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La Roche-Posay vs Paula's Choice

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

La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice are two esteemed skincare brands offering targeted solutions for various skin concerns. The French brand, founded in 1975, is known for its nourishing serums, comforting moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and soothing eye products formulated with glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide, suiting oily and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the American brand, founded in 1995, features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily and combination skin best. While both brands excel with balancing formulations, they differ in their heritage, specific ingredient combinations, and national origins.

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

Paula's Choice is an American skincare brand founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021.

unilever.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular La Roche-Posay vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

La Roche-PosayPaula's Choice
  • Fragrance-free and Gentle Formulas Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “zero scent — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “Skin feels smoother — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “legs stopped flaking — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Acne Clearing and Oil Control Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “clears acne blemishes — La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser”
  • Good Texture Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “absorbs quickly — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “Absorbs like a dream — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Brightening and Fading Dark Spots Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “skin looks brighter — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Price vs Size Value Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Too expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Tube is tiny for the price — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Strong Fragrance and Scents Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “scent is awful — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “overwhelming floral smell — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Packaging Issues and Faulty Pumps Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Cap broke immediately — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
  • Product Texture and Pilling Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “sticky, oily film — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “pills under makeup — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”

La Roche-Posay vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · AED 454.02 · 85% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,244.08 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · AED 726.14 · 89% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,660.65 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,512.70 · 89% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · AED 781.65 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Both brands are great choices, as Lovi rates their routines as High across all skin types. Paula's Choice stands out for acne clearing and oil control, while La Roche-Posay does better with hydration and gentle, fragrance-free formulas.

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice?

La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice both offer routines with a High fit across all skin types, but they differ in reviewer feedback and formulation choices. La Roche-Posay does better for hydration, moisture, and fragrance-free gentle formulas, whereas Paula's Choice excels in skin texture improvement, acne clearing, oil control, and brightening dark spots.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice fit dry skin well, offering a High routine fit level. La Roche-Posay stands out for hydration and moisture, while Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin that help support skin quality.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers with high fit levels for specific skin types, such as Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser for oily and acne-prone skin and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Foaming Gel for sensitive and dry skin.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice?

Both La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice face common shopper critiques regarding price, value, and size concerns. Review themes indicate that price versus size value is a specific negative point for La Roche-Posay, while high price is noted as a drawback for Paula's Choice.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice has more fragrance-free products, as every product on its page lists no fragrance, whereas La Roche-Posay has fragrance in 14 of its 35 products.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice: which is better for brightening and fading dark spots?

Paula's Choice is better for brightening and fading dark spots because reviewers favor its brightening performance. Niacinamide, an ingredient found across the products on this page, helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand is better for skin texture improvement, La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice does better for skin texture improvement. The products on this page help smooth skin and improve texture.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice fit oily skin with a High level. Paula's Choice does better for acne clearing and oil control among the products on this page.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Both La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers that help deliver strong hydration and support skin health. La Roche-Posay provides a High fit for dry skin through options like Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream, while Paula's Choice also shows a High fit for dry skin with products like Replenishing Moisturizer.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Paula's Choice fit sensitive skin at a High level on this page. La Roche-Posay does better for fragrance-free and gentle formulas, while every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

La Roche-Posay is a better choice for sun protection, as Lovi rates its Anthelios sunscreen as having a Superior fit level for skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, combination skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, and oily skin.

La Roche-Posay or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Both brands are a High fit for acne-prone skin, with Paula's Choice doing better for acne clearing and oil control while La Roche-Posay does better for fragrance-free and gentle formulas. Paula's Choice also helps with brightening and fading dark spots on the products on this page.

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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