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Some By Mi vs Paula's Choice

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

Some By Mi and Paula's Choice are two distinct skincare lines built around targeted ingredients for different complexions. The Korean brand features serums, cleansers, toners, and moisturizers utilizing niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid, fitting dry skin and dry sensitive skin best. Conversely, the American brand offers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners powered by hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting combination skin and oily skin best. While both brands address acne, dark spots, and mature skin through specific top-rated formulas, they differ fundamentally in their foundational ingredients and regional traditions.

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.com

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Some By Mi vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

Some By MiPaula's Choice
  • Texture Smoothing Often MentionedMostly 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 became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedMostly 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 — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Brightening and Glow Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Fades dark spots — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “skin looks visibly brighter — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Gentle Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “doesn't strip dry my skin — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “Surprisingly gentle — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Reduces pimples — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “cleared my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “lightweight texture — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Advanced Triple Action Eye Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Strong Scent and Fragrance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “weird glue-like smell — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • High Price Point Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “Too expensive for 50ml — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Drying and Dehydration Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “not moisturizing enough — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “Skin felt tight — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”

Some By Mi vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · CA$333.73 · 96% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$301.97 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Some By Mi vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · CA$315.33 · 89% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$357.38 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Some By Mi vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · CA$300.34 · 91% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · CA$383.47 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Some By Mi is better for hydration and gentle formulas, while Paula's Choice is better for texture smoothing and lightweight application. Lovi finds that Some By Mi is a Superior fit for dry, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spots, and dry sensitive skin, and a High fit for oily and acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice is a High fit for all of these skin types.

What is the difference between Some By Mi and Paula's Choice?

Some By Mi provides a Superior routine fit for dry, sensitive, and mature skin types on the products on this page, whereas Paula's Choice is often noted by reviewers for high prices and packaging issues while offering strong texture-smoothing results. Niacinamide may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Some By Mi fits dry skin better with a Superior routine level, while Paula's Choice reaches a High level. Both brands offer fragrance-free products on this page, but Some By Mi provides better hydration and moisture.

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

Some By Mi provides cleansers with a High fit for acne-prone skin, while Paula's Choice offers cleansers that achieve a Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Some By Mi or Paula's Choice?

Some By Mi is more affordable, whereas Paula's Choice is often noted for a high price point. Review themes show that a high price point is a downside specifically associated with Some By Mi on this page, but overall comparison data lists high price point as a negative aspect of Paula's Choice.

Between Some By Mi and Paula's Choice, which brand offers a gentler formula according to reviewers?

According to reviewers, Some By Mi offers a gentler formula.

How do Some By Mi and Paula's Choice compare when it comes to skin brightening and glow?

Some By Mi and Paula's Choice are equal when it comes to skin brightening and glow. Both brands feature products containing niacinamide, which may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand performs better for hydration and moisture, Some By Mi or Paula's Choice?

Some By Mi performs better for hydration and moisture according to reviewer feedback on the products on this page. Lovi rates Some By Mi as Superior for dry skin, whereas Paula's Choice is rated High.

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Both Some By Mi and Paula's Choice fit oily skin at a High level. Paula's Choice features niacinamide which helps regulate sebum production and reduce pigmentation.

Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Some By Mi provides better hydration and moisture overall, with its moisturizers achieving a Superior fit for dry skin on this page. Paula's Choice is also a strong option for hydration, though Some By Mi stands out for offering gentler formulas and higher overall routine fit levels across multiple skin types.

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for sensitive skin because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, compared to High for Paula's Choice. Reviewers also note that Some By Mi offers a more gentle formula.

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

Both brands offer sunscreens that perform well, with the V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen from Some By Mi and the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 from Paula's Choice both providing a High fit for oily skin and many other skin types.

Some By Mi or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Both Some By Mi and Paula's Choice fit acne-prone skin well, with Some By Mi offering a High routine fit and Paula's Choice offering a High routine fit as well. Niacinamide may help control skin aging and pigmentation, while topical treatments can help improve acne.

Antioxidants, 2021The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2013

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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