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Paula's Choice vs Clarins

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

Paula's Choice and Clarins are established skincare brands from America and France that offer diverse formulations for varying complexions. The American brand features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, while the French brand is loved for luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, soothing eye products, and gentle toners enriched with shea and squalane. Both suit different needs best, as the former fits oily and acne-prone skin, whereas the latter suits sensitive and dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, they differ through their distinct ingredients and targeted treatments, where glycerin increases skin hydration and squalane increases collagen.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clarins products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClarins
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
  • Texture smoothing and refinement 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”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
  • Deep hydration and softness Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “no more dry patches — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Anti-aging and firming results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
    • “plumped my fine lines — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “softened crow's feet — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Pore cleansing and clarity Often MentionedNot 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”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “weird glue-like smell — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Dryness, flaking, and irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not moisturizing enough — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$343.82 · 86% fitBuy Clarins routine · A$394.74 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$561.22 · 92% fitBuy Clarins routine · A$585.59 · 71% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$437.74 · 89% fitBuy Clarins routine · A$557.60 · 70% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clarins: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better suited for oily, acne-prone, and combination skin, as well as for pore cleansing and lightweight formulas. Clarins excels in deep hydration, anti-aging results, and catering to dry and sensitive skin.

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

Paula's Choice fits best for oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin, while Clarins is better suited for dry sensitive skin and sensitive skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, whereas Clarins relies on plant extracts and luxurious textures that often contain added fragrance.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Clarins for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clarins are a High fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice helps dry skin with products like its Advanced Replenishing Toner, while Clarins helps with choices such as its Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream.

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

Paula's Choice is better for oil and blemish control, while Clarins is better suited for gentle, nourishing cleansing on dry or sensitive skin. Both brands have cleansers with high fit levels, but Paula's Choice excels in pore clarity and removing excess oil.

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

Both brands are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither stands out as more affordable on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Clarins: which brand offers a better fit for mature skin?

Paula's Choice offers a superior fit for mature skin, whereas Clarins has a high fit. Retinol helps improve signs of aging in mature skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

How do the fragrance options differ between Paula's Choice and Clarins products?

Paula's Choice offers products on this page that list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas almost all Clarins products on this page include fragrance.

Which brand performs better in terms of deep hydration and softness according to review themes?

Clarins performs better in terms of deep hydration and softness according to review themes. Reviewers mostly mention that Clarins provides hydrating and smoothing moisturizers, while Paula's Choice is noted for other benefits like lightweight formulas and pore clarity.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to an Average fit for Clarins. The products on this page for Paula's Choice help control oil with key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, and every product on this page lists no fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice fits oily skin at a Superior level and combination skin at a High level, whereas Clarins offers Average fits for both. Clarins is formulated with fragrance in almost all of its products, while every Paula's Choice moisturizer on this page lists no fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for sensitive skin, whereas Clarins has a high fit. Lovi rates Paula's Choice as Superior and Clarins as High for this skin type.

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

Paula's Choice fits acne-prone skin better than Clarins, as Lovi rates Paula's Choice as Superior for this skin type while Clarins is rated Average. Paula's Choice focuses on ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, which help with pore cleansing and clarity.

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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