Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

Why it's rated this way

2 ingredients on this label are flagged. A cosmetic's rating is set by its most serious finding — here, Salicylic Acid.

1. Salicylic AcidModerate concernEU-permitted exfoliant and preservative within Annex III concentration limits (about 2 % in most products, 0.5 % as a preservative) and not for children under 3 except in shampoo. It is classified as a suspected reproductive toxicant (CMR category 2), so the limits matter.

   What it is

   Its recorded role: preservative and skin conditioning. About Salicylic Acid

   Why it's flagged

   EU-permitted exfoliant and preservative within Annex III concentration limits (about 2 % in most products, 0.5 % as a preservative) and not for children under 3 except in shampoo. It is classified as a suspected reproductive toxicant (CMR category 2), so the limits matter.

   Regulatory basis

   EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex III — allowed only within set limits and conditions; EU classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (category 2); Greenveil's curated cosmetic-ingredient concern list. The listing applies only under conditions a label can't show (product type, concentration or use).

   How sure we are

   High confidence. The label names this substance exactly; whether the conditions apply depends on the product's formula.

2. Sodium HydroxideMinor concernAlkali (lye). It is used up in the product: as a pH adjuster it neutralises an acid in the formula, and in soap it turns the oils into soap. The EU caps the alkalinity it may leave (pH 11 for pH-adjuster use); the higher limits, with warnings, are only for hair straighteners, cuticle removers and depilatories.

   What it is

   Its recorded role: buffering and denaturant. About Sodium Hydroxide

   Why it's flagged

   Alkali (lye). It is used up in the product: as a pH adjuster it neutralises an acid in the formula, and in soap it turns the oils into soap. The EU caps the alkalinity it may leave (pH 11 for pH-adjuster use); the higher limits, with warnings, are only for hair straighteners, cuticle removers and depilatories.

   Regulatory basis

   EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex III — allowed only within set limits and conditions; Greenveil's curated cosmetic-ingredient concern list.

   How sure we are

   High confidence. The label names this substance exactly.

Assessed against the label as captured: all 8 ingredients recognised.