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Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder

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

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are American skincare brands known for addressing diverse complexions through thoughtful, ingredient-led formulations. Paula's Choice relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c within its serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners to suit combination and oily skin, whereas the latter utilizes similar hydrating elements across moisturizers, serums, eye products, and cleansers to best serve mature and sensitive skin. Both brands differ in their foundational approaches, as the former targets specific concerns like acne, dark spots, and aging through targeted treatments, while the latter offers gentle, nourishing compositions for delicate barriers.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEstée Lauder
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Feel Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Smoothing Skin Texture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep Hydration and Plumping Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formulas Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “no stinging — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Instantly blurs fine lines. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
  • High Price Point and Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • 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”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Caused small bumps on forehead — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “cystic acne — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$301.97 · 84% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · CA$386.99 · 76% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$357.38 · 87% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · CA$510.40 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$383.47 · 88% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · CA$424.49 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are great, with Paula's Choice doing better for fast absorption and smoothing skin texture, while Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration and plumping. The products on this page have fragrance-free options for both brands, though Paula's Choice lists no fragrance across its entire range.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products on this page and tends to do better for fast absorption and smoothing skin texture, whereas Estée Lauder provides deep hydration and plumping with some scented options. Both brands generally achieve equal routine fit across different skin types, though they share common complaints regarding a high price point.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin, with Paula's Choice providing fragrance-free options like the Replenishing Moisturizer and Estée Lauder offering deeply hydrating choices such as the Revitalizing Supreme+ moisturizer. Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid help support skin barrier function and hydration.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers with high fit levels, but Paula's Choice is a better option for oily and acne-prone skin, while Estée Lauder stands out for dry and sensitive skin. Reviewers note that the products on this page from Estée Lauder provide gentle and non-drying cleansers.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Both brands share the same drawback of a high price point, so neither stands out as more affordable.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which brand has better anti-aging and firming results?

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are equal for anti-aging and firming results. Retinol helps reduce signs of aging by stimulating collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which brand offers better hydration and plumping benefits?

Estée Lauder does better for deep hydration and plumping, while Paula's Choice excels in fast absorption and lightweight feel. Both brands offer high routine fit levels for dry and mature skin types.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

How do the fragrance options and ingredients compare between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder products?

Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, whereas 2 of 14 Estée Lauder products include added fragrance. Both brands feature hyaluronic acid and glycerin across their products, while Paula's Choice additionally includes ingredients like vitamin C, licorice root, niacinamide, salicylic acid, green tea, and vitamin E.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are a High fit for oily skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide that help control oil, while Estée Lauder offers lightweight options like the Micro Essence Treatment Lotion that may help balance skin.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder offer effective moisturizers on this page, and Lovi rates their routines as an equal High fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help support the skin barrier, while Estée Lauder formulas frequently use hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help deliver deep hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Both brands achieve a High routine fit for sensitive skin on Lovi. Paula's Choice helps avoid irritation since the products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, and Estée Lauder offers the DayWear Moisturizer, with both protecting the skin well. The products on this page for both brands feature no added fragrance across their sunscreens, and the DayWear Moisturizer is noted as having a strong fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Both brands are well suited for acne-prone skin, with Lovi giving Paula's Choice a High fit level and Estée Lauder a High fit level. Paula's Choice helps target breakouts using key ingredients like salicylic acid across 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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