I’ve slathered Paula’s Choice 2% BHA on my face for years — and then By Wishtrend sent me this Acid Duo and I literally stopped mid-routine to text my esthetician.
The 8% AHA + 0.3% BHA combo sounds like overkill for oily skin, but it’s actually the first acid that’s made my chin stop producing those weird little grits by day three.
It’s a liquid exfoliant, $22 for 100ml. The claim: resurface with AHA while BHA clears pores — basically a chemical peel in a dropper bottle.
Dropper Design
Measured drops mean zero waste — one full dropper covers my entire face and neck.
Low pH Formula
Sits at pH 3.5-4.0, so it actually exfoliates instead of just sitting there being fancy water.
No Fragrance, No Dyes
Smells like nothing. My sensitive nose thanks them.
Photo: ajie wp / Unsplash
Glycolic acid does the heavy lifting at 8% — it’s the smallest AHA molecule, so it penetrates fast. The 0.3% BHA (betaine salicylate) is gentler than PC’s 2% salicylic acid, which means less peeling but still unclogs.
- Glycolic Acid: resurfaces and fades dark spots fast
- Betaine Salicylate: gentler BHA that clears pores without stripping
- Panthenol: calms redness so you don’t look like a tomato
- Allantoin: soothes so you can use this daily without regret
Photo: Sonia Roselli / Unsplash
It’s watery — like toner but with a slight slip. Absorbs in 15 seconds flat, no tacky film. My skin drinks it like a thirsty girl at brunch.
Week two hit different. My forehead texture — you know, those tiny bumps that makeup never covers — just smoothed out. But I did get a tiny purge on my jawline around day 5. Push through it.
Photo: kimia kazemi / Unsplash
My pores look smaller — not “disappeared” (that’s a lie any brand tells you), but visibly less stretched. Dark spots from old breakouts faded about 40% in three weeks. The PC gave me faster surface smoothing, but this one actually changed my congestion long-term.
Photo: Kimia Zarifi / Unsplash
PC’s BHA is still my ride-or-die for spot emergencies, but By Wishtrend’s Acid Duo is the everyday workhorse my oily skin actually needed. It’s gentler, cheaper, and honestly — better results on texture.