Paula's choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel

This product can help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness because it contains glycolic acid.

Keep in mind that it typically takes at least 6 weeks to notice any results because the changes that are needed to improve fine lines and elasticity happen in the deeper layers of the skin. No topical anti-aging product can “erase” wrinkles or fully reverse signs of aging.

This product can help reduce hypepigmentation and even out the skin tone because it contains the following effective ingredients: glycolic acid

Keep in mind that you would need to apply any topical skincare targetted at hypigmentation consistently for a couple of months to get a result. No topical skincare product can help get rid of hyperpigmentation (including post-acne marks and age spots) instantly.

This product can help exfoliate the skin. In other words, it helps break down the bonds between dead cells on the surface of the skin and speed up the skin turnover. Skin often appears softer and brighter after exfoliation, but overdoing it can result in disrupted skin barrier. The following ingredient is doing the exfoliating job in this product: glycolic acid.

This product contains good ingredients to attract water to the upper layer of the skin. These ingredients are called "humectants": sodium pca, butylene glycol.

When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from within deeper layers of the skin. If the air is dry, humectants can speed up the moisture loss from the skin. This is why it is a good idea to use another product on top of this one to help "seal in" the moisture (look for ingredients like dimethicone, squalane, oils and butters).

The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: panthenol

This product contains antioxidants (camellia oleifera leaf extract) that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. By doing so, they can lessen the damage the skin gets from the UV light (sun).

This product contains ingredients (glycolic acid) that could help reduce blemishes and clogged pores in theory, but there is not enough evidence that they actually work.