
Paula's Choice
2 active ingredients identified. We flag active ingredients based on common cosmetic-use and formulation patterns. This is informational only and not medical advice.
No pricing data available yet for Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Exact science-based dupes appear first. When a strict dupe is not available yet, we still show the closest active-match alternatives from the same product category.
The Inkey List · drugstore
Both contain salicylic acid, but the concentration here is unknown and it's built around succinic acid and sulfur rather than being a straightforward 2% BHA formula.
No price
Dr. Dennis Gross · prestige
Shares salicylic acid but this is primarily a multi-acid glycolic/lactic peel with retinyl palmitate added, quite different from the single-active 2% BHA liquid.
No price
Dr. Dennis Gross · prestige
Shares salicylic acid but is dominated by glycolic, lactic, and mandelic acids plus retinol, making it a multi-acid/retinol peel rather than a BHA exfoliant.
No price

the ordinary · mid-range
This is a strong AHA (30% glycolic acid) peel with only a small amount of salicylic acid, whereas Paula's Choice is a pure 2% BHA leave-on exfoliant with no AHA at all.
No price
Dermalogica · drugstore
This is a rice-based enzyme powder cleanser with papain and some salicylic acid, entirely different mechanism and format from a liquid BHA exfoliant.
No price
We rank results with INCI-level analysis first, then fall back to the strongest active matches and closest alternatives so every product page still shows comparable options. Fallbacks stay within the same category as the source product, so cleansing balms only surface cleanser dupes instead of adjacent product types. Active Match % measures shared science-backed actives. Formula Similarity % measures total ingredient overlap when full INCI lists are available.