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Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List

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

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are distinct skincare lines offering targeted serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around ingredients like glycerin. The American brand is known for utilizing hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to best suit oily and acne-prone skin, while the British brand relies on glycerin to best suit sensitive and acne-prone skin. Both utilize glycerin, an ingredient that significantly increased skin hydration and restored barrier function. They differ in origin, founding year, ownership, and specific formulation approaches.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing 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”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Improves texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-irritating 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”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Radiance, glow, and dark spots Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Visibly reduces acne scars — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$343.82 · 86% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · A$220.70 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$561.22 · 92% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · A$457.62 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · A$381.72 · 90% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · A$437.74 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands are great choices, as Paula's Choice excels for mature skin and dark spots, while The INKEY List is particularly affordable. Lovi finds that Paula's Choice fits mature skin at a Superior level, whereas The INKEY List reaches a High level for that skin type.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice is better for improving texture, smoothness, radiance, glow, and dark spots, while The INKEY List is better for reducing redness and soothing skin.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while reviewers note that The INKEY List provides affordable and hydrating moisturizers.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser is rated as a Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin, oily skin, and acne-prone skin on the products on this page.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Paula's Choice, as reviewers mostly mention its affordable moisturizers and serums while noting high prices for Paula's Choice.

Which brand does better for improving texture and smoothness?

Paula's Choice does better for improving texture and smoothness. This brand features targeted options like exfoliating acids that help refine the skin.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both brands are a Superior fit for sensitive skin on Lovi. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin across its range.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer solid moisturizer options, but The INKEY List is often noted by shoppers for its affordable and hydrating moisturizers, while Paula's Choice features targeted specialty options like its Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer and Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both brands are a Superior fit for acne-prone skin, offering a wide selection of targeted products like cleansers and exfoliants.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for skin with dark spots?

The INKEY List may fit skin with dark spots slightly better because Lovi rates its overall routine as Superior compared to High for Paula's Choice, even though both brands feature key ingredients like niacinamide and vitamin C that help fade discoloration.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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