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Paula's Choice vs ISDIN

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

Paula's Choice and ISDIN are well-regarded skincare brands that offer reliable daily support to maintain a healthy and balanced complexion. The American brand, founded in 1995, features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, while the Spanish brand, founded in 1975, is known for its elegant moisturizers, advanced sunscreens, restorative serums, and targeted eye products united by thoughtfully balanced formulas. Paula's Choice fits oily skin and combination skin best, whereas ISDIN suits dry skin and sensitive skin best by providing gentle daily comfort and dependable protection. Through these carefully crafted remedies, the brands differ primarily in their core ingredient focus, such as glycerin significantly increasing skin hydration and restoring barrier function for the former, compared to the sophisticated sun and eye care of the latter.

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

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ISDIN is a Spanish skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by Puig.

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs ISDIN products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceISDIN
  • Texture and Lightweight Feel 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 — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “ultra-light fluid product, which makes it super easy to apply — ISDIN Fusion Water”
  • Brightness, Tone and Anti-Aging Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “helps reduce swelling in the area of my under-eye bags — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”
    • “Skin feels intensely hydrated — ISDIN Hyaluronic Concentrate”
  • Skin Texture Smoothing and Pores Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “skin was much smoother — ISDIN Retinal Intense Serum”
  • Sensitive Skin and Gentle Care Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Sensitive/reactive skin tolerates — ISDIN Hyaluronic Moisture”
    • “no excessive exfoliation — ISDIN Retinal Intense Serum”
    • “doesn't sting eyes — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Finish Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “doesn't leave you white as a ghost — ISDIN Fusion Water”
    • “acts like a primer — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “dries down matte — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
  • High Price and Value Issues Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “very expensive — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “My only wish is that ISDIN would make this product in a bigger size bottle. — ISDIN Fusion Water”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Concerns Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “smell is overpowering — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “lingering headache inducing effect — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”
  • Packaging and Size Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Pump stopped working — ISDIN Hyaluronic Concentrate”
    • “I like the actual product, but the packaging is awful, I've already lost three bottles the applicator pops off. — ISDIN Flavo-C Serum”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Product Formula and Stability Issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Did not notice any difference in my pores. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “did nothing — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “don't see result — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”

Paula's Choice vs ISDIN routines for dry skin

Buy ISDIN routine · $255.68 · 94% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs ISDIN routines for oily skin

Buy ISDIN routine · $437.98 · 93% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs ISDIN routines for combination skin

Buy ISDIN routine · $429.57 · 93% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or ISDIN: which is better?

Paula's Choice and ISDIN both offer a Superior routine fit across all skin types on this page. Paula's Choice does better for skin texture smoothing, pores, and acne control, while ISDIN does better for sensitive skin, gentle care, and makeup compatibility.

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

Paula's Choice fits best for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin with fragrance-free formulas, while ISDIN fits best for dry, sensitive, and acne-prone skin with ultralight sunscreens. Paula's Choice does better for skin texture smoothing and pores, whereas ISDIN does better for sensitive skin and makeup compatibility.

Paula's Choice or ISDIN for dry skin?

Lovi rates ISDIN as Superior and Paula's Choice as High for dry skin. ISDIN offers lightweight moisturizers and ultralight sunscreens, while the products on this page from Paula's Choice feature fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid that helps hydrate the skin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice offers a wider variety of moisturizers tailored to different skin concerns, while ISDIN provides options like Hyaluronic Concentrate that help hydrate the skin. For dry skin, the routine fit is High for Paula's Choice and Superior for ISDIN.

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

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN face similar reviews regarding high prices and value issues, as high price points are noted for the products on this page for each brand.

Between Paula's Choice and ISDIN, which brand offers fragrance-free products?

Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, ISDIN includes fragrance in 5 of the 8 products on its page.

Which brand performs better for acne and blemish control?

Paula's Choice performs better for acne and blemish control. The products on this page help smooth skin texture and clear blemishes, and Niacinamide may suppress pigmentation changes.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand does better regarding packaging and size issues?

ISDIN does better regarding packaging and size issues, as it has fewer concerns in this category compared to Paula's Choice.

Paula's Choice or ISDIN for oily skin?

ISDIN is the better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Paula's Choice, which has a High routine fit.

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

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN offer sunscreens on this page, with ISDIN particularly noted for ultralight, skin-friendly, and makeup-friendly sunscreens. Paula's Choice sunscreen products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

Paula's Choice or ISDIN for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN fit sensitive skin well, with Lovi rating Paula's Choice High and ISDIN Superior. ISDIN does better for sensitive skin and gentle care, while every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin because the products on this page achieve High to Superior fit levels across almost the entire range for that skin type. Lovi rates the routine fit for acne-prone skin as High for Paula's Choice compared to Superior for ISDIN.

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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