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Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are American skincare brands that offer thoughtfully crafted cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, and more. Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily skin and combination skin best. Conversely, Kiehl's anchors its formulations in nourishing ingredients like glycerin and squalane, serving skin with dark spots and dry skin best. While both brands feature glycerin to increase hydration and restore barrier function, they ultimately differ in their foundational philosophies and specialized treatments.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceKiehl's
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Glow, Brightening, and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “no stinging — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Clearing Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “controlled my back and chest acne — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • High Price and Value Concerns Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent or Smell Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Irritation and Burning Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “stung my face — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,244.08 · 85% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,660.65 · 89% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · AED 1,512.70 · 89% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which is better?

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are both well-rated brands with equal routine fit levels across almost all skin types, though Paula's Choice is better suited for acne-prone skin.

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

Paula's Choice products on this page fit acne-prone skin with a High routine level, whereas Kiehl's routine fit for acne-prone skin is Average. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better for fast absorption and acne-clearing, while Kiehl's does better for deep hydration and radiance.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a High fit for dry skin. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice delivers fast absorption and lightweight texture, while Kiehl's provides deep and intense hydration.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer top-tier cleansers, with Paula's Choice excelling at acne and blemish clearing while Kiehl's features standout options like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash. For acne-prone skin, the products on this page show that Paula's Choice fits best, whereas Kiehl's is ideal for dry skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots.

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

Both brands are frequently noted by reviewers for having a high price point. Lovi fit levels do not compare brand affordability directly.

Which brand is better for texture improvement: Paula's Choice or Kiehl's?

Paula's Choice is better for texture improvement. Reviewers note that its products help improve skin texture.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which brand is fragrance-free across all its products?

Paula's Choice is entirely fragrance-free, as every product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, Kiehl's includes fragrance in two of the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both brands fit oily skin well with a High routine fit level. The products on this page for Paula's Choice and Kiehl's both feature lightweight formulas that help control excess oil and shine.

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's both offer quality moisturizers, with Paula's Choice providing fragrance-free formulas while Kiehl's features popular lightweight options.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit level for sensitive skin. Paula's choice-focused products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

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

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which provides a high fit for dry, combination, and dry sensitive skin, and an average fit for other skin types on this page. Kiehl's features the Better Screen UV Serum, yielding a high fit for skin with dark spots, combination skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and mature skin, alongside an average fit for its remaining skin types.

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average fit level.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer products that have a high fit for skin with dark spots. Paula's Choice has a High routine fit for skin with dark spots, and Kiehl's also has a High routine fit for skin with dark spots.

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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