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Paula's Choice vs Charlotte Tilbury

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

Paula's Choice and Charlotte Tilbury are two prominent beauty companies that offer distinct approaches to daily care. The American brand, founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, focuses on serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting combination and oily skin best. Conversely, the British brand, founded in 2013 and owned by Puig since 2020, concentrates on moisturizers and eye products. While both collections target specific concerns like acne, dark spots, and aging through specialized items such as glycerin—which significantly increased skin hydration and restored barrier function—they differ fundamentally in their product range and formulation philosophy.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Charlotte Tilbury is a British skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Puig since 2020.

en.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Charlotte Tilbury products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceCharlotte Tilbury
  • Glow, Brightness, and Anti-Aging Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “radiant skin filter — Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil”
    • “lit-from-within glow — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
  • Deep Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “extremely emollient and rich — Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue”
    • “floods skin with moisture — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
    • “super hydrated — Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil”
  • Absorption and Lightweight Formulas Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “sinks in well — Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil”
  • Makeup Base and Performance Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “perfect canvas for base — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
    • “foundation looks flawless — Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil”
    • “instantly smoothed out lines — Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue”
  • Elegant Texture and Scent Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “smells like spa — Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil”
    • “rich and nourishing — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
    • “thick glossy cream — Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue”
    • “Absorbs like a dream — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Pores and Texture Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
  • High Price and Small Size Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “extremely overpriced — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
    • “not worth the splurge — Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “gave me acne — Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil”
    • “caused breakouts — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
  • Residue, Pilling, and Texture Issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “sticky, oily film — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “pills under makeup — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “too greasy for oily skin — Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream”
  • Other Product Inefficiencies Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Did not notice any difference in my pores. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “did nothing — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “caused milia (little bumps) — Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue”

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Charlotte Tilbury: which is better?

Paula's Choice offers a much wider range of products that fit combination, oily, and acne-prone skin best, whereas Charlotte Tilbury focuses heavily on hydrating moisturizers like Charlotte's Magic Cream. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice delivers better absorption and lightweight formulas, while Charlotte Tilbury excels in elegant textures and deep hydration.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Charlotte Tilbury?

Paula's Choice offers a wide selection of targeted serums and exfoliants that help with pores and texture, fitting combination, oily, and acne-prone skin best. Charlotte Tilbury focuses on rich moisturizers that provide deep hydration and excel as a makeup base.

Paula's Choice or Charlotte Tilbury: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice offers a wide selection of moisturizers with varying Lovi fit levels for different skin types, while Charlotte Tilbury features targeted options like Charlotte's Magic Cream, which has a Superior fit for mature skin and a High fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice focuses heavily on lightweight formulas and pore care, whereas Charlotte Tilbury is noted for deep hydration.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Charlotte Tilbury?

Both brands share the same drawback of high price.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Paula's Choice or Charlotte Tilbury?

Paula's Choice fits acne-prone skin best across the products on this page, whereas Charlotte Tilbury achieves an average fit level for acne-prone skin.

When were Paula's Choice and Charlotte Tilbury founded and which companies own them?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States and is owned by Unilever, while Charlotte Tilbury was founded in 2013 in the United Kingdom and is owned by Puig.

Which brand performs better for deep hydration according to review themes?

Charlotte Tilbury performs better for deep hydration. Review themes show that Charlotte Tilbury excels in deep hydration compared to Paula's Choice.

Do any products from either Paula's Choice or Charlotte Tilbury contain fragrance?

Every product listed on this page from both Paula's Choice and Charlotte Tilbury contains no fragrance in its ingredients.

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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