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Paula's Choice vs Biore

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

Paula's Choice and Biore are established skincare brands offering distinct approaches to daily care. Founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, Paula's Choice features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily skin and combination skin best. Founded in 1980 and owned by Kao Corporation, the Japanese brand is globally loved for sunscreens, cleansers, masks, and makeup removers that rely on carefully balanced formulas. While both fit oily skin and combination skin best, they differ through their unique ingredient focuses and targeted formulations.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Biore is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by Kao Corporation.

biore.comkao.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Biore products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceBiore
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedOften 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”
    • “melts into skin — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
  • Pore cleansing and clarity Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Gets the gunk out — Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips”
    • “Face feels squeaky clean — Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser”
    • “Helped clear my blackheads — Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Skin texture smoothing Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Leaves skin feeling clean — Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips”
  • Non-irritating and gentle Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “no stinging — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “Leaves skin soft, doesn't dry out face. — Biore Makeup Remover Perfect Oil”
  • Excellent makeup base and removal Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “primer-like — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
    • “Removes waterproof mascara, eyeliner, foundation. — Biore Makeup Remover Perfect Oil”
  • Glow, radiance and brightening Often MentionedNot noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Unpleasant smell and strong scent Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “smells like alcohol — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
    • “Smells like chemicals — Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Dryness, flaking and irritation Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “dryness and scaliness — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Made my skin peel — Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser”
  • Purging and breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
    • “Caused breakouts, closed comedones, cystic acne. — Biore Makeup Remover Perfect Oil”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Biore routines for dry skin

Buy Biore routine · $141.68 · 89% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Biore routines for oily skin

Buy Biore routine · $315.98 · 94% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Biore routines for combination skin

Buy Biore routine · $307.57 · 94% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Biore: which is better?

Paula's Choice and Biore both fit dry skin at a High level and dry sensitive skin at a High level on this page. Reviewers report that Paula's Choice helps with lightweight and fast absorption while Biore helps with pore cleansing and clarity.

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

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States and is owned by Unilever, whereas Biore was founded in 1980 in Japan and is owned by Kao Corporation. The products on this page for both brands feature no added fragrance, but they differ in reviewer feedback with Paula's Choice praised for lightweight textures and Biore noted for pore cleansing.

Paula's Choice or Biore for dry skin?

Paula's Choice and Biore offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free products on this page formulated with key ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, vitamin C, licorice root, niacinamide, salicylic acid, green tea, and vitamin E.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice offers a better product range for cleansers, featuring options like the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser with a Superior Lovi fit level for oily and acne-prone skin.

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

Biore has a review theme mentioning a high price and small size as a negative aspect, while Paula's Choice reviewers mostly mention a high price and packaging issues.

Paula's Choice or Biore: which has better pore cleansing and clarity?

Biore does better for pore cleansing and clarity. Review themes show that Biore outperforms Paula's Choice in pore cleansing and clarity.

Paula's Choice or Biore: which provides a better makeup base and removal?

Biore does better for an excellent makeup base and removal among the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Biore: which is better for skin texture smoothing?

Paula's Choice is better for skin texture smoothing. Review themes show that Paula's Choice does better for skin texture smoothing compared to Biore.

Paula's Choice or Biore for oily skin?

For oily skin, Biore achieves a Superior routine fit while Paula's Choice reaches High, meaning both brands fit well. The products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

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

Paula's Choice offers Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which has a high Lovi fit for dry, combination, and dry sensitive skin, and an average fit for other skin types. Biore offers UV Aqua Rich, which has a high Lovi fit for combination skin, an average fit for oily acne-prone, dark spots, oily, acne-prone, mature, and sensitive skin, a low fit for dry sensitive skin, and a caution fit for dry skin.

Paula's Choice or Biore for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both Paula's Choice and Biore have a High routine fit level, though Biore reaches a Superior Lovi fit level. Every product on the Paula's Choice and Biore pages lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

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

For acne-prone skin, Biore achieves a Superior routine fit, while Paula's Choice reaches a High fit on this page. Reviewers report that Biore helps with pore cleansing and clarity.

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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