🇺🇸United States

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice

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

The Ordinary and Paula's Choice are well-known skincare brands that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. The Canadian brand features hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to suit dry and dry sensitive skin, whereas the American brand uses hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c for oily and combination skin. Lovi rates specific products from each for acne, dark spots, and mature skin. They differ primarily in their founding years, parent companies, and primary skin types.

The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.

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

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

The OrdinaryPaula's Choice
  • Smoothes skin texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • Clears acne and blemishes Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Great value and affordability Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “extremely affordable — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Lightweight absorption Sometimes NotedOften 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”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and plumping Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “leaves my skin radiant and clear — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • High price point Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like vinegar — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “smell is unbearable — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “has a slight chemical smell — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Breakouts and purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “gave me cystic acne — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Small tube size and packaging Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $109.78 · 97% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $198.70 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $207.87 · 93% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $384.42 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $219.97 · 93% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · $353.90 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice are great options, but The Ordinary offers better value and affordability for the products on this page. Lovi rates the routine fit for The Ordinary as Superior across nearly all skin types.

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

The Ordinary provides great value and affordability for the products on this page, whereas Paula's Choice is often noted for high price and packaging issues.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

For dry skin, both brands work well, but Lovi rates The Ordinary as Superior and Paula's Choice as High. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

When comparing cleansers, The Ordinary offers great value, while the products on this page from Paula's Choice provide lightweight absorption.

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

The Ordinary offers better affordability and great value serums among the products on this page compared to Paula's Choice.

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of The Ordinary and Paula's Choice compare?

The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016 and is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and is owned by Unilever.

Which brand is rated better for clearing acne and blemishes according to reviewers?

The Ordinary does better for clearing acne and blemishes according to reviewers. The products on this page help provide acne-clearing serums.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice fit well, with Lovi fit levels of Superior for the products on this page. Reviewers note that both brands provide gentle and non-irritating formulas.

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

When comparing moisturizers, The Ordinary offers exceptional value with options like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, which helps provide superior hydration for dry and dry sensitive skin. Paula's Choice also provides targeted hydration, though the products on this page often come at a higher price point.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, both brands work well since Lovi rates routine fit as Superior for The Ordinary and High for Paula's Choice, with the products on this page helping to clear blemishes. Reviewers note that The Ordinary does better for clearing acne and provides great value.

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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