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Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice

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

Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice are two celebrated skincare lines, with the former originating in Korea in 2016 and the latter established in America in 1995. Beauty of Joseon is loved for its thoughtful serums, masks, moisturizers, sunscreens, and more that feature star ingredients like niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, while Paula's Choice covers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C. The Korean brand suits dry skin and sensitive skin best, offering gentle yet effective daily care, whereas the American brand fits combination skin and oily skin best. Through their formulations, both brands utilize key ingredients like glycerin to increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, but they differ in their foundational approaches to targeted daily care.

Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.

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

Popular Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

Beauty of JoseonPaula's Choice
  • Texture and Application Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
    • “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Gentle and Non-Irritating Formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “eyes look less tired — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Smooths Skin Texture Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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 baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
  • Pore and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “less shiny by noon — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
    • “pores look cleaner — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
  • Glow and Radiance Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “gives a glass skin look — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “Gives me that chok-chok dewy look — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”
    • “smells like cheese — Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • High Price and Value Issues Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”

Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice both fit most skin types well, but Beauty of Joseon is often noted for being gentler and more moisturizing, while Paula's Choice is favored for smoothing skin texture and handling mature skin.

What is the difference between Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice?

Beauty of Joseon fits best for dry skin, sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots, while Paula's Choice is best for combination skin, oily skin, and acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice also achieves a higher fit level for mature skin. Niacinamide in these products helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice achieve a High Lovi fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice relies on ingredients like hyaluronic acid to support moisture retention, whereas Beauty of Joseon uses components such as ginseng and panthenol.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice offer effective cleansers, with Beauty of Joseon performing better for gentle and non-irritating formulas. Paula's Choice features options that provide superior fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin types.

Which is more affordable, Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice?

Beauty of Joseon is more affordable, as Paula's Choice frequently receives reviewer complaints about high prices and value issues. Both brands offer products with no fragrance listed in their ingredients.

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice fit oily skin at a High level with the products on this page. Paula's Choice is often noted for smooth textures and anti-aging serums, while Beauty of Joseon is frequently mentioned for deep hydration and gentle formulas.

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice both offer solid moisturizers, with Beauty of Joseon performing better for deep hydration while Paula's Choice is often noted for smoothing skin texture. Both brands provide fragrance-free formulas that fit various skin types well, though Beauty of Joseon tends to have better value.

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice achieve a High routine fit level for sensitive skin. However, reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon does better for gentle and non-irritating formulas.

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

Both brands offer solid sunscreen options with a High Lovi fit for many skin types. Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics from Beauty of Joseon helps provide deep moisture and protection, while Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 is well suited for daily wear on dry and combination skin.

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice fit acne-prone skin at a High level. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon provides gentle formulas while Paula's Choice is recognized for smoothing skin texture.

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for mature skin?

Paula's Choice fits mature skin better because the products on this page achieve a High routine fit for this skin type, whereas Beauty of Joseon achieves an Average fit. Paula's Choice also features advanced anti-aging ingredients like retinol which helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for skin with dark spots?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice fit skin with dark spots well, with equal routine fit levels. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for dry sensitive skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice fit dry sensitive skin at a High level. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon is better for gentle, non-irritating formulas and hydration, while Paula's Choice has a higher price and value issue.

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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