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Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica

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

Paula's Choice and Dermalogica are American skincare brands owned by Unilever. The brands offer targeted serums, nourishing moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and more, formulated with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and salicylic acid. Both suit combination skin and oily skin best, while differing in their specific standout treatments for acne-prone, dark spot, and mature skin concerns. Paula's Choice relies on glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration, whereas Dermalogica utilizes salicylic acid to reduce acne lesion counts.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Dermalogica is an American skincare brand founded in 1986 and owned by Unilever since 2015.

en.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceDermalogica
  • Improving skin texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedOften 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 smooth as silk — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Fast absorption and lightweight feel Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “blends seamlessly — Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50”
    • “feels like nothing — Dermalogica Active Moist”
  • Glow, radiance and brightening Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “spots barely visible — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “immediately brighter looking — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Unclogging pores and clearing acne Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “Brings out all the gunk — Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry skin — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “super hydrating — Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque”
    • “skin feels hydrated — Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “helps calm and nourish my skin — Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream”
    • “The redness is better — Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream”
    • “Calms redness — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • High price and expensive size Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “expensive for body lotion — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “hefty price tag — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “smells like puke — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
    • “smells like medicine — Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50”
  • Purging, breakouts and skin reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Cystic acne flare-ups — Dermalogica Precleanse”
    • “Caused cystic acne — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “gave me acne — Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Packaging issues and leaks Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Leaky pump — Dermalogica Precleanse”
    • “pump dispenses too much — Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel”

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for dry skin

Buy Dermalogica routine · CA$524.99 · 87% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$301.97 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for oily skin

Buy Dermalogica routine · CA$525.00 · 91% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$357.38 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for combination skin

Buy Dermalogica routine · CA$530.09 · 90% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$383.47 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica: which is better?

Paula's Choice does better for improving texture, unclogging pores, and brightening, while Dermalogica excels in deep hydration and soothing. Overall, Lovi rates both brands as having a High fit for most skin types, though Dermalogica reaches a Superior fit for oily and combination skin.

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

Paula's Choice outperforms Dermalogica for improving texture, radiance, and clearing acne, while Dermalogica excels in deep hydration and soothing redness. For routine fit, Lovi rates Paula's Choice as High for oily skin and Dermalogica as Superior.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for dry skin?

Both brands are a High fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and brightness, while Dermalogica helps provide deep hydration and soothing moisturization.

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

Both brands offer top-tier cleansers, as Lovi rates products like Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser and Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel as Superior or High across nearly all skin types. Paula's Choice excels particularly at unclogging pores and clearing acne, while Dermalogica provides gentle, non-stripping hydration.

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

Reviewers note a high price for both Paula's Choice and Dermalogica, with Paula's Choice also seeing complaints about expensive sizes. This means neither brand is clearly more affordable.

How do the founding years and corporate ownership compare between Paula's Choice and Dermalogica?

Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and has been owned by Unilever since 2021. In comparison, Dermalogica was founded in the United States in 1986 and has been owned by Unilever since 2015.

Which brand performs better when it comes to deep hydration and reducing redness?

Dermalogica performs better than Paula's Choice for deep hydration and reducing redness, as reviewers mostly note its intense hydration and soothing moisturizers.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for oily skin?

Dermalogica is the better choice for oily skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior while Paula's Choice is rated High. Both brands help manage oil with fragrance-free formulas, but Dermalogica edges ahead with specialized products like the Daily Microfoliant and Retinol Clearing Oil.

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

Both brands offer effective moisturizers, but Dermalogica achieves a Superior Lovi fit level for oily and combination skin types. Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, helping sensitive skin avoid irritation.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for sensitive skin?

Both brands achieve a High routine fit for sensitive skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page and helps improve skin texture and smoothness. Dermalogica helps provide deep hydration and moisturization and reduces redness and soothes skin.

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

Both brands offer sunscreens on this page with High Lovi fit levels for dry and sensitive skin. Dermalogica also achieves a Superior fit level for mature skin with its Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50.

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

Both brands are a strong choice for acne-prone skin, with Lovi fit levels reaching Superior across multiple products in each line. Paula's Choice is noted for outperforming Dermalogica specifically in unclogging pores and clearing acne among the products on this page.

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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