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Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are American skincare brands known for offering cleansers, moisturizers, serums, toners, and more. Paula's Choice relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to suit combination skin and oily skin best, while Kiehl's relies on glycerin and squalane to suit mature skin and sensitive skin best. The brands differ because glycerin significantly increases skin hydration and restored barrier function in the former, whereas squalane counteracts oxidative stress and stimulates fibroblast migration in the latter.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceKiehl's
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement 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”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Glow, Brightening, and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formula 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”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Clearing Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “controlled my back and chest acne — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • High Price and Value Concerns Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent or Smell Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Irritation and Burning Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “stung my face — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$301.97 · 84% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$357.38 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$383.47 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin with its High routine fit, whereas Kiehl's routine fit for acne-prone skin is Average.

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

Paula's Choice best fits combination, oily, and acne-prone skin with fragrance-free formulas, whereas Kiehl's centers on mature skin, sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots using mostly fragrance-free products alongside two scented options. Both brands achieve a High routine fit across almost all skin types, though Paula's Choice rates higher specifically for acne-prone skin.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulations across the products on this page. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid found in both brands help provide deep hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer top-tier cleansers, with Paula's Choice excelling in acne-prone and oily skin types, while Kiehl's also provides standout options like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash. Reviewers note that both brands maintain a high standard for non-irritating formulas, though Paula's Choice specifically stands out for blemish clearing.

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

Neither brand has pricing listed on this page, but reviewers for both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's mention a high price point as a common drawback.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which brand is better for reducing dark spots?

Both brands offer products that fit skin with dark spots well, with Paula's Choice focusing on combination, oily, and acne-prone skin and Kiehl's focusing on mature skin, sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots. Both lines use niacinamide, which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which brand performs better for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit for mature skin, with Paula's Choice focusing best on combination, oily, and acne-prone skin while Kiehl's prioritizes mature skin, sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots. Both brands help address aging signs with ingredients like retinol, which stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Do Paula's Choice products contain any fragrance compared to Kiehl's?

Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in two of its products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a high routine fit for oily skin, but Paula's Choice features fragrance-free products across the page compared to Kiehl's.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer moisturizers with a High routine fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice also includes key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin across its hydrating products on this page.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit. Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance, whereas two Kiehl's products contain fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which provides a High fit level for dry skin, combination skin, and dry sensitive skin. Kiehl's offers the Better Screen UV Serum, which provides a High fit level for skin with dark spots, combination skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and mature skin.

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level. The products on this page help clear blemishes without added fragrance.

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

How does it fit your skin?

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