Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Rough or uneven texture4 experts

“It has 0.1 percent retinol in it, which will smooth the skin and treat uneven skin tone.”

The Budget Dermatologist, watch at 3:51

Dark spots and post-acne marks3 experts

“It has 0.1 percent retinol in it, which will smooth the skin and treat uneven skin tone.”

The Budget Dermatologist, watch at 3:51

Fine lines and wrinkles2 experts

“This is fabulous for those that have uneven skin tone, [...] discoloration on your chest, your hands or anywhere else in your body, texture, and fine lines.”

Sincerely Miss Ash, watch at 13:14

Dull skin1 expert

“It's a great one for helping with brightening your skin, but also I love it for the anti-aging benefits if you want to use that for your body too.”

Dr. Jenny Liu, watch at 14:15

Loss of firmness1 expert

“You can also use a retinol body lotion like the one from Paula's Choice, also 30% off, another good option for firming.”

The Budget Dermatologist, watch at 19:28

Keratosis pilaris (bumpy arms)1 expert

“It will target those stubborn KP areas while also hydrating the skin a little bit and contains retinol, shea butter, and evening primrose oil.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 10:44

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

153k subs

✓Yay

"Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment encourages faster skin renewal, improving rough texture. It will target those stubborn KP areas while also hydrating the skin a little bit and contains retinol, shea butter, and evening primrose oil. In my experience in clinic, there has really been nothing to add topically besides maybe topical tretinoin when treating the bumps of KP."

All 2 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown

How to Get Rid of Keratosis Pilaris (KP) | Chicken Skin Causes & Treatments Explained

"Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment encourages faster skin renewal, improving rough texture. It will target those stubborn KP areas while also hydrating the skin a little bit and contains retinol, shea butter, and evening primrose oil. In my experience in clinic, there has really been nothing to add topically besides maybe topical tretinoin when treating the bumps of KP."

Skincare in Your 50s & 60s: Anti-Aging Ingredients, Devices & Dermatologist Tips

"Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment is an advanced moisturizing body lotion that gently gives the skin transforming power of pure retinol to help diminish the appearance of uneven skin tone and rejuvenate the feeling of softer, firmer skin. The key ingredients of this one are retinol at 0.1%, shea butter, evening primrose oil, and antioxidants such as C and E."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"Paula's Choice has a Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment that is a really nice one. It contains pure 0.1% retinol concentration along with shea butter and evening primrose oil along with some antioxidants. This is a great one with antioxidants and it's got a really nice silky smooth texture that really helps to improve your skin tone and texture. It's a great one for helping with brightening your skin, but also I love it for the anti-aging benefits if you want to use that for your body too."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

Tips for getting rid of body hyperpigmentation | Dermatologist Dr. Jenny Liu

"Paula's Choice has a Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment that is a really nice one. It contains pure 0.1% retinol concentration along with shea butter and evening primrose oil along with some antioxidants. This is a great one with antioxidants and it's got a really nice silky smooth texture that really helps to improve your skin tone and texture. It's a great one for helping with brightening your skin, but also I love it for the anti-aging benefits if you want to use that for your body too."

Dermatologist's top picks for body anti-aging products | Dr. Jenny Liu

"It still hydrates your skin and gives your skin a smooth silky finish. Ingredient-wise it contains 0.1% retinol concentration, so it's going to be a little bit higher. If you have really sensitive skin I probably don't recommend starting out with this one. [...] But this one is going to be more for advanced users and also contains shea butter, evening primrose oil that's rich in lipids and helps nourish the skin, along with antioxidants including vitamin E and C."

The Style and Beauty Doctor

222k subs

✓Yay

"Paula's Choice also has a retinol body treatment"

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert

55k subs

✓Yay

"This is Paula's Choice, this is one of my favorite for the body. It's a skin smoothing retinol body treatment with antioxidants that diminishes appearance of uneven skin tone, helps provide firmer skin, hydrates and softens. Retinoids are the best ingredient because they hit all three different phases of hyperpigmentation: the production, the transfer to the skin, and then the treatment afterwards. [...] You can use this for the whole body."

Sincerely Miss Ash

196k subs

✓Yay

"This is the skin smoothing retinol body treatment and I've been loving this on my chest and the backs of my hands. This is fabulous for those that have uneven skin tone, [...] discoloration on your chest, your hands or anywhere else in your body, texture, and fine lines. This is going to be a great product to treat all of these concerns. This contains retinol but it also has a vitamin C derivative so I do feel like this is quite brightening as well when you're consistent with it."

The Budget Dermatologist

725k subs

✓Yay

"You can also use a retinol body lotion like the one from Paula's Choice, also 30% off, another good option for firming."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Retinoids

Retinoids are among the best studied ingredients in dermatology, with solid evidence for acne and for the fine lines and rough texture that come from sun exposure. Dryness and flaking in the first few weeks are common and usually settle.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment?

Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment is a moisturizing body lotion with retinol, designed to smooth skin texture and help diminish the appearance of uneven skin tone.

Is Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment worth it?

Yes. All 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.

What is Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment's Guru Score?

Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

What is Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment is good for rough or uneven texture (4 experts), dark spots and post-acne marks (3 experts), fine lines and wrinkles (2 experts), dull skin (1 expert), loss of firmness (1 expert) and keratosis pilaris (bumpy arms) (1 expert).

Is Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment good for rough or uneven texture?

4 experts who reviewed Paula's Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment say it is. The Budget Dermatologist put it this way: “It has 0.1 percent retinol in it, which will smooth the skin and treat uneven skin tone.”