Dr. Althea vs Galderma
Dr. Althea and Galderma are distinct international skincare brands offering specialized formulations for varying complexions. The Korean brand features thoughtfully crafted moisturizers, cleansers, makeup removers, and serums suited best for dry and mature skin, while the Swiss brand focuses on targeted serums that fit oily and combination skin best. Ultimately, both differ primarily in their core ingredient approaches and their ideal skin types, guiding individuals toward a balanced and healthy complexion.
Dr. Althea is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2014 and owned by The Pure Lab Co., Ltd..
doctoraltheaglobal.comdoctoralthea.co.kr
Galderma is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1981 and owned by Galderma Group AG.
This page compares some of the most popular Dr. Althea and Galderma products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular Dr. Althea vs Galderma products
People Say
Gentle Formula Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
- “doesn't dry out my face — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
- “skin doesn't feel stripped — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
- “great for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
- “didn't burn my face — Galderma Benzac AC Mild Strength 2.5% Acne Gel”
Acne Clearance and Prevention Not notedMostly Mentioned
- “cleared up my skin — Galderma Benzac AC Mild Strength 2.5% Acne Gel”
- “cystic acne gone — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
- “stops new pimples — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
Lightweight and Pleasant Texture Mostly MentionedNot noted
- “absorbs beautifully — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
- “rich but non-greasy — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “Melts instantly — Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm”
Soothing and Calming Mostly MentionedNot noted
- “calms redness — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
- “instantly calms irritated skin — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “perfect for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedNot noted
- “hydrating but light — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
- “consistently hydrated mornings — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “feels hydrated — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
Skin Texture Improvement Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
- “skin feels smooth — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
- “faded acne scars — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
Severe Burning and Dryness Not notedMostly Mentioned
- “face on fire — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
Causes Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
- “broke me out — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
- “gave me cystic acne — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “broke me out badly — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
- “got worse first — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
Redness and Irritation Not notedMostly Mentioned
- “red as tomato — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
Bleaches Fabrics Not notedMostly Mentioned
- “bleached my towel — Galderma Benzac AC 5”
Dr. Althea vs Galderma routines for dry skin
-
Cleanser
Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$29.79
-
Hydrating Toner
Dear, Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner
Morning
CA$27.99
-
Moisturizer
345 Relief Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$28.45
-
SPF
d'Alba Piedmont Waterfull Mild Sunscreen
Morning
CA$38.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
CA$20.50
-
Serum or Treatment
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Evening · Once a week
CA$27.99
-
Nourishing Mask
MEDIHEAL Vita Essential Mask
Once a week
CA$29.99
-
Cleanser
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$20.19
-
Hydrating Toner
Dear, Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner
Morning
CA$27.99
-
Moisturizer
Tata Harper Repairative Moisturizer
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$162.00
-
SPF
d'Alba Piedmont Waterfull Mild Sunscreen
Morning
CA$38.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
CA$17.99
-
Serum or Treatment
Benzac AC 5
Evening · Once a week
CA$45.40
-
Nourishing Mask
MEDIHEAL Vita Essential Mask
Once a week
CA$29.99
Buy Dr. Althea routine · CA$202.71 · 91% fit
Buy Galderma routine · CA$341.56 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit
Dr. Althea vs Galderma routines for oily skin
-
Cleanser
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$20.96
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
CA$37.60
-
Moisturizer
COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$29.98
-
SPF
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 60
Morning
CA$35.95
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pyunkang Yul Deep Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
CA$23.99
-
Cleansing Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Evening
CA$28.90
-
Serum or Treatment
Benzac AC 5
Evening · Once a week
CA$45.40
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
CA$29.50
-
Cleansing Mask
Tatcha The Clarifying Clay Mask
Once a week
CA$95.00
-
Cleanser
Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$29.79
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
CA$37.60
-
Moisturizer
345 Relief Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$28.45
-
SPF
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 60
Morning
CA$35.95
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
CA$20.50
-
Cleansing Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Evening
CA$28.90
-
Serum or Treatment
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Evening · Once a week
CA$27.99
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
CA$29.50
-
Cleansing Mask
Tatcha The Clarifying Clay Mask
Once a week
CA$95.00
Buy Galderma routine · CA$347.28 · 94% fit
Buy Dr. Althea routine · CA$333.68 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit
Dr. Althea vs Galderma routines for combination skin
-
Cleanser
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$44.95
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
CA$37.60
-
Moisturizer
COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$29.98
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
CA$20.96
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pyunkang Yul Deep Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
CA$23.99
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
CA$31.99
-
Serum or Treatment
Benzac AC 5
Evening · Once a week
CA$45.40
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
CA$29.50
-
Cleansing Mask
Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay
Once a week
CA$50.00
-
Cleanser
Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$29.79
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
CA$37.60
-
Moisturizer
345 Relief Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
CA$28.45
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
CA$20.96
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
CA$20.50
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
CA$31.99
-
Serum or Treatment
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Evening · Once a week
CA$27.99
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
CA$29.50
-
Cleansing Mask
Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay
Once a week
CA$50.00
Buy Galderma routine · CA$314.37 · 94% fit
Buy Dr. Althea routine · CA$276.78 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit
Questions and answers
Dr. Althea or Galderma: which is better?
Dr. Althea and Galderma both excel, but for different needs: Dr. Althea provides superior gentle hydration and soothing care for dry and mature skin, while Galderma offers superior acne clearance for oily and acne-prone skin.
What is the difference between Dr. Althea and Galderma?
Dr. Althea features gentle, soothing, and hydrating formulas that fit dry, mature, and oily skin best, whereas Galderma focuses on effective acne-clearing serums that fit oily, combination, and oily acne-prone skin best. Reviewers note that Galderma's products often cause severe dryness, peeling, and irritation.
Dr. Althea or Galderma for dry skin?
For dry skin, Lovi rates Dr. Althea as Superior and Galderma as High. The products on this page from Dr. Althea are noted for soothing and hydrating moisturizers, whereas Galderma reviewers sometimes mention severe dryness and peeling.
Which is more affordable, Dr. Althea or Galderma?
The provided page facts do not contain pricing information, so it is not possible to determine whether Dr. Althea or Galderma is more affordable.
Between Dr. Althea and Galderma, which brand is better suited for mature skin?
Between Dr. Althea and Galderma, Dr. Althea is better suited for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Galderma's High fit. The products on this page for Dr. Althea offer gentle, soothing, and hydrating moisturizers as well as cleansers that reviewers mostly mention favorably.
How do the review ratings for gentle formulas compare between Dr. Althea and Galderma?
Dr. Althea does better than Galderma for gentle formulas, as Dr. Althea's review themes favor gentle cleansers and soothing moisturizers while Galderma's reviews frequently mention severe dryness, peeling, and irritation.
Which brand offers a better routine fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Galderma offers a better routine fit for oily acne-prone skin, with Lovi rating it as Superior compared to Dr. Althea's High fit level.
Dr. Althea or Galderma for oily skin?
For oily skin, Galderma is the better choice because Lovi rates its routine as Superior, compared to High for Dr. Althea. Galderma is known for effective acne-clearing serums, though reviewers sometimes note severe dryness and peeling.
Dr. Althea or Galderma for sensitive skin?
Both brands fit sensitive skin at a High level on Lovi. Dr. Althea features gentle cleansers and soothing moisturizers, whereas Galderma's acne-clearing serums are sometimes noted for causing severe dryness, peeling, and irritation.
Dr. Althea or Galderma for acne-prone skin?
Galderma is better for acne-prone skin, as the brand features effective acne-clearing serums that Lovi rates as High for this skin type. However, Galderma may cause severe dryness and peeling, whereas Dr. Althea offers gentler products like the Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser, which Lovi rates as Superior for acne-prone skin.
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.
-

Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-

Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-

Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-

Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-

Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-

Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.











































