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Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder

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

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are American skincare brands known for offering cleansers, moisturizers, serums, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c. The first brand fits oily skin and combination skin best, while the second suits acne-prone skin and mature skin best. Both brands differ in their formulations, as the first brand's key ingredient glycerin significantly increased skin hydration and restored barrier function, whereas the second brand's use of hyaluronic acid lengthens the effect of botulinum toxin.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEstée Lauder
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Feel 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”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Smoothing Skin Texture 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”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep Hydration and Plumping Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formulas Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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 the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Instantly blurs fine lines. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
  • High Price Point and Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • Packaging Issues and Leaks Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Caused small bumps on forehead — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “cystic acne — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · $271.00 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · $399.42 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · $503.90 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better?

Both brands are great choices, but Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin and skin with dark spots where Lovi rates its routine High compared to Estée Lauder's Average. Paula's Choice also tends to absorb faster, smooth skin texture better, and provide more radiance.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice offers a high routine fit for dry skin and skin with dark spots, whereas Estée Lauder provides an average fit for both. Paula's Choice excels in fast absorption, smoothing skin texture, and brightening, while Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration and plumping.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin because Lovi rates its routine fit as High, whereas Estée Lauder has an Average routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice products on this page also feature key barrier-supporting ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers with strong options for various skin types, but Paula's Choice performs better overall for oily and acne-prone skin, while Estée Lauder provides gentle options like the Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder cleansers are generally gentle and non-drying.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are noted for a high price point among the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which brand has better fragrance options?

Paula's Choice offers better fragrance options for shoppers with sensitivities because every product on the products on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Estée Lauder includes fragrance in some items such as the DayWear Moisturizer.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for oily skin, but the products on this page for Paula's Choice score Superior for several key items like exfoliants and toners. Paula's Choice helps deliver fast absorption and a lightweight feel, while Estée Lauder brings deep hydration.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice is better for overall moisturizer value and targeted anti-aging care, while Estée Lauder offers superior deep hydration and plumping for dry skin. For the products on this page, Paula's Choice features fragrance-free options like the Replenishing Moisturizer, whereas Estée Lauder includes options with fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder offer a high routine fit for sensitive skin. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page, while Estée Lauder provides a gentle feel noted by reviewers.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 has a High fit for dry and combination skin, while Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer has a Superior fit for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, sensitive skin, and mature skin. Both sunscreens are rated High for oily skin and oily acne-prone skin.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin, with Paula's Choice featuring fragrance-free formulations and Estée Lauder providing deep hydration and lightweight feel.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for mature skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for mature skin, achieving a High routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's Average level. Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and firmness with ingredients like retinol, which stimulates collagen accumulation in aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for skin with dark spots?

Paula's Choice is a better fit than Estée Lauder for skin with dark spots because the products on this page achieve a High fit level for this concern. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation as shown in studies.

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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