Paula's Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask for acne-prone skin

How to apply

Questions and answers

What the research says

• A 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, 2017

• Retinyl palmitate ethosomal hydrogel reduced non-inflammatory and total acne lesion counts significantly better than marketed tretinoin while improving tolerability with minimal skin irritation in patients with acne vulgaris.

  International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021

• Cutaneous application of linoleic and gamma-linolenic acid triglycerides reduced the high rate of transepidermal water loss in essential fatty acid-deficient rats, whereas other fatty acid triglycerides had no effect.

  The British Journal of Dermatology, 1976

• Topical 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, 2011

• Topical 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, 2022

• Treatment 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, 2019

• Over-the-counter retinol products provided only weak evidence for a mild ameliorating effect on fine facial skin wrinkle lines in randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials, and major methodological flaws call the validity of positive results into question.

  The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2021

• A cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate regimen significantly improved periorbital wrinkle appearance relative to a 0.02% tretinoin regimen at 8 weeks with comparable benefits at 24 weeks, while demonstrating significantly better tolerability in 196 women.

  The British Journal of Dermatology, 2010

• A novel triple-active cosmetic formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol, retinyl propionate, and niacinamide improved the visual appearance of photoageing similarly to 0.02% tretinoin and reversed a consensus gene signature associated with ageing in female adults while causing less skin irritation.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024

• Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025

• Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.

  Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021

• Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• Electrospun poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) patches loaded with evening primrose oil applied to the forearm of volunteers for 6 hours increased skin moisture, with pore size, shape, and fiber diameter influencing oil transport.

  Biomaterials Advances, 2022

• A topical preparation containing urea, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, wheat germ oil, and sodium pyruvate led to clinical improvement after a month in diverse hyperkeratotic skin conditions except pityriasis lichenoides.

  Medicina Cutanea Ibero-latino-americana, 1986

• Topical application of linseed, evening primrose, and olive oil emulsions accelerated wound closure in rats with excision wounds compared to untreated controls, though via different mechanisms.

  Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 2019

Ingredients

Retinyl Palmitate Vitamin A Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hectorite, Ethylhexylglycerin, Water, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate Dicaprate, Butylene Glycol, Sorbitan Stearate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Monostearate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Ethyl Macadamiate, Glyceryl Behenate Eicosadioate, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Oil Apricot Oil, Glycine Soja Soybean Sterols, Tocopherol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ascorbyl Palmitate Vitamin C Palmitate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Sclerotium Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Olea Europaea Oil Olive Oil, Linoleic Acid

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.