Dr. Althea vs ISDIN
Dr. Althea and ISDIN are established skincare brands offering thoughtful moisturizers, gentle cleansers, effective makeup removers, advanced sunscreens, restorative serums, and targeted eye products driven by balanced, soothing formulas. The Korean brand is known for soothing formulas that suit dry skin and acne-prone skin best, while the Spanish brand is celebrated for providing gentle daily comfort and dependable protection for dry skin and sensitive skin. They differ primarily in their heritage and specific formulations, as the former focuses on nourishing and calming solutions, whereas the latter emphasizes advanced sunscreens and restorative care.
Dr. Althea is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2014 and owned by The Pure Lab Co., Ltd..
doctoraltheaglobal.comdoctoralthea.co.kr
ISDIN is a Spanish skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by Puig.
puig.combeautymatter.comuploads.puig.com
This page compares some of the most popular Dr. Althea and ISDIN products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular Dr. Althea vs ISDIN products
People Say
Lightweight and Fast-Absorbing Texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
- “ultra-light fluid product, which makes it super easy to apply — ISDIN Fusion Water”
- “Lightweight formula absorbs fast — ISDIN Hyaluronic Concentrate”
- “absorbs beautifully — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
Gentle Formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
- “doesn't dry out my face — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
- “skin doesn't feel stripped — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
- “great for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
- “Sensitive/reactive skin tolerates — ISDIN Hyaluronic Moisture”
Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Improved moisture and texture — ISDIN Hyaluronic Moisture”
- “My skin felt sooo hydrated and looks so plump and dewey. — ISDIN Fusion Water”
- “skin looks smooth and healthy — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”
- “hydrating but light — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
Skin Texture and Tone Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
- “My hyperpigmentation has lightened and skin looks more even, even shines more. — ISDIN Flavo-C Serum”
- “skin was much smoother — ISDIN Retinal Intense Serum”
- “fades dark spots — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
- “faded dark spots — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
Soothing and Calming Mostly MentionedNot noted
- “calms redness — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
- “instantly calms irritated skin — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “perfect for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
Scents and Fragrance Concerns Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
- “smells like plants — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
- “clinical scent — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “prominent acidic hint — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
- “smell is overpowering — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
Expensive Price Point Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
- “a bit pricey — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
- “very expensive — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
Dr. Althea vs ISDIN routines for dry skin
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Cleanser
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$19.99
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Hydrating Toner
Pyunkang Yul Calming Deep Moisture Toner
Morning
$16.99
-
Moisturizer
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$22.00
-
SPF
Fusion Water
Morning
$38.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
$21.70
-
Serum or Treatment
Flavo-C Serum
Evening · Once a week
$115.00
-
Nourishing Mask
MEDIHEAL Vita Essential Mask
Once a week
$22.00
-
Cleanser
Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$15.90
-
Hydrating Toner
Pyunkang Yul Calming Deep Moisture Toner
Morning
$16.99
-
Moisturizer
345 Relief Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$27.00
-
SPF
d'Alba Piedmont Waterfull Mild Sunscreen
Morning
$15.99
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
$22.90
-
Serum or Treatment
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Evening · Once a week
$23.90
-
Nourishing Mask
MEDIHEAL Vita Essential Mask
Once a week
$22.00
Buy ISDIN routine · $255.68 · 94% fit
Buy Dr. Althea routine · $144.68 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit
Dr. Althea vs ISDIN routines for oily skin
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Cleanser
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$15.97
-
Hydrating Toner
Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Toner
Morning · Once a week
$15.60
-
Moisturizer
COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$18.99
-
SPF
Eryfotona Actinica
Morning
$46.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
$50.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Evening
$28.42
-
Serum or Treatment
Flavo-C Serum
Evening · Once a week
$115.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
Revision Skincare Black Mask
Once a week
$79.00
-
Cleanser
Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$15.90
-
Hydrating Toner
Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Toner
Morning · Once a week
$15.60
-
Moisturizer
345 Relief Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$27.00
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
$14.97
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
$22.90
-
Cleansing Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Evening
$28.42
-
Serum or Treatment
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Evening · Once a week
$23.90
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
Revision Skincare Black Mask
Once a week
$79.00
Buy ISDIN routine · $437.98 · 93% fit
Buy Dr. Althea routine · $296.69 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit
Dr. Althea vs ISDIN routines for combination skin
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Cleanser
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$28.08
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
$25.60
-
Moisturizer
COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$18.99
-
SPF
Eryfotona Actinica
Morning
$46.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
$50.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
$18.90
-
Serum or Treatment
Flavo-C Serum
Evening · Once a week
$115.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
HERBIVORE Botanicals Blue Tansy BHA and Enzyme Pore Refining Mask
Once a week
$58.00
-
Cleanser
Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$15.90
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
$25.60
-
Moisturizer
345 Relief Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$27.00
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
$14.97
-
Pre-Cleanser
Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
$22.90
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
$18.90
-
Serum or Treatment
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Evening · Once a week
$23.90
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
HERBIVORE Botanicals Blue Tansy BHA and Enzyme Pore Refining Mask
Once a week
$58.00
Buy ISDIN routine · $429.57 · 93% fit
Buy Dr. Althea routine · $276.17 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit
Questions and answers
Dr. Althea or ISDIN: which is better?
Both brands offer equal routine fit levels for dry, acne-prone, oily, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, while ISDIN is a superior fit for sensitive and combination skin.
What is the difference between Dr. Althea and ISDIN?
Dr. Althea tends to offer a gentle formula with products on this page listing no fragrance, while ISDIN is often noted for an ultralight texture and a high price point.
Dr. Althea or ISDIN for dry skin?
Both Dr. Althea and ISDIN are a Superior Lovi fit for dry skin. Reviewers note that ISDIN excels in hydration and moisture, while Dr. Althea is praised for its gentle and soothing formulas.
Dr. Althea or ISDIN: which moisturizer is better?
When comparing moisturizers, ISDIN stands out for offering lightweight hydration, while the products on this page from Dr. Althea are noted for being gentle and soothing. ISDIN formulas often include active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which helps maintain skin moisture levels.
Which is more affordable, Dr. Althea or ISDIN?
ISDIN is often noted by reviewers for a high price point, whereas Dr. Althea is noted for an expensive price point.
Between Dr. Althea and ISDIN, which brand has better fragrance-free product options?
Dr. Althea has better fragrance-free product options because every product on the Dr. Althea page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.
How do the review ratings for lightweight texture compare between Dr. Althea and ISDIN?
When it comes to lightweight and fast-absorbing texture, ISDIN does better than Dr. Althea according to the review themes on this page.
Which brand performs better for combination skin according to their routine fit levels?
ISDIN performs better for combination skin because it has a Superior routine fit level, while Dr. Althea has a High routine fit level.
Dr. Althea or ISDIN for oily skin?
Both Dr. Althea and ISDIN are a Superior fit for oily skin. Dr. Althea features gentle cleansers and soothing moisturizers, while ISDIN offers ultralight and makeup-friendly sunscreens.
Dr. Althea or ISDIN for sensitive skin?
For sensitive skin, ISDIN reaches a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Dr. Althea reaches a High Lovi fit level on this page. Reviewers note that ISDIN offers skin-friendly sunscreens, while Dr. Althea features gentle cleansers with no fragrance listed in any of its products.
Dr. Althea or ISDIN for acne-prone skin?
Both Dr. Althea and ISDIN are great options for acne-prone skin, as their routines for this skin type reach a Superior fit level on Lovi. Reviewers note that the products on this page for Dr. Althea offer gentle and soothing benefits, while ISDIN is recognized for its ultralight sunscreens and lightweight moisturizers.
Research behind their key ingredients
Comparison of methods for assessing photoprotection against ultraviolet A in vivo
Development and efficacy assessments of tea seed oil makeup remover
Nanocomplex of quaternized cyclodextrin grafted chitosan and hyaluronic acid for a skin delivery
Effects of fermented tea seed oil on the skin lipid barrier and microbiome of sensitive skin
The clinical efficacy of a new emulsion for acne and conspicuous facial pore amelioration
Retrospective Review of Dermal Safety Studies of Organic Sunscreens
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-

Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-

Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-

Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-

Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-

Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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