RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment With 5% AHA

Paula's Choice

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Paula's Choice RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment With 5% AHA is a exfoliating scrubs & peeling gel. Our analysis of its 36 ingredients (28 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone, dry, and sensitive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Exfoliating Scrubs & Peeling Gel
Ingredients
36
Low-risk
28
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
United States

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 11/9
Good for dry skin
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate C13-14 Isoparaffin Dimethiconol Cetyl Alcohol Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Tribehenin Cyclohexasiloxane Dimethicone Cyclopentasiloxane
Caution for dry skin
Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates Cetyl Alcohol Sorbitan Stearate Salicylic Acid Hexylene Glycol Laureth-7 Sodium Hydroxide PEG-40 Stearate PEG-10 Phytosterol
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Sensitive Skin 7/7
Good for sensitive skin
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane Epigallocatechin Gallate Dimethicone Allantoin
Caution for sensitive skin
Cetyl Alcohol Sorbitan Stearate Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Salicylic Acid Hexylene Glycol Phenoxyethanol

Ingredients list

36 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (4)
All36 Skin Conditioning33 Emollient10 Solvent7 Fragrance7 Hair Conditioning6 Surfactant6 Emulsifying6 Skin Protecting5
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
4
B
Glycolic Acid
(Exfoliant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Cetyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Fragrance, Opacifying, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
4
B
Polyacrylamide
(Binding Agent, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Antistatic Agent, Binding)
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
1
B
PPG-14 Butyl Ether
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
(Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide NG
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane
(Antioxidant)
1
Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane
(Antioxidant, Oral Care Agent, Skin Conditioning)
1
Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane
(Antioxidant, Oral Care Agent, Skin Conditioning)
2
Epigallocatechin Gallate
(Antioxidant)
4
B
Salicylic Acid
(Antiacne Agent, Antidandruff Agent, Corn/Callus/Wart Remover, Denaturant, Exfoliant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Keratolytic, Masking, Preservative)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates
(Hair Conditioning, Hair Fixing, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Cleansing Agent, Antistatic Agent, Foaming)
PEG-10 Phytosterol
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Smoothing)
Bisabolol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Soothing)
1
A
Allantoin
(Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
3
A
Cyclopentasiloxane
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Solvent)
Silicone
Silicone
2
A
Cyclohexasiloxane
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Solvent)
1
A
Dimethiconol
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Moisturising)
Silicone
Silicone
1
A
Tribehenin
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Antimicrobial)
3
A
PEG-40 Stearate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Sorbitan Stearate
(Fragrance, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
PVM/MA Decadiene Crosspolymer
(Binding, Film Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
C13-14 Isoparaffin
(Emollient, Solvent)
3
B
Laureth-7
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
A
Hexylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Emulsifying, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Glycolic Acid
Exfoliant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning, Humectant
Dimethicone
Skin Protecting, Emollient
PPG-14 Butyl Ether
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for dry skin
Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains silicone
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Cetyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingFragranceOpacifyingEmulsifyingSurfactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentEmollientMaskingViscosity controlling
Polyacrylamide
Binding agent, Film forming
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Binding agentFilm formingHair fixingAntistatic agentBinding
PPG-14 Butyl Ether
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Ceramide NG
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane
Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antioxidant
Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane
Antioxidant, Oral care agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AntioxidantOral care agentSkin conditioning
Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane
Antioxidant, Oral care agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AntioxidantOral care agentSkin conditioning
Epigallocatechin Gallate
Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 Antioxidant
Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates
Hair conditioning, Hair fixing
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Hair conditioningHair fixingSkin conditioningSurfactant -cleansing agentAntistatic agentFoaming
PEG-10 Phytosterol
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A EmulsifyingSurfactant
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin conditioning, Skin protecting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningSkin protectingSmoothing
Bisabolol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragranceSkin conditioningSoothing
Cyclohexasiloxane
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientSolvent
+ 11 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycolic Acid
Exfoliant, Ph adjuster
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantPh adjusterBuffering agent Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Dimethicone
Antifoaming agent, Skin protecting
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin protectingEmollientSkin conditioning Silicone
Salicylic Acid
Antiacne agent, Antidandruff agent
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antiacne agentAntidandruff agentCorn/callus/wart removerDenaturantExfoliantFragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningKeratolyticMaskingPreservative Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Allantoin
Skin conditioning, Skin protecting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningSkin protectingSoothing Good for Oily SkinGood for Sensitive Skin
Cyclopentasiloxane
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientSolvent Silicone
Dimethiconol
Antifoaming agent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin conditioningEmollientMoisturising Silicone
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Sorbitan Stearate
Fragrance, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceEmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Evening, start slow: Best in the PM a few times a week to begin with; avoid layering with other strong actives the same night.
  • 2 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Officially notified as a cosmetic in Malaysia (NPRA). Government registration record.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Use with caution
BHA (salicylic) (Salicylic Acid)

Low-strength topical salicylic acid (BHA) is generally considered fine. Caution is usually reserved for high-strength leave-on products and salicylic peels.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

BHA (salicylic) 0.5–2%

Salicylic acid is OTC-capped at 2%; 0.5–2% is the usual leave-on range. Much below that it acts more as a soothing agent than an exfoliant.

Salicylic Acid

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Glycolic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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