🇩🇪Germany

Paula's Choice vs Galderma

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

Paula's Choice and Galderma are established skincare brands that offer targeted solutions for varied complexions. The American brand, founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, provides serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting combination and oily skin best. Conversely, the Swiss brand, founded in 1981 and owned by Galderma Group AG, focuses exclusively on serums and fits oily and acne-prone skin best. While both cater to oily skin, they differ in product variety and key ingredient profiles, with glycerin significantly increasing skin hydration and restoring barrier function in the former's offerings.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Galderma is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1981 and owned by Galderma Group AG.

en.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Galderma products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceGalderma
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “cleared up my skin — Galderma Benzac AC Mild Strength 2.5% Acne Gel”
    • “cystic acne gone — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
    • “stops new pimples — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Skin Texture and Smoothing Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 smooth — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
  • Hydration and Glow Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Anti-Aging and Skin Tone Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “scars are fading — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
    • “angry redness tones down — Galderma Benzac AC 5”
  • Cleansing and Gentle Care Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “didn't burn my face — Galderma Benzac AC Mild Strength 2.5% Acne Gel”
  • Pores and Oil Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
  • Dryness, Flaking, and Irritation Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “dryness and scaliness — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “face on fire — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
  • Packaging and Scent Issues Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “bleached my towel — Galderma Benzac AC 5”
    • “bleached my towels — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “causing red acne — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “got worse first — Galderma Epiduo Gel”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs Galderma routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Galderma routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Galderma routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Galderma: which is better?

Paula's Choice helps with skin texture, hydration, and gentle care, while Galderma does better with acne and blemish control. Galderma is superior for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas both brands offer high fit levels for dry and sensitive skin types.

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

Galderma offers superior acne-clearing serums and better value, whereas Paula's Choice provides a much wider variety of fragrance-free products focused on skin texture, hydration, and gentle care.

Paula's Choice or Galderma for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Galderma offer a high routine fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice features fragrance-free products with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Galderma is noted for effective acne-clearing serums, but reviewers often mention severe dryness and peeling as a drawback.

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

Galderma is more affordable than Paula's Choice, as price and value is a review theme where Galderma does better.

Which brand performs better for skin texture and smoothing, Paula's Choice or Galderma?

Paula's Choice performs better than Galderma for skin texture and smoothing. The products on this page help improve skin texture through targeted exfoliants and serums that smooth the skin.

How do the founding years and home countries of Paula's Choice and Galderma compare?

Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995, whereas Galderma was founded in Switzerland in 1981.

Which brand receives more complaints about severe dryness and peeling from reviewers?

Galderma receives more complaints about severe dryness and peeling from reviewers, whereas Paula's Choice does better in that review theme.

Paula's Choice or Galderma for oily skin?

For oily skin, Galderma has a superior routine fit compared to Paula's Choice, which has a high routine fit. Galderma is noted for effective acne-clearing serums, while the products on this page for Paula's Choice help with pores and oil control.

Paula's Choice or Galderma for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Galderma fit sensitive skin at a High level. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas and gentle options like the CALM Ultra-Gentle Cleanser, whereas Galderma offers targeted acne treatments that may cause dryness and peeling in sensitive types.

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

Galderma is a better fit for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Paula's Choice. Reviewers note that Galderma provides effective acne-clearing serums, although they may cause severe dryness and peeling.

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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