Products / Paula's Choice

Daily Smoothing Treatment 5% AHA

1. Water⁠ Water, the base most formulas are built on. It dissolves the other ingredients
2. Glycolic Acid⁠ Actives. Smallest AHA, deepest penetration.
3. Cetyl Alcohol⁠Pore-clogging 2/5 Emollients. Fatty alcohol thickener.
4. Butylene Glycol⁠ Humectants. Solvent and humectant, improves spread of actives.
5. Polyacrylamide⁠ Thickeners and film formers. Antistatic, binding, film forming
6. Dimethicone⁠ Emollients. Non-volatile silicone, slip and light occlusion.
7. PPG-14 Butyl Ether⁠ Other ingredients. Hair conditioning, skin conditioning
8. Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12⁠ Other ingredients. Skin conditioning
9. Ceramide NG⁠ Other ingredients. Skin conditioning
10. Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane⁠ Antioxidants. Antioxidant
11. Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane⁠ Antioxidants. Antioxidant, oral care, skin conditioning
12. Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane⁠ Antioxidants. Antioxidant, oral care, skin conditioning
13. Epigallocatechin Gallate⁠ Antioxidants. Polyphenol with sebum-reducing data.
14. Salicylic Acid⁠ Actives. BHA, oil-soluble, clears inside the pore.
15. Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates⁠ Surfactants. Antistatic, cleansing, foaming, hair conditioning, hair fixing, skin conditioning, surfactant
16. PEG-10 Phytosterol⁠ Emulsifiers. Emulsifying
17. Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract⁠ Other ingredients. Skin conditioning, skin protecting, smoothing
18. Bisabolol⁠ Actives. Chamomile-derived soother.
19. Allantoin⁠ Actives. Soothing keratolytic.
20. Cyclopentasiloxane⁠ Emollients. Emollient, hair conditioning, skin conditioning, solvent
21. Cyclohexasiloxane⁠ Emollients. Emollient, hair conditioning, skin conditioning, solvent
22. Dimethiconol⁠ Humectants. Antifoaming, emollient, moisturising
23. Tribehenin⁠ Emollients. Emollient, skin conditioning
24. C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate⁠Feeds Malassezia Emollients. Medium ester, strong filter solvent.
25. PEG-40 Stearate⁠ Surfactants. Emulsifying, surfactant
26. Sorbitan Stearate⁠ Emulsifiers. Emulsifying
27. PVM/MA Decadiene Crosspolymer⁠ Thickeners and film formers. Binding, film forming, viscosity controlling
28. Disodium EDTA⁠ pH adjusters and chelators. Chelator that protects preservatives.
29. C13-14 Isoparaffin⁠ Emollients. Emollient, solvent
30. Laureth-7⁠ Surfactants. Emulsifying, surfactant
31. Sodium Hydroxide⁠ pH adjusters and chelators. Base for neutralising acids and carbomers.
32. Caprylyl Glycol⁠ Preservatives. Glycol preservative booster, humectant.
33. Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride⁠Malassezia borderline Emollients. Fractionated coconut triglyceride.
34. Hexylene Glycol⁠ Surfactants. Emulsifying, perfuming, skin conditioning, solvent, surfactant
35. Ethylhexylglycerin⁠ Preservatives. Preservative booster and deodorising agent.
36. Phenoxyethanol⁠ Preservatives. The standard broad-spectrum preservative at up to 1 percent.

Taken from Paula's Choice's product page, last checked 2026-10-26. Formulas change, so check the pack before you buy. Brands can send us a correction.