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Paula's Choice vs RoC

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

Paula's Choice and RoC are well-regarded skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and more, built around effective ingredients like glycerin, vitamin c, and retinol. Paula's Choice suits combination skin and oily skin best, while the French brand is fondly loved for providing deeply nourishing care that addresses aging and dryness in mature skin and dry skin. Both utilize glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, but only the second brand relies heavily on retinol to significantly reduce fine wrinkles and increase collagen.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

RoC is a French skincare brand founded in 1957 and owned by Bridgepoint Group plc since 2024.

en.wikipedia.orgprnewswire.combeautymatter.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs RoC products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceRoC
  • Skin texture improvement and smoothing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “diminished my forehead lines — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
    • “face looked smoother — RoC Daily Resurfacing Disks”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas 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 — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
  • Anti-aging and wrinkle reduction Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “wrinkles look less deep — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Fine lines definitely softer — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “crow's feet are fading — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Non-irritating and gentle formulas 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 leave my skin feeling tight — RoC BARRIER RENEW® GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER”
    • “No irritation for me — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Deep hydration Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin is no longer dry — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “Areas stay hydrated all day — RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream”
    • “My skin looks smoother and hydrated. — RoC Derm Correxion Contour Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Non-greasy formulas Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs nicely — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Absorbs easily and quickly — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly without residue — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
  • Unpleasant smell or strong fragrance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “smells like perfume — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “smell is too strong — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum”
    • “perfume smell is too strong — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Skin irritation and burning Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused redness and stinging — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
  • High price and value concerns Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “small bottle — RoC Multi Correxion Revive + Glow Daily Serum”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or RoC: which is better?

RoC does better for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction, deep hydration, and non-greasy formulas among the products on this page. Paula's Choice is better for lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas, while both brands are equal for skin texture improvement and gentle formulas.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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

Paula's Choice helps combination, oily, and acne-prone skin best, while RoC is a superior fit for mature skin, dry skin, and skin with dark spots. RoC does better with deep hydration and anti-aging, but 10 of its 12 products list no fragrance while Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or RoC for dry skin?

RoC has a Superior routine fit for dry skin, whereas Paula's Choice has a High routine fit. RoC provides deeper hydration and better deep wrinkle reduction across the products on this page.

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

Both brands offer solid cleansing options, but the products on this page for Paula's Choice fit oily, combination, and acne-prone skin best with a Superior level, while RoC achieves a High fit for dry, sensitive, and oily skin with its BARRIER RENEW GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER. RoC may occasionally cause strong fragrance concerns, whereas Paula's Choice lists no fragrance across its products.

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

RoC offers better value according to reviewer feedback on the products on this page, whereas Paula's Choice is often noted for high price and value concerns.

Which brand is better for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction, Paula's Choice or RoC?

RoC is better for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction compared to Paula's Choice, supported by reviewing themes. Topical retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation and improve naturally aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Do Paula's Choice or RoC products contain fragrance?

Every Paula's Choice product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas RoC features fragrance in some of its formulas, such as the Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum and Multi Correxion Revive + Glow Daily Serum.

Which brand is better for mature skin and skin with dark spots?

RoC is better for mature skin and skin with dark spots, as the products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit for both concerns compared to the High fit from Paula's Choice. Retinol, a key ingredient across RoC products, helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Paula's Choice or RoC for oily skin?

Both brands fit oily skin well with an equal High level on this page. Paula's Choice helps oily skin with lightweight, fragrance-free formulas, while RoC offers options that may also address anti-aging concerns.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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

Both Paula's Choice and RoC offer effective moisturizers, with Paula's Choice featuring fragrance-free options like the Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer and RoC providing popular choices like the Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream. Topical hyaluronic acid, found in both brands' moisturizers, helps improve skin quality and signs of skin aging.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or RoC for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both Paula's Choice and RoC have a high Lovi fit level on this page. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice is fragrance-free across all products on this page, whereas RoC includes fragrance in some formulations.

Paula's Choice or RoC: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which has a High fit for dry and combination skin, and an Average fit for oily skin and mature skin. RoC features the BARRIER RENEW AM MOISTURIZER SPF 30, which has a High fit for dry sensitive skin, dry skin, mature skin, sensitive skin, skin with dark spots, combination skin, and oily skin.

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

RoC is a superior fit for acne-prone skin, while the products on this page from Paula's Choice offer a high fit. Retinol, a key ingredient found in RoC products, helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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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