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Paula's Choice vs Trilogy

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

Paula's Choice and Trilogy are established skincare names that offer thoughtful moisturizers, gentle cleansers, serums, toners, and more. The American brand is known for formulas built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, while the other brand relies on high-performing blends featuring rosehip and ceramide. Both suit different complexions, with the former fitting oily and combination skin best and the latter suiting dry, balanced, and sensitive skin types. They differ primarily in their core ingredient philosophies and their ideal skin matches.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Trilogy products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceTrilogy
  • Hydrating formula Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
    • “Leaves skin thoroughly moisturised — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
    • “Feels moisturizing — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
  • Non-irritating and gentle Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
    • “Nothing irritated my skin — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Glow, radiance, and even skin tone Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Wake to a glowing complexion — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
  • Pleasant gel or cream texture Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Silky cream consistency — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
    • “Luxuriously rich — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
    • “Silky gel feel — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Texture smoothing and softening Mostly MentionedNot 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”
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “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”
  • High price and value concerns Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Price to be high relative to performance — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell and scent issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “If you are sensitive to fragrances, you might find it irritating — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
    • “Scent is awful — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Heavy for oily skin Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Extremely greasy — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “A little bit too thick — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Trilogy: which is better?

Paula's Choice offers a wider range of fragrance-free products that achieve superior results for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin, whereas Trilogy excels in providing hydrating and gentle formulas. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and tone, though it comes with higher prices.

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

Paula's Choice offers a much wider range of fragrance-free products that focus heavily on texture smoothing and glow, fitting oily, combination, and acne-prone skin best, whereas Trilogy features fewer products with some containing fragrance while focusing on hydrating and brightening formulas.

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

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin, where its cleansers achieve a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Trilogy cleansers fit sensitive and dry skin best with a High Lovi fit. Every Paula's Choice product on this page lists no fragrance, while two of the three Trilogy products contain fragrance.

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

Reviewers note that both Paula's Choice and Trilogy have concerns regarding high prices and value. However, the products on this page show that Trilogy offers a smaller selection of items, while Paula's Choice features a much broader range of products.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Paula's Choice or Trilogy?

Paula's Choice is better suited for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page list acne-prone skin among their best fits, whereas Trilogy does not have a best fit for acne-prone skin. Salicylic acid in Paula's Choice helps target breakouts, though reviews note that some formulas can feel heavy for oily skin.

Between Paula's Choice and Trilogy, which brand has a higher percentage of fragrance-free products?

Paula's Choice has a higher percentage of fragrance-free products, as every product on this page for Paula's Choice lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas only 1 of 3 products on this page for Trilogy lists no fragrance.

Which brand has been owned by Unilever since 2021, Paula's Choice or Trilogy?

Paula's Choice has been owned by Unilever since 2021.

Which skincare brand is better for achieving a glow, radiance, and even skin tone according to review themes?

Paula's Choice does better for achieving a glow, radiance, and even skin tone according to review themes.

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

Paula's Choice offers a wider range of moisturizers with specialized formulas, such as the Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer which has a High fit level for oily skin. Trilogy features hydrating options like the Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream, which has a High fit level for mature and dry sensitive skin.

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

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