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Paula's Choice vs Clinique

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

Paula's Choice and Clinique are American skincare brands known for their thoughtful ranges of serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around hydrating hyaluronic acid, nourishing glycerin, and vitamin c or caffeine. Paula's Choice fits oily skin and combination skin best, whereas the brand suits dry sensitive skin and oily skin best because of its comforting, balancing ingredients. Both brands differ in their founding dates, parent companies, and specific targeted solutions for acne-prone, dark-spotted, and mature skin, though their key ingredients like glycerin significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clinique products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClinique
  • Lightweight and fast absorbing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “cools the heat in my cheeks — Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Smoothes texture and refines pores Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • Unclogs pores and clears acne Often MentionedNot noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Firms and plumps Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “improved neck texture — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “glass skin look — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “visibly plumped up — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • Causes purging or breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like nail polish remover — Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2”
    • “Smells like old oil — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “Has a weird plastic-like smell — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Drying and flaking Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “dryness and scaliness — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Made my skin flaky — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitBuy Clinique routine · $370.23 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitBuy Clinique routine · $440.07 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitBuy Clinique routine · $440.07 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clinique: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for dry, combination skin and dark spots, while both brands offer equal routine fit levels for oily, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice helps smooth texture, refine pores, and unclog pores, whereas Clinique tends to be gentler and non-irritating.

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

Paula's Choice products on this page fit dry, combination, and dark spot skin types better than Clinique, while both brands fit oily, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin equally well. Reviewers say Paula's Choice does better at smoothing texture, refining pores, and unclogging acne, whereas Clinique is noted as more gentle.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average level. The products on this page help improve moisture and target dry skin effectively.

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

Paula's Choice cleansers fit oily, acne-prone, and combination skin at a Superior level on this page, while Clinique cleansers fit dry and sensitive skin up to a High level. Reviewers often mention Clinique for gentle cleansers, and Paula's Choice helps unclog pores and clear acne.

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

Both brands receive high price complaints from shoppers, as high price is mostly mentioned for Paula's Choice and often mentioned for Clinique.

Which brand performs better for smoothing texture and refining pores?

Paula's Choice performs better than Clinique for smoothing texture and refining pores. The products on this page help deliver smoother texture and smaller pores through key ingredients like salicylic acid and AHAs.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clinique are well-suited for sensitive skin, with Lovi fit levels reaching High across several products on this page. Reviewers note that Clinique tends to be especially gentle and non-irritating.

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

Paula's Choice is a better option for dry and combination skin types, where its moisturizers achieve High routine fit levels compared to Clinique's Average ratings. Both brands provide similar High routine fit levels for oily, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin.

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

Both brands are a High fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Paula's Choice helps unclog pores and clear acne better, while Clinique is noted for being gentle and effective.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for mature skin?

Both brands are great for mature skin, but Paula's Choice has a High routine fit while Clinique has an Average routine fit. Paula's Choice helps smooth texture and add glow, and retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Clinique for skin with dark spots?

Paula's Choice is better suited for skin with dark spots, with Lovi fit levels of High across several targeted serums and exfoliants compared to mostly Average ratings for the products on this page by Clinique. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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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