I’m tooting my own horn here, but cosmetic companies are finally recognizing what I’ve been saying for years: Research has made it abundantly clear that exfoliating is critical for improving your skin. Exfoliating makes skin look younger, unclogs pores, and reduces breakouts. The best way to exfoliate is with an alpha hydroxy acid product (AHA) containing glycolic or lactic acid or beta hydroxy acid (BHA) which is salicylic acid. As a result of the benefits, more and more AHA and BHA products are showing up everywhere.

As most of you know, acne-prone skin and sun-damaged skin produce abnormal cells that build up on the skin’s surface because they don’t shed as they should. That thickened outer layer creates a rough, dull appearance and keeps beneficial skin-care ingredients from absorbing for maximum benefit. When skin gets help exfoliating on a daily basis, practically overnight skin becomes smoother, it produces more collagen, skin tone improves, clogged pores practically go away, and breakouts are significantly reduced.

While scrubs have been the mainstay for exfoliation over the years, they are a poor choice. Even gentle scrubs end up disrupting the skin’s outer barrier, which hurts the skin’s ability to fight environmental damage and breaks down collagen.

Okay, another brag: So even though AHAs and BHA have been around for more than 50 years in mostly dermatologic formulations, my Paula’s Choice product line is one of the few exceptions; I have the only cosmetic line in the world with 9 BHA and 5 AHA products in various textures and concentrations.

Many lines, including big brands such as Avon, Olay, and Mary Kay, launched AHA and BHA products in the early ’90s, but they were discontinued shortly after. Part of the reason for that is because the word acid is just scary. It’s hard to explain to a woman why an acid is as good for skin as green tea or vitamin C. And while AHAs and BHA really make skin look younger, they also make skin more vulnerable to sun damage just as a child’s would be. This fact makes a sunscreen mandatory, and lots of product lines didn’t offer one as part of the skin-care routines they sold (and many still don’t).

Ironically, when you really make skin younger it has the same problem that a kid’s skin does.

Another reason cosmetics companies stayed away from creating AHA and BHA products is that they are hard to work with in a formulation. For efficacy, AHAs and BHA require a pH of 3 to 4 and a lot of anti-irritants to maximize results, making stability an issue.

I also feel strongly that BHA has been an unsung hero of which other companies are only now beginning to take note. Salicylic acid has astounding properties. It not only is an effective exfoliant but it also has some antibacterial benefit, and because it is related to aspirin (aspirin is acetyl salicylic acid) it also has significant anti-irritant properties. This makes BHA a blessing for someone with acne or rosacea.

Now that AHAs and BHA are showing up in skin-care products again, the question becomes, can companies come up with effective formulations and adapt their other products to give women the best results possible? Of course, we will let you know as we add reviews to Beautypedia.com.

As long as I can remember, my husband kept a tub of St. Ives Apricot Scrub in our shower. Occasionally, I would use the stuff, but I always regretted it immediately. The apricot pits and walnut shells would get trapped in my hair or end up in my ears, and my skin always felt sore and irritated, rather than smooth and soft. Until I started working at Paula’s Choice, I thought that exfoliating was supposed to be painful so I continued scrubbing my skin raw. I soon discovered that none of my assumptions were right!

The years of negative experiences I’d had with exfoliation were written all over my face: dry skin, acne, blackheads, and overall dullness. What I didn’t know was that exfoliation didn’t have to hurt, and that a well formulated exfoliant could very well be the answer to solving the majority of my skin problems. It only took a few minutes of reading the dozens upon dozens of customer testimonials raving about Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid for me to decide to give it a try. Anything was better than that awful scrub!

When I started using a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) exfoliant, I was sure I was doing it all wrong. It all seemed too easy! At night after using a gentle cleanser, I applied a small amount to my face with a cotton ball and that was it. I couldn’t believe it. Nothing burned, and there was no grit—how could this product actually be working without me having to scrub? Skeptical, I went to bed thinking I’d missed something, but when I woke up, my face had an unmistakable glow. Looking in the mirror, I didn’t care how it worked—I was just overjoyed that it did!

As a member of The Cosmetics Cop Team, I now understand the science. Exfoliants that aren’t scrubs usually contain beta hydroxy acid (BHA) or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), both of which encourage cell turnover without the risk of tearing skin. At this point, it’s impossible for me to go back to my old ways, and my husband’s tub of St. Ives is long gone! I also now know that it’s very difficult to find products that are carefully formulated to actually work like Paula’s exfoliants do. Doing research for Beautypedia, I see promising product after promising product come through our offices, only to discover that the pH is too high to permit exfoliation or that it contains some deal-breaking irritant that will cause more harm than good for your skin. Paula’s Choice customers were right all along: Paula’s exfoliants truly stand alone!

A few months ago, I blogged about the one product I really can’t go without: Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid. And, yes, this is yet another blog singing its praises. I guess even I’m one of those crazed fans, but I can’t help it. I credit that one product with breaking my acne and blackhead cycle, staving off fine lines and wrinkles (even as I turn 34 next month), and giving me the skin I always hoped I could have. My only regret now is that I didn’t start exfoliating the right way sooner!

Adding a BHA exfoliant to my daily skin-care routine was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made—period. What about your experiences with exfoliants? Did you notice an about-face after switching from scrubs to an AHA or BHA product? How has your skin changed since you began using an exfoliant?

On April 22, I blogged asking for your help with finding better names for the two “toners” I created as a part of my CLEAR anti-acne system. I can’t thank you enough for all of the insightful and truly valuable feedback you provided. I wish there was a better way to express how truly grateful I am, but hopefully the great results you get from using my products speak for themselves!

From the moment I started to see your comments, my team and I began meeting to incorporate your feedback and suggestions to find the best way to explain our CLEAR products. The goal was to help those people visiting my Web site to find the best combination of CLEAR acne-fighting products for their skin type. Based on all of your feedback, here is what we came up with:

• Step 1 – the cleanser in both routines will keep the same name: Normalizing Cleanser Pore Clarifying Gel
• Step 2 – the “toners” will no longer be called toners. Essentially, these products are exfoliants and can (and often should be) used with either Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost or Skin Balancing toners.

The new name for each will be:

Regular Strength
Targeted Acne Relief
Exfoliating Solution
with Salicylic Acid

Extra Strength
Targeted Acne Relief
Exfoliating Solution
with Salicylic Acid

• Step 3 – the benzoyl peroxide products will be called:

Regular Strength
Acne Fighting Treatment
with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide

Extra Strength
Acne Fighting Treatment
with 5% Benzoyl Peroxide

We are starting to change the names on PaulasChoice.com, and in the months ahead, the new names you helped us create will be reflected on the packaging and in our catalog as well.

I have always said it takes a village to handle life, but it also takes a village to run a company! I want to thank all of you for being a part in our village. As always, your comments have a real impact on the decision process here at Paula’s Choice!

My team and I sincerely welcome your continued feedback about any and all Paula’s Choice products. After all, we create them to help YOU have the skin you’ve always wanted!

Here’s a secret: I didn’t really wash my face until I was 25 years old (Paula is probably gasping right now!). During that time, I kept thinking that if I did wash my face, it would upset the balance of bacteria on my facial skin and cause breakouts. Of course, not only is that theory ridiculous, I now realize it probably contributed to the moderate breakouts I already had. At this point I’m willing to admit that I was just being lazy or arrogant (doesn’t every young person know everything there is to know about everything?). Ah, youth.

Finally, once I started washing my face, it was only sporadically—and never with a well-formulated cleanser (something I’ve learned to identify since becoming part of The Cosmetics Cop Team). Like so many young women and girls, I gravitated toward the cleansers that would tingle (because I thought that meant it was “working”) or the ones that were really strong (labeled as “deep cleaning”) and, sure enough, the breakouts persisted. Then, at around age 30, I started mixing my own facial cleansers at home with olive oil, glycerin and lavender water. Those moisturized my skin well enough, but they didn’t address my blackheads nor did they help my breakouts. And while my homemade cleanser made me feel confident that I wasn’t putting anything mysterious on my face nor was I over-spending for products—alas, my face never really felt clean.

Then, I was offered a job at Paula’s Choice, which I enthusiastically accepted. Once I started working here, I began experimenting with our line of products, which is encouraged (if not expected), and I still remember the first product I used: One Step Face Cleanser for Dry Skin. I followed the directions to the letter, and sure enough, my face felt clean, but not tight; moisturized, but not greasy. My makeup was gone, but there had been no lather and no awful burning in my eyes. It was truly the most revelatory skin-care experience I had ever had—that is, until I tried the 2% BHA liquid the following day! Suddenly things were happening on my face—and not happening on my face—like never before.

It’s been a year now, and the 2% BHA Liquid, or my “Magic Potion” as my husband and I affectionately call it, is the one Paula’s Choice product that I simply could not go without. I’ve tried all of our cleansers and moisturizers, and while I have my favorites, I could certainly substitute one for another in a pinch. That cannot be said for the 2% BHA Liquid. As an equal-to-none exfoliant, it has diminished my blackheads (chin & nose), improved the smoothness of my skin, reduced the size of my pores, evened out my skin tone, and when I put it on at night I can count on waking up with glowing skin. And breakouts are truly a thing of the past! Not only did I never really think this kind of skin was possible, but I certainly didn’t think that a single, affordably-priced product could do it all. I’ve come a long way from homemade olive oil cleansers and half-baked theories about bacteria, and my skin is all the better for it.

All of this has led me to wonder: What’s your can’t-live-without-it product? I’d love to know which ones you love from any lines—but especially ours!

Recently, a Beautypedia subscriber wrote in to inquire about a discrepancy she found between the bottle and the box of Bare Escentuals’ bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper, a BHA product that she had purchased because it earned a Paula’s Pick. Her email chronicled her struggle with the company to understand how the bottle and the packaging could be different, and how was she to know which was accurate? Ultimately, Bare Escentuals’ Customer Service couldn’t explain it either, and only told her that, “as a consumer she was supposed to know that what is written on the bottle is always the correct ingredient list.” Her plight caught our attention, not only because we need to keep Beautypedia as accurate as possible, but also because if this were the case, this product’s real ingredient list (which includes arnica, St. John’s Wort and witch hazel) poses serious problems for skin, and it would need to lose its Paula’s Pick status, ASAP!

So I headed out to investigate at a nearby Ulta. When I came upon the Bare Escentuals’ display, I found the small-sized bottle of the Skin Rev-er Upper product that comes with the intro kit, I couldn’t find it on the kit’s box, at least not before the salesperson approached me, so I asked him where I could find the ingredient list. He simply said “Glycolic acid is the active ingredient.” I had to laugh to myself, because that not only didn’t answer my question, but it’s inaccurate: Salicylic Acid (BHA) is the “active” ingredient, not glycolic acid (AHA). I didn’t correct him, however; instead I told him that I wanted to see the whole ingredient list for myself, and he located a full-size box of Skin Rev-er Upper, which I opened to find that the list on the bottle and the accompanying box were indeed dissimilar, in all the problematic ways that had been outlined in the reader’s e-mail. I showed the salesperson the discrepancy, and he looked appropriately confounded, saying “My, that is strange…” I said, perhaps a little antagonistically, “What about customers who might be allergic to one of those omitted ingredients?” He didn’t answer my pointed question (and I don’t blame him), instead he handed me off to a Bare Escentuals’ Regional Sales Rep who just so happened that the in the store while I was there. I couldn’t believe my luck – it looked like I might get some answers after all!

She came over to me swiftly, and spent a long time looking at the box and bottle, and then finally, looked up and could offer no explanation. She said that there had been no reformulation, and had no clue why the discrepancy existed, but thanked me for pointing this out, said that she’d take the matter up with the appropriate people, and seemed to generally want me out of her hair. To my surprise, she didn’t take my name or number to follow up, she didn’t discuss the matter further, she didn’t even try to sell me anything; instead, she just started to back away. But before she got too far, I took that opportunity to share with her our subscriber’s experience of calling the company about this same discrepancy (though I could not disclose that she was a Beautypedia subscriber or that I work for Paula and Beautypedia), and so I explained that when my “aunt” inquired, she wasn’t met with any thanks at all, only ridicule for not knowing that what’s printed on the bottle is always correct, no matter what other packaging indicates. I swear she turned eight shades of red – her face reflecting anger, embarrassment and more than a little discomfort at being held accountable for her company’s products and behavior. At that moment, I really felt like I was advocating for our readers and for everything that Beautypedia strives to do, even if I didn’t get any real answers. And, by the way, the Bare Escentuals product in question is no longer rated a Paula’s Pick.

A reader wrote in recently with an excellent question: how to get to convince the man (or men) in your life to take skin care seriously? Here are this woman’s comments:

My boyfriend has very fair skin along with mild acne. He is in his mid-30’s, already showing signs of aging and has developed persistent redness around his nose. He uses soap in the shower and has tried a few benzoyl peroxide products for blemishes, but that’s it—and I can’t get him to follow a routine consistently.

OK, so we’re off to a good start, and her observations are similar to what many women likely notice about their boyfriend or husband’s skin. But here’s the part that got my attention:

Not to be superficial, but I do not find this attractive, and my attention is drawn towards it whenever I see him. I also know how self-conscious I feel when people comment about what’s wrong with my skin.

I absolutely understand where she’s coming from, as you’ll see from my response below. Now to her questions:

What type of “guy friendly” skin care could I recommend to him? And, more importantly, how should I bring this topic up with him?

I responded with these musings and advice:

You can’t even get guys to pick up their clothes, shut cabinets, or put the toilet seat down–taking care of their skin is even further off their radar (and I know there are exceptions to this but as a rule, and given I’ve been married four times and have dated quite a bit over the years I can attest to this fully).

And do not feel guilty that your un-groomed boyfriend is becoming unattractive to you. Red noses, sun-damaged skin, unruly eyebrows, and who knows what else men don’t pay attention to is distracting as it would be in the reverse for an un-groomed woman for a man. Men aren’t drooling over Kathy Bates as opposed to Eva Mendes! And famous men that women typically find attractive (such as George Clooney or Brad Pitt) are clearly doing something right when it comes to skin care! Their visual appeal would surely decrease if they were ignoring what your boyfriend seems OK living with.

It sounds to me like your boyfriend has rosacea and severe sun damage (both not uncommon for men or women with fair skin who’ve been remiss about sun protection). Benzoyl peroxide is the wrong product for him to use. He should be using a gentle cleanser, gentle toner after shaving with a non-irritating shave foam or gel, and following with a BHA lotion (1% to start). He should probably also see a physician for a prescription rosacea medication because for men the red nose is only going to get worse and potentially lumpy ala W.C. Fields (the classic example of rosacea, NOT excessive drinking).

How to get him to do this? Be honest and direct. Tell him you don’t find his lack of grooming and the results attractive. His response will tell you if he cares about what you think. If he wants to change, help him and buy some of my products to start and make an appointment for him with a good dermatologist. If he resists and is willing to accept that his physical appearance is becoming less enticing to you, that’s all you can do without becoming a nag. What you do from there is up to you.

Anti-wrinkle. There I said it. Well, to be completely direct and clear, what I’m talking about is that I can barely say the word without faltering or hesitating with a roll of my eyes and an exhausted gasp. Now here’s a term that has been used to death for decades with no learning curve. Ironically, the best and worst formulations all make the same claims. How galling and infuriating.

If a product claims it gets rid of wrinkles we want to believe it, and while there are no products that get rid of wrinkles, as I have written extensively over the past 10 years there are lots of products that can make an impressive change in the appearance of wrinkles. In fact, if you keep using them, you’ll see a big difference (think sunscreens, moisturizers or toners loaded with antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and skin identical ingredients, and exfoliants such as AHA and BHA). So here’s the issue: if my products have the same “anti-wrinkle” benefits as the products I rate highly because the formulas are similar (or if I may brag a bit, often better) why can’t I utter the same word (anti-wrinkle) and get the attention of women the same way other companies do? I can’t tell you how many times I’m asked what anti-wrinkle products I sell (or why I don’t sell products making anti-wrinkle claims). Sigh.

For me to use the term anti-wrinkle to describe my products just hits me below the belt and takes my breath away. Is the term misleading, the way the industry uses it suggesting miracles and the fountain of youth? Absolutely. But without question, well formulated products can reduce lines and make skin look younger, there I said it, anti-wrinkle products do exist.

Back to my point, what am I willing to say or rather what am I not willing to say about my products? This struggle is a problem for my company, particularly my Product Development Manager, Kate, who frequently lectures me about this point. She insists that the ingredients we use in our moisturizers meet my standard for improving the appearance of skin, improving skin cell function, enhancing barrier function, restoring substances to skin that it needs to reduce damage, and yes, fighting wrinkles and make skin look better, which includes looking less wrinkled. What to do? For now, that’s a good question, we are talking about this extensively of late and may make some changes. In the meantime, your feedback is welcomed.