizersCream

Key actives

Vitamin EPeptides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Sephora → Amazon → Google →

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Scan it in the shopFree iPhone app. Scores in the aisle.

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.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Doctorly

3.59M subs

~Yay

"It is pretty soothing, it never messes with my irritated skin. I find it like a really nice way to heal it up if it's irritated or damaged from other products. It's a lightweight moisturizer, [...] really meant for more sensitive skin. Anytime you see the green packaging with Paula's Choice, it's really that calm line for them."

Dr. Jenny Liu

323k subs

~Yay

"I have been using the Paula's Choice Calm line Rescue and Repair moisturizer fairly frequently in the morning. [...] The blend of sunflower seed oil, allantoin and prebiotics in a creamy texture is very hydrating and supportive, but it finishes nicely and does not make your skin feel extra greasy or shiny."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Nay

"The rescue and repair intensive moisturizer [...] left my skin feeling dry, plain and simple, it was not good whatsoever, which really disappoints me because I loved their previous moisturizers in this Calm line. [...] I used to recommend that moisturizer, and now [...] I no longer recommend it since they changed it, so that was definitely a fail for me."

All 2 takes from Dr Dray

November 2022 FAVES & FAILS 👍 👎 Skin care & Hair care

DID PAULA'S CHOICE RUIN THE CALM LINE? *2022 NEW FORMULAS* 😬 @DrDrayzday

"The Rescue Repair Intense Moisturizer, don't buy this, it is not good. It has that clumping thing, it doesn't spread on the skin, it almost foams a bit which is very odd and not desirable. [...] I did not find this to be moisturizing at all, in fact my skin almost felt tighter and drier after using it. It also has an odd cooking oil odor that lingers a bit. If you were thinking about getting this, don't do it."

Gothamista

683k subs

~Yay

"This is such a perfect moisturizer for the evening before going to bed, especially when you need something more intense for your skin. For me, I don't really like going to bed with skin that is really sort of greasy or heavy with product that has not sunk in or doesn't dry down because [...] my hair will get into it and stick; I move around a lot in my sleep; I smear my face in the pillows; it's just disruptive."

What the evidence says.

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

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

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

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 Calm Rescue and Repair Intensive Moisturizer?

A creamy moisturizer formulated with sunflower seed oil, allantoin, and prebiotics designed to hydrate and calm the skin.

Is Paula's Choice Calm Rescue and Repair Intensive Moisturizer worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 72%.

What is Paula's Choice Calm Rescue and Repair Intensive Moisturizer's Guru Score?

Paula's Choice Calm Rescue and Repair Intensive Moisturizer holds a Guru Score of 72%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.