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Paula's Choice vs Avène

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

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Avène products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceAvène
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Smooth texture and anti-aging Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin never been this silky — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “skin instantly felt firmer — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
  • Unclogs pores and controls acne Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Barrier repair, deep hydration and soothing Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Healed my over-exfoliated skin in days — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Causes dryness, purging, and irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Left my face tight — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “it didn't do anything for my dark circles — Avène RetrinAL EYES”
    • “no difference — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Packaging issues and product flaws Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “bring it back — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,244.08 · 85% fitBuy Avène routine · AED 669.42 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,660.65 · 89% fitBuy Avène routine · AED 859.37 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,512.70 · 89% fitBuy Avène routine · AED 1,056.50 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Avène: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for lightweight formulas and unclogging pores, while Avène is better for gentle soothing and barrier repair. Paula's Choice helps smooth texture and control acne, whereas Avène helps calm irritation and deep hydration.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Avène?

Paula's Choice and Avène both achieve a High routine fit across most skin types on this page, but Paula's Choice is better for lightweight texture, unclogging pores, and anti-aging. Meanwhile, Avène is better for gentle soothing and barrier repair, though some of its products on this page contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Avène for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while Avène is known for soothing irritation with its thermal water.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice offers a better overall range of cleansers with fragrance-free formulas that clean effectively without artificial scents, whereas some Avène cleansers contain added fragrance. Lovi rates the Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser as a Superior fit for oily and acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Avène?

Reviews note that high price is a disadvantage for both Paula's Choice and Avène, while Avène also faces criticism for its small size.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which brand has fragrance-free products?

Paula's Choice offers products on this page that all list no fragrance in their ingredients. In contrast, Avène includes added fragrance in several of its formulas.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which is better for dry sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice gives a High routine fit for dry sensitive skin, while Avène gives an Average fit. The products on this page for Paula's Choice are also entirely fragrance-free, whereas 7 of the 15 products on the Avène page list fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which brand was founded earlier?

Paula's Choice was founded earlier, in 1995 in the United States, whereas Avène was founded in 1990 in France.

Paula's Choice or Avène for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer a High routine fit for oily skin, making them strong choices depending on your specific needs. The products on this page for Paula's Choice are fragrance-free, while several Avène products contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer moisturizers with a high fit for various skin types. Paula's Choice focuses on antioxidant and active-rich formulas, while Avène is frequently noted for soothing irritation and barrier repair.

Paula's Choice or Avène for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across all the products on this page, while Avène is frequently noted by reviewers for being gentle and soothing irritation.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which has a High fit for dry and combination skin, and an Average fit for oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin. Avène features several sunscreens including Cleanance, which has a Superior fit for oily skin and High fit for combination and acne-prone skin.

Paula's Choice or Avène for acne-prone skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like salicylic acid that help unclog pores and control acne.

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

How does it fit your skin?

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