Is Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner Pore-Clogging? 75% Clean

#	Ingredient	Pores	Fungal acne
3	Butylene Glycol	1/5 · Low	Safe
5	Polysorbate 20	0/5 · Low	Trigger
1	Aqua	0/5 · Low	Safe
4	Salicylic Acid	0/5 · Low	Safe

4 ingredients not in our pore-clogging database

These have no published comedogenic rating in our data. Most are preservatives, fragrance, extracts or actives that are not known pore-cloggers.

Ingredients rated 3–5 that appear after position 15 are usually present below about 1%, so they are shown as "Low amount" and do not trigger the pore-clog alert. Ratings come from the Fulton comedogenic scale (0–5) and published Malassezia research. They are a rough guide: the concentration and the whole formula matter, and everyone's skin is different.

Acne-safe breakdown

We found no ingredients rated 3 or higher in Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner. The ingredients doing most of the work are Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid and Polysorbate 20, which are all low-risk for pores.

Compare Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner

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Full ingredient list

Water (Aqua/Eau), Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA.

Source: official Paula's Choice product page, checked 27 Sep 2026. Formulas vary by country and change over time, so always check your pack.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner pore-clogging?

Acne-safe. None of the recognised ingredients are known pore-cloggers.

Is Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner safe for fungal acne?

No. It contains Polysorbate 20, which can feed Malassezia yeast.

What is the clean score of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner?

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner scores 75% on our pore-clog and fungal-acne scan, based on 4 recognised ingredients out of 8.

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