Biore and MAC are two distinct beauty lines offering thoughtful daily essentials rooted in decades of formulation expertise. The Japanese brand is known for sunscreens, cleansers, masks, and makeup removers featuring gentle and clarifying ingredients, while the Canadian brand focuses on reliable moisturizers and makeup removers crafted from carefully balanced formulas. The former suits sensitive skin and oily skin best, whereas the latter is ideal for balanced skin. Ultimately, they differ in their primary focus, with the first providing targeted options like UV Aqua Rich and Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser, and the second offering steady foundations like Mineralize Timecheck Lotion and Hyper Real Serumizer.
Biore is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by Kao Corporation.
This page compares some of the most popular Biore and MAC products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
“Leaves skin feeling soft and supple, never tight. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
+Ease of Use and ApplicationOften MentionedNot noted
“Minimal effort required — Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips”
“Satisfying to see results — Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips”
“Works in shower, effective on wet hands/face. — Biore Makeup Remover Perfect Oil”
–High Price PointNot notedMostly Mentioned
“too expensive — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
–Skin Breakouts and IrritationOften MentionedOften Mentioned
“caused acne — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
“Felt sticky to me — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
“Breaks me out, I got pimples from this. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
“Nose was irritated — Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips”
–Scents and Fragrance SensitivityOften MentionedOften Mentioned
“smells like alcohol — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
“strong citrus smell — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
“scent is overpowering — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
“Has a scent that might irritate very sensitive noses. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
–Eye IrritationOften MentionedRarely Noted
“Stings if it accidentally gets into the eyes. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
“stings eyes — Biore UV Aqua Rich”
–Drying and Stripping EffectOften MentionedNot noted
“Made my skin peel — Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser”
Questions and answers
Biore or MAC: which is better?
Neither brand is universally better, as Biore excels in deep cleaning and affordability with fragrance-free formulas, while MAC stands out for textures and makeup bases despite higher prices and added fragrance.
What is the difference between Biore and MAC?
Biore products on this page have no added fragrance and are liked for deep cleaning, whereas MAC products often contain fragrance and are favored for their makeup bases, primers, and lightweight moisturizers.
Which is more affordable, Biore or MAC?
Biore is more affordable because MAC has a high price point. Biore also has lower prices compared to MAC.
Which causes fewer breakouts, Biore or MAC?
Biore causes fewer breakouts than MAC, as skin breakouts and irritation are more commonly reported with MAC products on this page.
Which brand has products free of fragrance, Biore or MAC?
Biore has products free of fragrance, as every product on the Biore page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, while MAC includes fragrance in all of its products on this page.
How do the sunscreen and moisturizer options for dry sensitive skin compare between Biore and MAC?
For dry sensitive skin, MAC has a High Lovi fit for its moisturizers, while Biore's UV Aqua Rich sunscreen has a Low Lovi fit and its dry skin options lean towards Caution. MAC features lightweight moisturizers that reviewers often praise, though all MAC products on this page contain fragrance.
What are the founding years and parent companies of Biore and MAC?
Biore was founded in 1980 in Japan and is owned by Kao Corporation, while MAC was founded in 1984 in Canada and is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
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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.
