🇺🇸United States

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List

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

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. The American brand is known for hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily skin and combination skin best. Meanwhile, the British brand focuses on glycerin and fits combination skin and sensitive skin best. While both feature glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, they differ in their specific formulations and targeted skin needs.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceThe INKEY List
  • 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”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Improves texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-irritating formula 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”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Radiance, glow, and dark spots Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Visibly reduces acne scars — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · $106.98 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · $261.57 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · $254.57 · 90% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands offer strong options, but Paula's Choice is better suited for improving skin texture and treating dark spots, while The INKEY List delivers a more affordable price and value with soothing formulas.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both offer effective routines for various skin types, but Paula's Choice is often noted for improving texture and addressing dark spots, while The INKEY List is frequently praised for its affordability and soothing benefits. Reviewers indicate that the products on this page from Paula's Choice frequently have high prices and packaging issues, whereas The INKEY List products may sometimes present packaging issues or an unpleasant scent.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List offer a High fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice provides targeted products like the Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner that achieve a Superior fit for this skin type.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer top-tier cleansers for oily and acne-prone skin, with Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both achieving a Superior fit for those skin types on the products on this page. Reviewers note that The INKEY List provides more affordable options, while Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulations across its entire cleanser range.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Paula's Choice, as reviewers frequently note its budget-friendly prices and value for money.

Between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List, which brand does better for reducing redness and soothing skin?

The INKEY List does better for reducing redness and soothes skin. Both brands feature fragrance-free products on the products on this page.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States, whereas The INKEY List was founded in 2018 in the United Kingdom.

Which brand performs better for radiance, glow, and dark spots according to review themes?

Paula's Choice performs better for radiance, glow, and dark spots according to review themes.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for oily skin?

For oily skin, Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both offer a High routine fit on this page. Paula's Choice is noted for improving texture and smoothness, while The INKEY List provides more affordable options.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

The INKEY List offers mostly mentioned affordable and hydrating moisturizers, whereas Paula's Choice features options that are less prominent for their value.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List fit sensitive skin well, with Lovi rating Paula's Choice at High and The INKEY List at Superior.

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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