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Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Dr. Althea and Some By Mi are celebrated Korean skincare brands offering gentle, thoughtfully crafted moisturizers, cleansers, serums, and toners. While Dr. Althea relies on soothing formulas to care best for acne-prone and dry skin, Some By Mi centers its products around niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid to suit sensitive and dry sensitive skin. Both brands differ in their core approaches, as the first provides balanced, reliable daily care while the second uses targeted ingredients to reduce acne and hyperpigmentation.

Dr. Althea is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2014 and owned by The Pure Lab Co., Ltd..

doctoraltheaglobal.comdoctoralthea.co.kr

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Dr. Althea and Some By Mi products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi products

People Say

Dr. AltheaSome By Mi
  • Gentle Formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “doesn't dry out my face — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
    • “skin doesn't feel stripped — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
    • “great for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
  • Soothing and Calming Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “calms redness — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “instantly calms irritated skin — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “perfect for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
    • “Calmed my retinol burn overnight — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “hydrating but light — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “consistently hydrated mornings — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs beautifully — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”
    • “Melts instantly — Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm”
  • Brightening and Evening Skin Tone Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Fades dark spots — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “skin looks visibly brighter — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “brightens dull skin — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “faded dark spots — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
  • Scent and Fragrance Dislike Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like plants — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “clinical scent — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “prominent acidic hint — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “not enough for dry skin — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “drying on my hands and face — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
    • “not moisturizing enough — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “Zits appeared initially — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for dry skin

Buy Dr. Althea routine · AED 430.35 · 90% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · AED 485.71 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for oily skin

Buy Dr. Althea routine · AED 765.52 · 90% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · AED 714.25 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for combination skin

Buy Dr. Althea routine · AED 619.88 · 88% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · AED 714.25 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which is better?

Dr. Althea tends to be better for gentle, soothing care and achieves a Superior routine fit for dry, oily, and acne-prone skin, whereas Some By Mi excels at skin texture improvement and brightening, with a Superior fit for sensitive and dry sensitive skin. Niacinamide may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer, which supports Some By Mi's brightening benefits.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi?

Dr. Althea provides superior gentleness and soothing care with fragrance-free formulas, making it well-suited for acne-prone skin, while Some By Mi specializes in brightening and skin texture improvement with key ingredients like Niacinamide, achieving superior fit levels for sensitive skin and dark spots.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for dry skin?

For dry skin, Dr. Althea achieves a Superior routine fit, while Some By Mi reaches a High fit on this page. Reviewers report that Dr. Althea provides soothing and hydrating moisturizers, whereas Some By Mi features ingredients like niacinamide and panthenol that help improve skin quality.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which cleanser is better?

Dr. Althea is better for gentle cleansing, as the products on this page feature soothing formulas that reviewers mostly mention as gentle and calming. Some By Mi excels at deep pore cleansing, though reviewers sometimes note drying or stripping effects from its cleansers.

Which is more affordable, Dr. Althea or Some By Mi?

The provided page and review facts do not contain pricing or affordability information for either Dr. Althea or Some By Mi.

Between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi, which brand is better for improving skin texture and brightening?

Some By Mi is better for improving skin texture and brightening, as the products on this page excel in skin smoothing and complexion brightening. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and control skin aging.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do the founding years and company ownership compare between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi?

Dr. Althea was founded in 2014 in South Korea and is owned by The Pure Lab Co., Ltd., whereas Some By Mi was established in 2016 in South Korea and has been owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

Which brand performs better for soothing and calming sensitive skin according to reviewers?

Dr. Althea performs better for soothing and calming sensitive skin, as reviewers mention gentle formulas and soothing products more often. For sensitive skin, Lovi rates Dr. Althea as High and Some By Mi as Superior.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for oily skin?

For oily skin, Dr. Althea achieves a Superior routine fit, while Some By Mi achieves a High fit. Reviewers note that Dr. Althea provides gentle formulas and soothing cleansers.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which moisturizer is better?

Both Dr. Althea and Some By Mi offer high-performing moisturizers, with Dr. Althea achieving a Superior fit for dry skin and Some By Mi achieving a High fit. Reviewers note that the products on this page feature soothing and hydrating moisturizers for Dr. Althea and excellent textures for Some By Mi.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for sensitive skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for sensitive skin because Lovi rates its overall routine fit as Superior, compared to High for Dr. Althea. Reviewers often note that Some By Mi offers gentle serums, whereas Dr. Althea sometimes has scent and irritation issues.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Dr. Althea provides a Superior routine fit, while Some By Mi offers a High routine fit. The products on this page for Dr. Althea focus particularly on gentle and soothing care.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated 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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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