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La Roche-Posay vs Grown Alchemist

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

La Roche-Posay and Grown Alchemist are esteemed skincare brands that offer thoughtful ranges of serums, cleansers, and moisturizers. The French label relies on nourishing ingredients like glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide to suit dry and mature skin, while the alternative uses specialized formulas best suited for sensitive, dry, and combination skin. Although both provide gentle relief for compromised moisture barriers, the former features standout solutions like the Anthelios, the Pure Vitamin C Cream, and the MELA B3 Facial Gel Cleanser, whereas the latter offers the Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser, the Instant Smoothing Serum, and the Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser.

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

This page compares some of the most popular La Roche-Posay and Grown Alchemist products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular La Roche-Posay vs Grown Alchemist products

People Say

La Roche-PosayGrown Alchemist
  • Skin Soothing and Sensitivity Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Calmed my skin after a chemical peel — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “Perfect for sensitive skin — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Skin version of chugging water — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
    • “doesn't strip at all — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “absorbs in seconds — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
    • “silkiest cleanser — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “Smooths out fine lines — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Fragrance and Scent (Positive) Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Smells amazing — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “smell is divine — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Price and Value Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Too expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Tube is tiny for the price — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “expensive for what it is — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Packaging and Pump Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Pump stopped working halfway — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “tube cracks easily — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “Metal tube gets annoying — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
  • Fragrance and Scent Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “scent is awful — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “overwhelming floral smell — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Too perfumy notes — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “smells medicinal — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Makeup Incompatibility Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Pills under makeup — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+”
    • “Pills under my foundation — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “Isn't going to be your makeup remover — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or Grown Alchemist: which is better?

La Roche-Posay is better for targeted skincare needs, offering a vast range of specialized products that Lovi rates high for dry, mature, and oily skin, whereas Grown Alchemist provides a more limited selection focused on gentle cleansers and serums.

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and Grown Alchemist?

La Roche-Posay offers a much wider variety of targeted products with key ingredients like niacinamide and retinol, whereas Grown Alchemist focuses on a smaller range of fragrance-free cleansers and serums.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

La Roche-Posay or Grown Alchemist: which cleanser is better?

La Roche-Posay offers more targeted cleansers, such as the Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser which achieves a High Lovi fit for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas Grown Alchemist features generally gentle options like the Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser which has a High fit across multiple skin types including dry and sensitive skin.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or Grown Alchemist?

Reviewers note that price, value, and size concerns are often mentioned for La Roche-Posay products.

Which causes fewer breakouts, La Roche-Posay or Grown Alchemist?

La Roche-Posay helps address acne-prone and oily skin with specialized products like the Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser and Adapalene Gel, whereas Grown Alchemist offers fewer targeted options for breakouts on this page.

How do the founding years and ownership of La Roche-Posay and Grown Alchemist compare?

La Roche-Posay was founded in France in 1975 and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989, whereas Grown Alchemist was founded in 2008 and became independently owned in 2024.

Which brand offers more fragrance-free products between La Roche-Posay and Grown Alchemist?

Grown Alchemist offers more fragrance-free products on this page, as every single product lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, La Roche-Posay has fragrance in 14 of its 35 products listed on the page.

What are the main skin-soothing and sensitivity performance differences between La Roche-Posay and Grown Alchemist according to reviewers?

According to reviewers, La Roche-Posay does better than Grown Alchemist on skin soothing and sensitivity performance.

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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