✶

COSRX AHA 7 Whitehea… vs Paula's Choice 2% BH… — Which Is Better? | Gracie

Products
Ingredients
Brands
K-Beauty
How We Score

Gracie
/Compare
/COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid
/vs
/Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant

COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid vs Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant

Head to head

✶

COSRX

AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

exfoliantbudget

6.8

Buy at Olive Young

Compare

Best Moisturisers
Best Serums
Best Cleansers
Best SPF

Ingredients

Niacinamide
Retinol
Hyaluronic Acid
Salicylic Acid

K-Beauty

K-Beauty Hub
K-Beauty Moisturisers
K-Beauty Serums
K-Beauty Sunscreens

About

Methodology
About Us
All Brands
All Products

Gracie

Honest skincare intel. No jargon, no gatekeeping — just the ingredients decoded.

Paula's Choice

2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant

exfoliant

7.2

Buy at Amazon

Score comparison

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 attributes.

COSRX wins 1

Tied 2

9.0

COSRX

Paula's Choice

Ingredient face-off

3% overlap

10COSRX

1Shared

32Paula's Choice

Only in COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

9 unique

Glycolic Acid Butylene Glycol Water Niacinamide 2-Hexanediol Panthenol Sodium Hyaluronate Xanthan Gum Ethyl Hexanediol

Shared ingredients

1 in common

Sodium Hydroxide

Only in Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant

31 unique

Aqua Butylene Glycol Cetyl Alcohol Ppg-14 Butyl Ether Salicylic Acid Dimethicone Tocopheryl Acetate+21 more

Why Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant comes out ahead

Where Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant really shines is hydration efficacy, scoring 5.8 compared to COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid's 4.0. With Glycol and Hexylene Glycol in its top ingredients, Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant delivers stronger moisture-binding capability.

Active Ingredient Strength is another area of separation. COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid scores 5.0 here versus 3.4 for Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant. That difference comes down to how each formula is built — the ingredient list tells the story.

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant brings Salicylic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, and Chamomilla Recutita (Matrucaria) Flower Extract as actives, while cOSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid relies on Glycolic Acid and Niacinamide. Both approaches have merit, but the positioning and supporting ingredients make the difference.

Best for your skin type

COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Anyone who prefers clean, well-vetted formulations

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Anyone who prefers clean, well-vetted formulations

Value comparison

COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid comes in at budget pricing with a 6.8 score, which is reasonable for what you get.

Our verdict

✶ Our verdict

+0.4 lead

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant edges ahead with a slightly stronger formulation, but COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid is still a solid pick.

✶

6.8COSRX

7.2Paula's Choice

Frequently asked questions

Which is better: COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid or Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant?

Based on ingredient analysis, Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant scores higher overall. See the full score breakdown above for details on each attribute.

Do COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid and Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant share ingredients?

Yes, they share common ingredients. Check the ingredient face-off section above for a detailed comparison.

What's the main difference between COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid and Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant?

The key differences are in their active ingredients and formulation approach. Check the attribute battle above for a detailed breakdown.

Full analysis: COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid→Full analysis: Paula's Choice 2% BHA Body Smoothing Spot Exfoliant→

We may earn a commission from purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep Gracie free and independent.

Some links on this site are affiliate links. We may earn a commission from purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep Gracie free and independent.