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Paula's Choice vs RoC

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

Paula's Choice and RoC are skincare brands known for formulas built around hydrating glycerin, barrier-supporting ingredients, and targeted treatments for various complexions. The American brand offers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners featuring hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the French brand is beloved for effective serums, eye products, moisturizers, and cleansers featuring nourishing glycerin and potent retinol, suiting acne-prone and mature skin best. While both brands support skin hydration and barrier function, they differ in their heritage and specific combinations of key ingredients.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

RoC is a French skincare brand founded in 1957 and owned by Bridgepoint Group plc since 2024.

en.wikipedia.orgprnewswire.combeautymatter.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs RoC products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceRoC
  • Skin texture improvement and smoothing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “diminished my forehead lines — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
    • “face looked smoother — RoC Daily Resurfacing Disks”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas 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 instantly — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
  • Anti-aging and wrinkle reduction Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “wrinkles look less deep — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Fine lines definitely softer — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “crow's feet are fading — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Non-irritating and gentle formulas Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 leave my skin feeling tight — RoC BARRIER RENEW® GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER”
    • “No irritation for me — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Deep hydration Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin is no longer dry — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “Areas stay hydrated all day — RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream”
    • “My skin looks smoother and hydrated. — RoC Derm Correxion Contour Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Non-greasy formulas Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs nicely — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Absorbs easily and quickly — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly without residue — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
  • Unpleasant smell or strong fragrance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “smells like perfume — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “smell is too strong — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum”
    • “perfume smell is too strong — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Skin irritation and burning Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused redness and stinging — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
  • High price and value concerns Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “small bottle — RoC Multi Correxion Revive + Glow Daily Serum”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for dry skin

Buy RoC routine · A$202.89 · 88% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · A$343.82 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$561.22 · 92% fitBuy RoC routine · A$423.36 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$437.74 · 89% fitBuy RoC routine · A$366.84 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or RoC: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin due to a Superior fit across the products on this page, while RoC achieves a High fit for those skin types. Both brands offer an equal routine fit for dry, combination, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots. Retinol helps reduce signs of aging in skin.

Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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

Paula's Choice offers a superior fit for oily, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin compared to RoC, while RoC provides better results for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction through its retinol products. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Paula's Choice or RoC for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and RoC offer a High routine fit for dry skin on the products on this page. RoC may help with wrinkle reduction using retinol, while Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin, where its cleansers achieve a Superior Lovi fit compared to RoC. RoC's BARRIER RENEW GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER also offers a High Lovi fit across multiple skin types on the products on this page.

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

RoC is generally considered more affordable on the products on this page, whereas reviewers mostly mention high prices and packaging issues for Paula's Choice.

Between Paula's Choice and RoC, which brand is better for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction?

RoC does better for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction among the products on this page. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Which brand has a stronger fragrance or scent in its products, Paula's Choice or RoC?

RoC has a stronger fragrance or scent in its products, as some of its items list fragrance in their ingredients, whereas all of the products on this page for Paula's Choice list no fragrance.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Paula's Choice and RoC?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States, whereas RoC was founded earlier in 1957 in France.

Paula's Choice or RoC for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to a High fit for RoC. The products on this page help manage oil and blemishes effectively while remaining fragrance-free.

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

Paula's Choice and RoC offer moisturizers that help different skin concerns, with Paula's Choice focusing on fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, while RoC is known for anti-aging options like retinol. For dry skin, the products on this page help provide deep hydration and support the skin barrier.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or RoC for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for sensitive skin, achieving a Superior level compared to RoC's High. Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, which helps minimize skin irritation.

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

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, while RoC offers the BARRIER RENEW AM MOISTURIZER SPF 30 on this page. Lovi rates the sunscreen fit for dry skin, combination skin, and dry sensitive skin as High for both brands.

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to RoC's High fit level on the products on this page. Topical retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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?

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