🇺🇸United States

Paula's Choice vs Avène

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

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Avène products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceAvène
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “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”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Smooth texture and anti-aging Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “skin instantly felt firmer — Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 Concentrated Plumping Serum”
  • Unclogs pores and controls acne Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
  • Barrier repair, deep hydration and soothing Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Healed my over-exfoliated skin in days — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Causes dryness, purging, and irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Left my face tight — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “it didn't do anything for my dark circles — Avène RetrinAL EYES”
    • “no difference — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Packaging issues and product flaws Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “bring it back — Avène Antirougeurs Fort Relief Concentrate”

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitBuy Avène routine · $207.69 · 76% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitBuy Avène routine · $377.02 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitBuy Avène routine · $358.50 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Avène: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for lightweight absorption, anti-aging, and unclogging pores, while Avène is better for soothing irritation, barrier repair, and gentle deep cleaning. Both brands show High routine fit levels across most skin types, with Paula's Choice reaching High fit and Avène reaching Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Avène?

Paula's Choice offers lightweight and fast-absorbing products that help unclog pores, control acne, and improve skin texture with active ingredients like retinol and niacinamide, while Avène provides gentle, soothing options that help repair the skin barrier and hydrate dry or sensitive skin using thermal spring water. Lovi rates Paula's Choice as High for dry sensitive skin and Avène as Superior for oily acne-prone skin, while both brands achieve equal High ratings for other skin types.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Paula's Choice or Avène for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Avène offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while Avène provides deeply hydrating products centered around thermal water.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers that fit oily, acne-prone, and combination skin at a Superior level, with every Paula's Choice cleanser on this page listing no fragrance while some Avène cleansers contain fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Avène?

The provided page facts and reviews do not contain pricing information to determine whether Paula's Choice or Avène is more affordable.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which brand has products with no fragrance?

Paula's Choice has products with no fragrance, as every product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, Avène includes fragrance in several of its products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Avène for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice has a High routine fit for sensitive skin, while Avène has a High routine fit as well. Paula's Choice helps with lightweight absorption and anti-aging, whereas Avène is known for soothing irritation and gentle care.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice offers a High routine fit for moisturizers, and Avène also provides a High routine fit for moisturizers on this page. Paula's Choice helps deliver lightweight hydration with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while Avène is frequently noted for deep hydration and soothing irritated skin.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Avène for acne-prone skin?

Both brands are a High fit for acne-prone skin, with Paula's Choice providing lightweight formulas and Avène helping soothe irritation. Paula's Choice also unclogs pores and controls acne better, while Avène is known for gentle deep cleansers.

Paula's Choice or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which has a High Lovi fit for dry skin and combination skin, and an Average fit for oily skin and sensitive skin. Avène features sunscreens like the Cleanance, which has a Superior Lovi fit for oily skin and a High fit for acne-prone skin.

Paula's Choice or Avène for dry sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its routine as High compared to an Average fit for Avène. Review themes also note that Paula's Choice offers lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas.

Paula's Choice or Avène for oily acne-prone skin?

For oily acne-prone skin, Paula's Choice and Avène both reach a High routine fit level on this page. Lovi finds Paula's Choice has a High fit while Avène reaches a Superior fit for oily acne-prone 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

How does it fit your skin?

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