Skin Perfecting 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant

Paula's Choice

Skin Perfecting 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant

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About this product

The Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant is a emulsion. Our analysis of its 23 ingredients (18 low-risk) rates it Excellent (94/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Emulsion
Ingredients
23
Low-risk
18
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 4/3
Good for dry skin
Saccharide Isomerate Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Lactic Acid
Caution for dry skin
Xanthan Gum Achillea Millefolium Extract Sodium Hydroxide
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 2/8
Good for sensitive skin
Hydroxyacetophenone Achillea Millefolium Extract
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Citrate Arginine Butylene Glycol Citric Acid Achillea Millefolium Extract Sodium Benzoate Lactic Acid Butane

Ingredients list

23 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All23 Skin Conditioning18 Masking6 Fragrance5 Humectant5 Solvent4 Ph Adjuster4 Buffering Agent4 Viscosity Controlling2
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
7
A
Butane
(Propellant)
1
Mandelic Acid
(Antimicrobial)
4
B
Lactic Acid
(Exfoliant, Fragrance, Humectant, Ph Adjuster, Skin Conditioning Agent Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Buffering Agent)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
Myrica Cerifera Fruit Extract
(Humectant, Moisturising, Skin Conditioning)
Akebia Quinata Stem Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Saccharomyces Lysate
(Skin Conditioning)
3
B
Achillea Millefolium Extract
(Antidandruff Agent, Cleansing, Masking, Refreshing, Skin Conditioning, Soothing, Tonic)
1
Saccharide Isomerate
(Humectant)
1
A
Arginine
(Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Antistatic Agent, Masking)
1
Hydroxyacetophenone
(Antioxidant)
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
Sodium Phytate
(Chelating Agent, Oral Care Agent)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Sodium Citrate
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Chelating, Masking)
1
A
1,2-Hexanediol
(Solvent)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)

My Ingredient Notes

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Key ingredients

Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Humectant
Myrica Cerifera Fruit Extract
Humectant, Moisturising
Akebia Quinata Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Lysate
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Fungal-acne (Malassezia) safe
Good for dry skin

Concerns

Butane — higher EWG
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
Denaturant, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B DenaturantPh adjusterBuffering agent
Myrica Cerifera Fruit Extract
Humectant, Moisturising
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A HumectantMoisturisingSkin conditioning
Akebia Quinata Stem Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Saccharomyces Lysate
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Achillea Millefolium Extract
Antidandruff agent, Cleansing
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Antidandruff agentCleansingMaskingRefreshingSkin conditioningSoothingTonic
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Humectant
Arginine
Fragrance, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningAntistatic agentMasking
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Chelating agent, Oral care agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Chelating agentOral care agent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin conditioning, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningSolvent
Xanthan Gum
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingSkin conditioningSurfactant -emulsifying agentViscosity increasing agentBindingGel formingViscosity controlling
+ 4 more — see the full ingredients list above
Butane
Propellant
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 CIR A Propellant
Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantFragranceHumectantPh adjusterSkin-conditioning agent -humectantSkin conditioningBuffering agent Bad 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
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin

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.

Effective levels — general guide

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

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.

Mandelic Acid, Lactic 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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