🇨🇦Canada

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List

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

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are well-regarded skincare labels that offer targeted regimens built around nourishing agents like glycerin. The American brand features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners tailored for combination and oily skin, while its British counterpart provides moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products suited best for combination and sensitive skin. Both lines utilize key ingredients to enhance hydration and support barrier function, yet they differ in their foundational formulations and specific product strengths for various complexions.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing 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”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Improves texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-irritating 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”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Radiance, glow, and dark spots Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Visibly reduces acne scars — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$301.97 · 84% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · CA$118.83 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · CA$357.38 · 87% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · CA$258.98 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$206.30 · 90% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$383.47 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better?

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both offer high routine fit across major skin types, but Paula's Choice is better for improving texture and dark spots, while The INKEY List is more affordable.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice is a US-based brand founded in 1995 that is owned by Unilever, while The INKEY List is a UK-based brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited. Both brands offer fragrance-free products on this page, but Paula's Choice is noted for improving texture and tackling dark spots, whereas The INKEY List is known for affordability and reducing redness.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry skin?

For dry skin, both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List offer a High routine fit on the products on this page. Paula's Choice provides options such as the Replenishing Moisturizer with a High fit for dry skin, while The INKEY List features choices like the Oat Cleansing Balm with a Superior fit for dry skin.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers that fit oily, acne-prone, and combination skin at a Superior level, while Paula's Choice provides an extra range of options for dry and sensitive skin. Reviewers note that The INKEY List delivers better affordability, whereas Paula's Choice is often associated with higher prices.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Paula's Choice, as reviewers mostly note its affordable prices and value while highlighting high prices for Paula's Choice.

Between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List, which brand does better for improving texture and smoothness?

Paula's Choice does better for improving texture and smoothness than The INKEY List.

Which brand is better for radiance, glow, and dark spots between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice does better for radiance, glow, and dark spots on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which one performs better for reducing redness and soothing skin?

The INKEY List performs better for reducing redness and soothes skin, as reviewers note it does better in this area.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List achieve a High routine fit for oily skin. Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and radiance, while The INKEY List provides affordable hydration.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer solid moisturizers, with Paula's Choice bringing targeted anti-aging formulas and The INKEY List providing widely praised hydrating and budget-friendly options on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands work well, but Lovi rates The INKEY List as Superior and Paula's Choice as High.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, both brands offer a high routine fit. Paula's Choice is noted for improving texture, while The INKEY List helps soothe skin.

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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