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SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice

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

SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice are two distinct skincare labels offering specialized toners, moisturizers, cleansers, and sunscreens. The Korean brand centers its formulations on centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to suit combination and dry skin, whereas the American brand builds its offerings around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C to best support oily and combination skin. While the former focuses on improving moisture, reducing acne, and easing hyperpigmentation, the latter emphasizes enhancing hydration, restoring barrier function, and providing targeted exfoliation.

SKIN1004 is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2012 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024.

mk.co.krpitchbook.comtracxn.comgoodai-global.com

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 SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

SKIN1004Paula's Choice
  • Lightweight texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sunk in like a dream — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “Texture is on the thinner side... surprisingly lightweight. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and soothing Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “calmed my angry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “Gives my dehydrated skin a moisture surge — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Eliminated redness on my easily irritated skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “instantly hydrates — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Skin smoothing and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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 super soft — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
  • Brightening and complexion Rarely NotedOften 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”
    • “Gives a nice glow — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Boosting Toner”
  • Effective cleansing Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip my skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara and sunscreen effortlessly. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Gentle formulation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't burn my eyes — SKIN1004 Probio-Cica Bakuchiol Eye Cream”
    • “Does not sting my eyes or irritate my sensitive skin. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Small size or high price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Price is quite steep — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “wish it came in larger size — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “Pricey for daily use — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pad”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Scent dislikes Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like wet dog — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “Has a strong herbal/citrus scent I didn't enjoy. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “smells a bit like plastic — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Insufficient hydration or dryness Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not enough for dry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “not moisturizing enough — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
  • Irritation and eye discomfort Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Made my vision blurry/foggy for a while after rinsing. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “painful tightness — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

Buy SKIN1004 routine · $96.70 · 87% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitBuy SKIN1004 routine · $245.19 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitBuy SKIN1004 routine · $232.19 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Both brands offer a High routine fit across all skin types, but they excel in different areas. SKIN1004 delivers better hydration and soothing care, while Paula's Choice performs better for skin smoothing, texture, and brightening.

What is the difference between SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice?

SKIN1004 delivers better hydration and soothing benefits through lightweight centella-based products, whereas Paula's Choice excels in skin smoothing, texture improvement, and brightening. Both brands offer fragrance-free formulations, but Paula's Choice is often noted by reviewers for its higher price and packaging issues.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer a High routine fit for dry skin, giving you flexible choices depending on your ingredient preferences. SKIN1004 leans toward soothing hydration featuring Centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid, while Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like glycerin and ceramides to help support moisture barriers.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer cleansers with effective cleansing. SKIN1004 has options like the Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam showing a Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin, dry skin, and dry sensitive skin, while Paula's Choice features the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser showing a Superior fit for oily acne-prone skin, oily skin, and acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice tends to have high price complaints among reviewers on the products on this page, whereas SKIN1004 is noted for small size or high price issues.

Between SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice, which brand performs better for hydration and soothing according to reviews?

According to reviews, SKIN1004 performs better for hydration and soothing.

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice differ?

SKIN1004 was founded in South Korea in 2012 and is owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024, whereas Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and is owned by Unilever since 2021.

Which brand has an advantage in skin smoothing and texture based on the review themes?

Paula's Choice has an advantage in skin smoothing and texture based on the review themes. Reviewers frequently note its smooth texture and anti-aging serums.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that SKIN1004 excels in hydration and soothing, whereas Paula's Choice does better with skin smoothing and texture.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers with a High routine fit for multiple skin types, so neither brand is universally better than the other. SKIN1004 focuses on lightweight and soothing hydration, whereas Paula's Choice provides targeted treatments like ceramides and anti-aging boosters.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice achieve a High Lovi fit for sensitive skin. Reviewers indicate that both brands maintain equally gentle formulations across the products on this page.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer sunscreens that perform well across multiple skin types on the products on this page. SKIN1004's Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum achieves a Superior fit for acne-prone, oily acne-prone, and combination skin, while Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 provides a High fit for dry and combination skin.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer routines with a High routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. SKIN1004 provides soothing and lightweight toners along with hydrating and soothing masks, while Paula's Choice features effective skin smoothing and texture products.

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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