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Paula's Choice vs Avène

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

Paula's Choice and Avène are skincare brands founded in the 1990s that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners formulated with glycerin. The American brand is known for active formulas built around hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, while the French brand is loved for gentle, soothing products. Both brands suit oily, acne-prone skin and combination skin best. They differ primarily in their formulation focus, with the former emphasizing targeted treatments for various concerns and the latter emphasizing calming care.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Avène products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceAvène
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “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”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Smooth texture and anti-aging Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “skin instantly felt firmer — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
  • Unclogs pores and controls acne Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Barrier repair, deep hydration and soothing Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Healed my over-exfoliated skin in days — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Causes dryness, purging, and irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Left my face tight — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “it didn't do anything for my dark circles — Avène RetrinAL EYES”
    • “no difference — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Packaging issues and product flaws Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “bring it back — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$301.97 · 84% fitBuy Avène routine · CA$265.85 · 76% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$357.38 · 87% fitBuy Avène routine · CA$307.37 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$383.47 · 88% fitBuy Avène routine · CA$393.55 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Avène: which is better?

Paula's Choice generally helps with anti-aging, unclogging pores, and lightweight absorption, whereas Avène helps better with soothing irritation and barrier repair. Both brands offer a High routine fit for most skin types, but Paula's Choice has a High fit for dry sensitive skin while Avène has an Average fit.

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

Paula's Choice helps unclog pores and controls acne better, while Avène is better for barrier repair, deep hydration, and soothing. For dry sensitive skin, Lovi rates Paula's Choice as High and Avène as Average.

Paula's Choice or Avène for dry skin?

For dry skin, both Paula's Choice and Avène achieve a High routine fit level on the products on this page. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while Avène offers soothing options like thermal spring water and rich balms.

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

Paula's Choice offers cleansers on this page that have a Superior fit for oily skin and oily acne-prone skin. Avène cleansers provide a gentle deep clean and help soothe irritation, though some products on this page list added fragrance.

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

When it comes to pricing, reviewers on this page mostly mention high prices and packaging issues for Paula's Choice, while Avène also receives note of its price point as a negative theme. Neither brand has a definitive advantage in affordability based on the provided page facts.

Between Paula's Choice and Avène, which brand offers fragrance-free products across its entire line?

Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products across the products on this page, as every product lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

How do the founding years and corporate ownership of Paula's Choice and Avène compare?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States and has been owned by Unilever since 2021. In contrast, Avène was founded in 1990 in France and is owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

Which brand performs better for barrier repair and soothing according to review themes?

Avène performs better for barrier repair, deep hydration, and soothing according to review themes.

Paula's Choice or Avène for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène fit oily skin at a High level. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, which help control oil and unclog pores.

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

Both brands offer effective moisturizers, but Paula's Choice is often noted for lightweight textures while Avène is frequently highlighted for deep hydration and soothing irritation. For dry sensitive skin specifically, the products on this page show Paula's Choice with a High fit level and Avène with an Average fit level.

Paula's Choice or Avène for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice offers a High routine fit for sensitive skin, while Avène offers a High routine fit as well. Reviewers note that Avène does better for gentle and non-irritating care, and every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice offers sunscreens with a High Lovi fit for dry and combination skin, while Avène includes options with a Superior fit for oily skin. Both brands provide lightweight protection, but Avène sunscreens are frequently noted by reviewers for being especially gentle and non-stripping.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Paula's Choice helps unclog pores and control acne better, while Avène is known for being gentle and non-irritating.

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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