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SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice

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

SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice are two distinct skincare lines known for differing formulations and targeted benefits. The first brand offers soothing toners, moisturizers, sunscreens, and masks built around centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide that suit sensitive and dry skin best. Meanwhile, the American brand features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners powered by hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C that excel for oily and acne-prone skin. Ultimately, they differ through their foundational ingredients and primary skin type compatibilities.

SKIN1004 is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2012 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024.

mk.co.krpitchbook.comtracxn.comgoodai-global.com

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

SKIN1004Paula's Choice
  • Lightweight texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sunk in like a dream — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “Texture is on the thinner side... surprisingly lightweight. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and soothing Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “calmed my angry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “Gives my dehydrated skin a moisture surge — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Eliminated redness on my easily irritated skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “instantly hydrates — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Skin smoothing and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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 super soft — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
  • Brightening and complexion Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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 a nice glow — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Boosting Toner”
  • Effective cleansing Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip my skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara and sunscreen effortlessly. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Gentle formulation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't burn my eyes — SKIN1004 Probio-Cica Bakuchiol Eye Cream”
    • “Does not sting my eyes or irritate my sensitive skin. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Small size or high price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Price is quite steep — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “wish it came in larger size — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “Pricey for daily use — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pad”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Scent dislikes Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like wet dog — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “Has a strong herbal/citrus scent I didn't enjoy. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “smells a bit like plastic — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Insufficient hydration or dryness Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not enough for dry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “not moisturizing enough — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
  • Irritation and eye discomfort Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Made my vision blurry/foggy for a while after rinsing. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “painful tightness — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

Buy SKIN1004 routine · A$115.38 · 88% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · A$343.82 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$561.22 · 92% fitBuy SKIN1004 routine · A$261.53 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · A$437.74 · 89% fitBuy SKIN1004 routine · A$225.80 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin, where Lovi rates its routines as Superior, whereas SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice match equally for dry, combination, dark-spot, and dry sensitive skin.

What is the difference between SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice?

SKIN1004 is best for sensitive, dry, and oily skin with a focus on hydration and soothing, while Paula's Choice is best for oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin with superior skin smoothing and brightening benefits.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer a High routine fit for dry skin, making them equally good options for this skin type.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice both offer effective cleansers, as Lovi rates effective cleansing as equal between the two brands. SKIN1004 features soothing formulas with key ingredients like Centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid, while Paula's Choice provides targeted options such as the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice is noted for high price issues, while SKIN1004 has reviewers sometimes mentioning small size or high price complaints.

Which brand performs better for brightening and complexion, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice performs better for brightening and complexion. Review themes indicate that Paula's Choice excels in brightening and complexion compared to SKIN1004.

How do the key ingredients of SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice differ across their products?

SKIN1004 features key ingredients like Centella asiatica, Hyaluronic acid, Niacinamide, and Panthenol across its products. In contrast, Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients such as Hyaluronic acid, Glycerin, Vitamin C, Licorice root, Niacinamide, Salicylic acid, Green tea, and Vitamin E.

What are the main reviewer complaints regarding packaging and pricing for SKIN1004 versus Paula's Choice?

For SKIN1004, reviewers mention small size and high price along with scent dislikes, while Paula's Choice faces frequent complaints regarding high price and packaging issues.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine compared to SKIN1004's High fit level.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers with a High routine fit for dry skin, while SKIN1004 features lightweight and soothing moisturizers and Paula's Choice focuses on anti-aging serums.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a Superior fit for sensitive skin, whereas SKIN1004 has a High fit for it.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer sunscreens on the products on this page, but a direct comparison depends on your skin type. SKIN1004 features sunscreens like the Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum and Soothing Sun Milk, which fit sensitive, oily, dry, and acne-prone skin at High to Superior levels. Paula's Choice includes options such as the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which provides High fit for dry and combination skin and Average fit for oily and acne-prone skin.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a Superior fit for acne-prone skin, while SKIN1004 has a High fit level for this skin type.

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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