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Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi

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

Dr. Althea and Some By Mi are two renowned Korean skincare brands that offer thoughtful moisturizers, gentle cleansers, effective makeup removers, nourishing serums, and reliable toners driven by soothing formulas and key ingredients like niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid. The first brand suits dry skin and acne-prone skin best, while the second fits dry sensitive skin and skin with dark spots best. They differ primarily in their founding years, ownership, specific standout products, and the precise balance of hydration and active treatment they provide.

Dr. Althea is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2014 and owned by The Pure Lab Co., Ltd..

doctoraltheaglobal.comdoctoralthea.co.kr

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

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi products

People Say

Dr. AltheaSome By Mi
  • 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”
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
  • Soothing and Calming Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Calmed my retinol burn overnight — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “hydrating but light — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “consistently hydrated mornings — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs beautifully — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”
    • “Melts instantly — Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm”
  • Brightening and Evening Skin Tone Sometimes NotedOften 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”
    • “brightens dull skin — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “faded dark spots — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
  • Scent and Fragrance Dislike 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”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “not enough for dry skin — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “drying on my hands and face — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
    • “not moisturizing enough — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “Zits appeared initially — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for dry skin

Buy Dr. Althea routine · $144.68 · 91% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · $124.60 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for oily skin

Buy Dr. Althea routine · $296.69 · 90% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · $232.30 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for combination skin

Buy Dr. Althea routine · $276.17 · 89% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · $232.30 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which is better?

Dr. Althea is better for gentle and soothing care, while Some By Mi is better for skin texture improvement and brightening. Reviewers note that Dr. Althea offers exceptionally gentle cleansers and soothing moisturizers, whereas Some By Mi excels with effective acne-clearing treatments and complexion brightening.

What is the difference between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi?

Dr. Althea and Some By Mi are both South Korean skincare brands founded in the 2010s with fragrance-free products on this page, but they excel in different areas. Dr. Althea provides superior soothing formulas and gentle cleansers, while Some By Mi offers better skin texture improvement and effective acne-clearing treatments.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for dry skin?

Both Dr. Althea and Some By Mi fit dry skin well, with Lovi rating the routine fit for dry skin as Superior for each brand. Dr. Althea focuses on gentle and soothing hydration, whereas Some By Mi features key ingredients like niacinamide, which may help improve skin quality.

Antioxidants, 2021

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which cleanser is better?

When choosing a cleanser, Dr. Althea is better for sensitive skin with a High fit level, while Some By Mi ranges from Low to High depending on the specific product. Reviewers mention that the products on this page for Dr. Althea feature gentle and soothing cleansers, whereas Some By Mi focuses on deep pore cleansing.

Which is more affordable, Dr. Althea or Some By Mi?

The provided page comparison for Dr. Althea and Some By Mi does not contain pricing information, so it is not possible to determine which brand is more affordable.

Between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi, which brand performs better for mature skin?

Dr. Althea performs better for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Some By Mi's High level. The products on this page also feature a Vitamin C Boosting Serum that is rated High for mature skin.

How do the two brands compare when it comes to skin texture improvement?

When it comes to skin texture improvement, Some By Mi does better than Dr. Althea based on reviewer feedback on the products on this page.

Which brand is better suited for addressing skin with dark spots?

Some By Mi is better suited for addressing skin with dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior compared to High for Dr. Althea. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for oily skin?

For oily skin, Dr. Althea achieves a Superior routine fit while Some By Mi reaches a High fit level. Dr. Althea provides gentle and soothing cleansers and moisturizers, whereas Some By Mi is known for deep pore cleansing and effective acne-clearing treatments.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which moisturizer is better?

When choosing between the moisturizers on this page, Dr. Althea's 345 Relief Cream achieves a Superior Lovi fit for acne-prone and oily skin, while Some By Mi's Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream reaches a Superior Lovi fit for dry and mature skin types.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands work well, but Lovi rates Some By Mi as Superior and Dr. Althea as High. Reviewers note that Dr. Althea tends to be more gentle, whereas Some By Mi sometimes causes drying or stripping.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Dr. Althea has a Superior routine fit, while Some By Mi has a High routine fit. Dr. Althea offers exceptionally gentle and soothing formulas that help minimize irritation.

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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