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Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder

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

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are American skincare brands that offer diverse cleansers, moisturizers, serums, and toners built around hydrating glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Paula's Choice suits oily and acne-prone skin best with treatments featuring vitamin C, while the latter brand is beloved for nourishing dry and dry sensitive skin. Both use glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, yet they differ in their foundational strengths and targeted formulations.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEstée Lauder
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Feel 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 quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Smoothing Skin Texture 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”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep Hydration and Plumping Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formulas 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”
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Instantly blurs fine lines. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
  • High Price Point and Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • 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”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Caused small bumps on forehead — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “cystic acne — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$343.82 · 86% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · A$330.00 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$561.22 · 92% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · A$497.39 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$437.74 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · A$490.31 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's High fit. The products on this page help smooth skin texture and brighten tone, though reviewers often mention a high price point.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice fits oily, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin at a Superior level, whereas Estée Lauder fits those types at a High level. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice excels in fast absorption, lightweight feel, and smoothing skin texture, while Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration and plumping.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder show a High routine fit for dry skin on this page, but they differ in formulation styles. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free products across the range, whereas Estée Lauder provides deep hydration alongside some options with added fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice cleansers achieve a Superior Lovi fit for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas Estée Lauder cleansers reach a High fit for acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, while some Estée Lauder cleansers contain fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Both brands frequently receive shopper feedback about high price points, so neither stands out as clearly more affordable than the other on this page.

Between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder, which brand does better with deep hydration and plumping?

Between the two brands, Estée Lauder does better with deep hydration and plumping, as reviewers note it for deep hydration. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin moisture levels and wound healing.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which brand has more fragrance complaints according to reviewers, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Estée Lauder has more fragrance complaints according to reviewers, as Paula's Choice lists no fragrance in any of its products on this page while Estée Lauder has some products with fragrance and reviewer complaints about strong fragrance.

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder compare?

Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and is owned by Unilever, whereas Estée Lauder was founded in the United States in 1946 and is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's High fit on this page.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice offers better options for oily and blemish-prone complexions, while Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration and nourishment in dry skin routines. The products on this page from Paula's Choice rely on key ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which help maintain moisture without heaviness. Meanwhile, Estée Lauder provides richer formulas that may enhance radiance and smooth texture.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for sensitive skin, where Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Estée Lauder. Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas some Estée Lauder products include added fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 on this page, while Estée Lauder features the DayWear Moisturizer sunscreen. Lovi rates the DayWear Moisturizer as a Superior fit for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, sensitive skin, and mature skin, and a High fit for combination skin, acne-prone skin, skin with dark spots, oily skin, and oily acne-prone skin. In comparison, the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 is rated as a High fit for dry skin, combination skin, and dry sensitive skin, and an Average fit for acne-prone skin, oily skin, oily acne-prone skin, skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, and mature skin.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, with a Lovi fit level of Superior compared to Estée Lauder's High. The products on this page for Paula's Choice contain key ingredients like salicylic acid that help clear pores and reduce breakouts.

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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