Paula’s Choice Exfoliant is one of the most popular facial exfoliators on the market. The brand describes it as their "iconic global best-seller," and claims that it "sheds built-up layers of skin."

But does Paula’s Choice Exfoliant contain research-backed ingredients for exfoliating skin? Does it contain any questionable additives? Which retailer sells it for the best price? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Paula’s Choice Exfoliant?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Paula’s Choice Exfoliant to give our take on whether or not the product is likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.

We’ll also feature a video demonstrating how to use it properly, document which retailer has the best price, and share real Paula’s Choice Exfoliant customer reviews.

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Paula’s Choice Exfoliant are shown above.

Salicylic acid, also known as BHA, is the active ingredient with exfoliating properties.

A medical review on salicylic acid published in the Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology journal explains that this ingredient has been used to treat skin disorders for over 2,000 years, and that it’s an effective exfoliator.

Camellia oleifera, also known as tea tree oil, can be effective in the treatment of acne, as we documented in our Amarose reviews article.

Sodium hydroxide is another effective exfoliator, according to a 2013 medical review.

The remaining ingredients in this formulation are fillers, emulsifiers and other inactive ingredients which should be safe and non-toxic.

Overall, we consider Paula’s Choice Exfoliant likely to be effective as an exfoliator based on its active ingredients, and we consider it to have a healthy formulation without questionable additives.

Real People Try Paula’s Choice Exfoliant

A YouTube creator named Lavinia Rusanda used Paula’s Choice Exfoliant for two weeks in an attempt to treat her acne and scarring, and shared before-and-after images:

A YouTube creator named Oluchi Onuigbo has a video with over 250,000 views, demonstrating how to use this exfoliator:

Where to Get the Best Price

Paula’s Choice Exfoliant is sold at a variety of online retailers.

Here’s a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of updating this article:

Brand website: $35 (plus shipping, link)

Dermstore: $35 (plus shipping, link)

Sephora: $35 (free shipping, link)

Amazon: $35 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)

This product is currently around 15% cheaper at Amazon and Sephora than the brand's website when factoring in shipping fees.

Dermatologist Reviews Paula’s Choice

A dermatologist named Dr. Jenny Liu has a video reviewing Paula’s Choice Exfoliant:

Does it Cause Side Effects?

Paula’s Choice Exfoliant doesn’t appear to have been studied in any clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals, which makes it challenging to say for certain whether or not it’s likely to cause side effects.

However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients and product category.

According to a 2014 medical review, one rare side effect of salicylic acid use on skin is systemic toxicity.

This is highly unlikely in healthy adults, but it may be worth speaking to a dermatologist about for immune-compromised individuals.

The medical review cited in the Ingredient Analysis section of this article documented more common side effects of salicylic acid use: 

Dryness was reported 32.3% of the time, and “intense exfoliation and crusting” was reported around 15% of the time. However, this cleared in 7-10 days.

We do not believe that Paula’s Choice Exfoliant is likely to cause side effects in the majority of users; it’s a safe and non-toxic formulation.

But individuals with very sensitive skin or immune system issues may benefit from speaking with a dermatologist before using it.

Is Chemical Exfoliation Better?

A YouTube video from a dermatologist named Dr. Shereene Idriss explains what exfoliation is, and why she considers chemical exfoliation to be a better option than physical exfoliation:

Customers Rate Paula’s Choice Exfoliant

Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.

At the time of updating this article, Paula’s Choice Exfoliant has been reviewed over 100,000 times on Amazon with an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Sarah H.” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:

“I cannot believe how quickly this exfoliator cleared up and soothed my angry, persistent hormonal chin acne, I am absolutely floored!...My skin hated everything…I wish so badly I would have found it sooner! The horrific breakout on my chin that I had been battling for 5 months, is now COMPLETELY cleared in just 6 DAYS of using it morning and night! I just look in the mirror every morning seeing more improvement, and I’m floored….If you’re suffering from hormonal acne, regular acne, tough stubborn acne, I would absolutely 1 million percent recommend trying this product.”

A top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “G.K” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:

“Also, I know this part is probably just a me-thing but holy jeesh this stuff made my skin burn and itch. I tried using it once a week, three times a week, once a day, it didn't matter - my skin despises Paula's Choice. Honestly, don't waste the time and money.”

Paula’s Choice currently has a rating of 1.8 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, and the brand does not currently respond to customer complaints.

This suggests that consumers may benefit from purchasing the product on Amazon which handles customer complaints itself.

Our Clean Skincare Picks

There are skincare products containing ingredients shown in clinical trials to be effective for reducing wrinkles and improving skin quality.

Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum is our top anti-aging serum.

It contains hyaluronic acid which was described as a "skin-rejuvenating biomedicine" in a medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles and signs of facial aging.

Ritual HyaCera is our top skin supplement.

It contains wheat oil extract which is clinically shown to "improve skin damages induced by aging." 

Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Paula’s Choice Exfoliant Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Paula’s Choice Exfoliant in our opinion:

Pros:

• Effective formulation
• Should physically exfoliate skin
• Highly affordable
• No harmful ingredients
• Favorable Amazon reviews

Cons:

• Negative BBB reviews
• Brand doesn’t try to resolve customer complaints on BBB
• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested in peer-reviewed journal
• Exfoliating ingredient may be harsh on sensitive skin

Conclusion

We consider Paula’s Choice Exfoliant to be a high-quality product and we recommend it based on its formulation.

This is one of the few skincare products we’ve reviewed to date on Illuminate Health that has no questionable or unhealthy additive ingredients.

This product contains salicylic acid, which is an exfoliating ingredient with some of the strongest research backing, and tea tree oil, which can help reduce acne.

Most customer and expert reviews of this product that we came across while researching this article were favorable.

For consumers interested in purchasing this product, it may be beneficial to do so on Amazon for two reasons.

First, it's currently cheaper when considering shipping charges.

Second, it may make any customer complaints or order-related issues easier to resolve, because Paula’s Choice does not currently respond to most customer complaints on the BBB website.