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Paula's Choice vs Bioderma

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

Paula's Choice and Bioderma are skincare brands built around nourishing glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. Paula's Choice is an American brand founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021 that offers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, fitting combination skin and oily skin best. Bioderma is a French brand founded in 1977 and owned by Jean-Noël Thorel Foundation since 2018 that provides moisturizers, makeup removers, serums, cleansers, and more, suiting sensitive skin and acne-prone skin best with high-tolerance formulations. Both brands deliver key ingredients that significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Bioderma is a French skincare brand founded in 1977 and owned by Jean-Noël Thorel Foundation since 2018.

bioderma.usnaos.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Bioderma products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceBioderma
  • Non-irritating and gentle Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't sting my eyes — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “doesn't cause any irritation — Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Oil”
    • “mildest face wash I've tried — Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedOften 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”
    • “absorbs instantly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
  • Smoothes skin texture Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “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”
  • Hydrating and moisturizing Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “healed my dry skin — Bioderma Sébium Hydra”
    • “skin feels plump — Bioderma Atoderm Crème Ultra”
    • “leaves skin feeling hydrated — Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Oil”
  • Unclogs pores and clears acne Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “It removed my acne from my face. — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
  • Balances oily skin and minimizes pores Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “It works great to balance oil and is very refreshing, especially in the summer. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “Keeps you shine free — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
    • “Noticeable difference in size of pores — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
  • High price and value issues Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “pricier than other brands — Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant”
    • “finished too quickly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
    • “pricey for water — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Drying and flaking Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “Skin looks like sandpaper — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
    • “It isn't a cleanser I can use every day... it can be very drying. — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Very unpleasant chemical smell. You definitely don't want this accidentally going into your mouth. — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
    • “scent is too strong — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
    • “strong scent — Bioderma Sébium Hydra”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs Bioderma routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Bioderma routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Bioderma routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Bioderma: which is better?

Both brands are equal, as they both offer a High routine fit for every skin type on this page. Paula's Choice helps smooth skin texture and clear acne, while Bioderma is better for soothing, barrier-repairing, and gentle makeup removal.

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

Paula's Choice helps smooth skin texture and clear acne with lightweight formulas, while Bioderma is better known for soothing, barrier-repairing, and gentle moisturizers and makeup removers.

Paula's Choice or Bioderma for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Bioderma fit dry skin with a High routine fit level. Paula's Choice helps smooth skin texture with a variety of active ingredients, while Bioderma is mostly noted for soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Bioderma offer cleansers with high fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin types, but Paula's Choice products on this page often help unclog pores and clear acne more effectively. Bioderma cleansers tend to be more soothing and barrier-repairing.

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

Bioderma and Paula's Choice both receive mentions for high prices and value concerns from reviewers, so neither stands out as clearly more affordable than the other.

Between Paula's Choice and Bioderma, which brand includes fragrance in some of its products and which one lists no fragrance at all?

Bioderma includes fragrance in some of the products on this page, whereas Paula's Choice lists no fragrance in any of its products on this page.

How do the founding years, countries of origin, and current parent organizations of Paula's Choice and Bioderma compare?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States and is owned by Unilever, whereas Bioderma was founded in 1977 in France and is owned by the Jean-Noël Thorel Foundation.

Which brand performs better according to reviewers for lightweight absorption and smoothing skin texture versus soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers?

Paula's Choice performs better for lightweight absorption and smoothing skin texture, while Bioderma does better for soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers.

Paula's Choice or Bioderma for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Bioderma fit oily skin at a High level, making them equally good options. Paula's Choice helps smooth skin texture and unclogs pores, while Bioderma is known for soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers.

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

Bioderma offers soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers that are mostly mentioned by reviewers, while Paula's Choice provides options with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Both brands achieve a High routine fit for dry skin, oily skin, and sensitive skin.

Paula's Choice or Bioderma for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Bioderma fit sensitive skin with a High routine fit. Paula's Choice helps smooth skin texture and provides anti-aging serums, while Bioderma is known for gentle, non-irritating makeup removers and soothing, barrier-repairing moisturizers.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Bioderma offer routines that fit acne-prone skin at a High level. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, which helps unclog pores and clear acne.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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