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Paula's Choice vs Clarins

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

Paula's Choice and Clarins are distinct skincare brands offering diverse solutions for daily routines. Paula's Choice is an American line founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, featuring serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c that fit combination skin and oily skin best. Conversely, Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C, loved for its luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, soothing eye products, and gentle toners enriched with nourishing shea and hydrating squalane that suit sensitive skin and dry sensitive skin best. While both brands address specific concerns with targeted treatments, they differ through their foundational ingredients and regional heritage.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clarins products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClarins
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formula 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 immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
  • Texture smoothing and refinement Mostly MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
  • Deep hydration and softness Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “no more dry patches — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Anti-aging and firming results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
    • “plumped my fine lines — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “softened crow's feet — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Pore cleansing and clarity Often MentionedNot 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”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “weird glue-like smell — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Cap broke immediately — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Dryness, flaking, and irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not moisturizing enough — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for combination skin

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Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clarins: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily and combination skin with a High routine fit compared to Clarins' Average level. Both brands provide a High routine fit for dry, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, and dark-spot skin.

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

Paula's Choice fits oily, combination, and oily acne-prone skin with High levels, whereas Clarins fits these skin types at Average levels. Both brands achieve High routine fit levels for dry, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for dry skin?

Both brands are well suited for dry skin, with Lovi rating the routine fit as High for both Paula's Choice and Clarins. However, Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, while almost all Clarins products contain fragrance. Topical hyaluronic acid, found in both brands, helps improve skin hydration and signs of aging.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice cleansers generally fit oily and acne-prone skin with a Superior Lovi level, whereas Clarins cleansers tend to offer an Average level for those skin types.

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

Reviewers note a high price point for both Paula's Choice and Clarins, with no clear price advantage for either brand on this page.

Between Paula's Choice and Clarins, which brand offers fragrance-free products?

Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, almost all of Clarins' products contain fragrance, with only 1 of 24 products listing no fragrance.

Which brand is better for anti-aging and firming results, Paula's Choice or Clarins?

Clarins is better for anti-aging and firming results. Retinol may help stimulate collagen accumulation in aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Paula's Choice and Clarins?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States, whereas Clarins was established earlier in 1954 in France.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Clarins' Average level. The products on this page for Paula's Choice help manage oil and pores effectively without added fragrance.

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

Both brands offer effective moisturizers, but Paula's Choice is better suited for oily and combination skin with its lightweight, fragrance-free formulas, while Clarins is often preferred for deep hydration and luxurious textures. The products on this page for both brands generally provide high routine fits depending on your specific skin type.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clarins achieve a High Lovi fit level for sensitive skin, making them equally suitable options. Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products across its entire range, whereas Clarins incorporates fragrance in almost all of its formulations.

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

Paula's Choice fits acne-prone skin with a High routine level, whereas Clarins also fits this skin type with a High routine level. The products on this page for Paula's Choice match combination, oily, and acne-prone skin best, while Clarins focuses routines on sensitive, dry sensitive, and mature 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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