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Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica

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

Paula's Choice and Dermalogica are respected American skincare brands that offer diverse cleansers, serums, and moisturizers built around key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and salicylic acid. Both brands suit oily skin and combination skin best by balancing excess oil and hydration. Paula's Choice is known for treatments featuring vitamin c and BHA, while the other brand is celebrated for nourishing formulas and gentle exfoliants. They differ in their specific product lines and targeted solutions for acne-prone, mature skin, and dark spots.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Dermalogica is an American skincare brand founded in 1986 and owned by Unilever since 2015.

en.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceDermalogica
  • Improving skin texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “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 feels smooth as silk — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Fast absorption and lightweight feel Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “blends seamlessly — Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50”
    • “feels like nothing — Dermalogica Active Moist”
  • Glow, radiance and brightening Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “spots barely visible — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “immediately brighter looking — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Unclogging pores and clearing acne Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “Brings out all the gunk — Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry skin — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “super hydrating — Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque”
    • “skin feels hydrated — Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “helps calm and nourish my skin — Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream”
    • “The redness is better — Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream”
    • “Calms redness — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • High price and expensive size Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “expensive for body lotion — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “hefty price tag — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “smells like puke — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
    • “smells like medicine — Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50”
  • Purging, breakouts and skin reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Cystic acne flare-ups — Dermalogica Precleanse”
    • “Caused cystic acne — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “gave me acne — Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Packaging issues and leaks Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Leaky pump — Dermalogica Precleanse”
    • “pump dispenses too much — Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel”

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,244.08 · 85% fitBuy Dermalogica routine · AED 2,091.38 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for oily skin

Buy Dermalogica routine · AED 1,772.79 · 92% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,660.65 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for combination skin

Buy Dermalogica routine · AED 1,888.85 · 91% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,512.70 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily acne-prone skin, whereas Dermalogica is better for oily and combination skin. Paula's Choice wins on texture and unclogging pores, while Dermalogica is better for deep hydration and soothing skin.

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

Paula's Choice outperforms Dermalogica for unclogging pores, clearing acne, and brightening, while Dermalogica excels at deep hydration and soothing redness. Both brands share high routine fit levels for dry, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin, but Dermalogica offers a superior fit for oily and combination skin types. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulations with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin across the products on this page. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Both Paula's Choice and Dermalogica offer high-performing cleansers on this page, but they cater best to different skin types. For oily acne-prone skin, Paula's Choice features cleansers like the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser with a Superior fit, while Dermalogica provides top-tier options such as the Daily Glycolic Cleanser and Clear Start Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash at a Superior level.

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

Both brands are noted by reviewers for having a high price point. Paula's Choice also receives specific negative mentions for an expensive size.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica: which is better for deep hydration and soothing redness?

Dermalogica is better for deep hydration and soothing redness, as review themes show the brand excels at deep hydration, moisturization, and reducing redness. Both brands feature fragrance-free products on the products on this page.

Do Paula's Choice and Dermalogica products contain any fragrance in their ingredients?

Paula's Choice and Dermalogica products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

When were Paula's Choice and Dermalogica founded and who owns them?

Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and has been owned by Unilever since 2021. Dermalogica was also founded in the United States, in 1986, and is owned by Unilever as well since 2015.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for oily skin?

Dermalogica is the better fit for oily skin because Lovi rates its routine as Superior, whereas Paula's Choice is rated High. Both brands feature products that help manage oil, but Dermalogica may provide a more effective overall balance for oily complexions.

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

Both Dermalogica and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers with a High routine fit for dry skin, but Dermalogica is generally known for its deep hydration and soothing moisturizers. Dermalogica products on this page frequently use hyaluronic acid, which may help improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for sensitive skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Paula's Choice features no fragrance across the products on this page. Ingredients like sodium hyaluronate help provide antioxidant and anti-aging benefits while supporting overall skin quality.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Both Paula's Choice and Dermalogica offer sunscreens with High routine fit levels for dry, oily, and combination skin on the products on this page. Ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and green tea help provide antioxidant and anti-aging effects to protect the skin from UV-induced damage.

Drug Delivery, 2017Carcinogenesis, 2001

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

Both Paula's Choice and Dermalogica are a High fit for acne-prone skin, with Dermalogica also reaching a Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice works particularly well for unclogging pores and clearing acne among 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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