Paula's Choice Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser for skin with dark spots
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Ceramide Np
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
High
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for skin with dark spots; a few cleansers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Highly suitable for your normal skin, this cleanser effectively addresses your need for hydration and pore cleansing with sodium hyaluronate and ceramides, which support skin barrier function and moisture retention.
- While it offers general skincare benefits supportive for pigmentation, specialized treatments for this concern are not its primary focus.
- The formulation is safe for your normal skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- You can use this cleanser AM and PM every single day. Start slowly 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in your morning routine or the second step in your evening routine. Follow it with toner and moisturizer.
- Massage a small amount of cleanser gently onto your face using circular motions. Rinse well with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- For the best results, apply your cleanser directly to wet skin to help wash away dirt. Make sure your face is clean before you begin.
- Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes. Always do a quick patch test before using the product for the very first time.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 4.7k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with oily, combination, and sensitive skin frequently praise this cleanser for its ability to effectively remove dirt and makeup without stripping the skin's natural moisture barrier. Many reviewers note that it balances oil production and leaves the face feeling soft and refreshed, though a small minority experienced dryness or disliked the scent.
Highlights
Gentle and non-drying Mostly Mentioned
- “Cleanses without stripping”
- “Gentle and non-drying cleanser”
- “Does not strip away the natural moisture”
- “Leaves skin soft and hydrated”
Effective cleansing Often Mentioned
- “Removes almost all of my makeup”
- “Skin felt so clean after cleansing”
- “Cleanses the skin from makeup and impurities so well”
- “Takes my makeup off easily”
Balances oily skin Sometimes Noted
- “Noticeably less oily”
- “Helps clear my skin”
- “Relieves my skin of feeling oily”
- “Great for oily acne prone skin”
Pleasant texture Sometimes Noted
- “Foams up beautifully into a silky froth”
- “Creamy and lightly foaming”
- “Feels like I am washing my face with clouds”
- “Smooth foam cleanser”
Safe for sensitive skin Sometimes Noted
- “No irritation or purging effect”
- “Soothes redness and irritation”
- “Best cleanser I've ever used [for sensitive skin]”
- “Gentle enough for daily use”
Can be drying Rarely Noted
- “Went a little dry”
- “Need to moisturize after drying off”
- “Skin feel tight after I rinse”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Causes breakouts”
- “Making my acne worse”
- “Break me out in a rash”
Ineffective on heavy makeup Rarely Noted
- “Heavy makeup is not washed enough”
- “Still need a Clarisonic”
- “Used 2 times [to remove makeup]”
Price point Rarely Noted
- “A bit pricy for the amount”
- “Wasting money”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Smelled like an unwashed towel”
- “Bad smell”
- “Strange smell”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, paulaschoice.com, dermstore.com, sephora.com, theskyshine.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Paula's Choice Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser a great fit for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is a great fit because it keeps normal skin hydrated and cleans pores well without harsh ingredients, while also offering general support for dark spots through ceramides and sodium hyaluronate. Although it is safe and gentle, specialized treatments remain the main focus for targeting pigmentation directly.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is a great fit for skin with dark spots because it includes sodium hyaluronate and ceramides, which support skin barrier function and moisture retention. While these ingredients offer general benefits supportive for pigmentation, specialized treatments for dark spots are not its primary focus.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015
What does Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate do for skin with dark spots?
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a gentle cleanser that removes dirt and oil without irritating the skin barrier. Because it is a cleansing ingredient rather than a spot treatment, it does not directly fade dark spots, and a cleanser of this type needs brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide to help clear uneven skin tone.
What do Ceramides do for skin with dark spots?
Ceramides help keep your skin barrier strong and well-hydrated, which supports overall skin health even though they do not directly fade dark spots. A product for dark spots also needs ingredients like niacinamide or vitamin C to help brighten your skin tone and reduce discoloration.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2008Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2023
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser fits in both your morning and evening routine as the first cleansing step, or as the second step in the evening after a makeup remover. Using a mild cleanser like this helps support your skin barrier and moisture retention while washing your face.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser alongside retinol, applying it first to cleanse your face before you put on your retinol treatment. Using a gentle cleanser like this helps keep your skin comfortable and protected while you use active ingredients.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. It gently cleanses your skin while helping to keep it soft and hydrated.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on skin with dark spots because it has a safe formulation with no risk of irritation. Reviewers rarely report breakouts from using it, and its gentle ingredients help keep your skin comfortable and clean.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is safe to use on the body and around the eyes because its gentle formulation lacks harsh ingredients and carries no risk of irritation. The skin on the body and the thin skin around the eyes benefit greatly from mild cleansers that protect moisture levels.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Topical hyaluronic acid filler serum combined with Botulinum toxin type A lengthened the duration of the toxin's effect in reducing wrinkles compared to Botulinum toxin type A alone.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Hyaluronic acid extracts are safe and efficacious products for skin repair when used in tissue regeneration alone or in combination with herbal or Western medicine.
Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Optimized transfersomes loaded with epigallocatechin-3-gallate and hyaluronic acid increased cell viability while reducing lipid peroxidation, intracellular ROS, and MMP expression in HaCaT cells, and exhibited higher skin permeation and deposition compared to plain EGCG.
Drug Delivery, 2017A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Sodium cocoyl isethionate micelles are too large to penetrate stratum corneum aqueous pores, resulting in significant steric hindrance that prevents skin barrier perturbation and explains its skin mildness.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010
Ingredients
Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glycol Distearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Phytosphingosine, Sphingolipids, Lecithin, Arginine, Cholesterol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Disodium Edta, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.