🇦🇺Australia

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 and Avène are respected skincare brands founded in the 1990s that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners. The American brand is known for formulations featuring hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, while the French brand relies on science-backed formulations and hydrating glycerin to ensure every consumer enjoys a calm and balanced complexion. Both brands fit oily skin and acne-prone skin best, though they differ in their specific product lineups and founding heritages.

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 · A$343.82 · 86% fitBuy Avène routine · A$239.08 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$561.22 · 92% fitBuy Avène routine · A$394.87 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$437.74 · 89% fitBuy Avène routine · A$381.11 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Avène: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for most skin types on this page, offering a Superior fit for oily, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin, while Avène matches it mainly for oily acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice also tends to be fragrance-free across the products on this page, whereas some Avène products contain fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice is better for oily and sensitive skin with a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Avène has an Average fit level for dry sensitive skin. Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like niacinamide to help suppress pigmentation, while Avène uses thermal water for soothing benefits.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Paula's Choice or Avène for dry skin?

Paula's Choice and Avène both have a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while Avène offers products that help with soothing irritation and deep hydration.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice offers cleansers with a Superior fit for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas Avène cleansers have a High fit for those skin types. Review themes show that Paula's Choice is better for lightweight textures and unclogging pores, while Avène is better for gentle deep cleaning.

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

Reviews note that high price and packaging issues are mostly mentioned for Paula's Choice, while Avène has price point mentioned sometimes.

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

Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, while Avène has 7 out of 15 products on its page that list no fragrance.

Which brand is better for dry sensitive skin, Paula's Choice or Avène?

Paula's Choice is better for dry sensitive skin, offering a High routine fit compared to an Average fit for Avène on this page. Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance, while several Avène products contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which brand is older and where was it founded?

Paula's Choice is older, having been founded in 1995 in the United States, whereas Avène was founded in 1990 in France.

Paula's Choice or Avène for oily skin?

For oily skin, Paula's Choice is a superior fit and Avène is a high fit. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like salicylic acid that help control oil and unclog pores.

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

Paula's Choice and Avène both offer effective moisturizers, but Paula's Choice helps best with lightweight absorption while Avène helps best with deep hydration and soothing irritation. For dry skin, Lovi rates both brands with a High fit level.

Paula's Choice or Avène for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for sensitive skin, achieving a Lovi fit level of Superior compared to Avène's High.

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, while Avène provides sunscreens like Cleanance with a Superior fit for oily skin. Both brands feature sunscreens with varying fit levels depending on the specific skin type.

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, with Lovi fit rated as Superior compared to Avène's High level.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play