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CeraVe vs Paula's Choice

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

CeraVe and Paula's Choice are American skincare brands offering trusted moisturizers, cleansers, serums, and more, formulated with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. CeraVe suits acne-prone skin and combination skin best, while Paula's Choice fits oily skin and acne-prone skin best. Both brands differ in their founding dates, parent companies, and specific active formulations for targeted care.

CeraVe is an American skincare brand founded in 2005 and owned by L'Oréal since 2017.

en.wikipedia.orghappi.comloreal-finance.comcerave.com

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

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

Popular CeraVe vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

CeraVePaula's Choice
  • Texture and Lightweight Feel Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue — CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “Sinks right into your skin — CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Fragrance-Free and Gentle Formulas Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “doesn't leave face tight — CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser”
    • “no burning sensation — CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum”
    • “No scent, no irritation — CeraVe Moisturising Cream”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Acne and Oil Control Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “dialed back oiliness — CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — CeraVe Moisturising Cream”
    • “woke up with plump skin — CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream”
    • “cured my dry patches — CeraVe Eye Repair Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “smoother complexion — CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum”
  • Skin Tone and Mark Correction Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “spots barely visible — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “lightened dark spots — CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum”
  • Price Point Concerns Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive Vaseline — CeraVe Healing Ointment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging Issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “no safety seal included — CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Gave me cystic acne — CeraVe Moisturising Cream”
    • “gave me closed comedones — CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”

CeraVe vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

CeraVe vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

CeraVe vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

CeraVe or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Both brands are great choices depending on your specific skin goals, with CeraVe offering superior hydration and gentle care while Paula's Choice excels in acne control and skin texture improvement.

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

CeraVe offers budget-friendly products with a High fit for hydration and gentle formulas, while Paula's Choice features advanced serums and exfoliants with a Superior fit for acne, oil control, and mature skin.

CeraVe or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both CeraVe and Paula's Choice achieve a High Lovi routine fit for dry skin, though they differ in their formulations and strengths. CeraVe offers deep hydration and fragrance-free moisturizers, whereas Paula's Choice features advanced targeted treatments.

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

Both CeraVe and Paula's Choice offer cleansers with strong performance, but CeraVe achieves a Superior Lovi fit level for sensitive skin and gentle daily cleansing, whereas Paula's Choice is tailored specifically for oily and acne-prone skin.

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

Paula's Choice has more price point concerns, while CeraVe is known for being more affordable.

CeraVe or Paula's Choice for anti-aging and skin texture?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for anti-aging and skin texture, as the products on this page achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for mature skin and excel in skin texture improvement. Additionally, retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

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

Which brand has better packaging and fewer complaints about high prices?

CeraVe has fewer complaints about high prices, as price point concerns are noted as a negative review theme for CeraVe while Paula's Choice faces high price issues. Regarding packaging, review themes indicate that Paula's Choice has packaging issues, whereas CeraVe's packaging issues are sometimes noted.

CeraVe or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior choice for oily skin, whereas CeraVe offers a High fit level for this skin type. Paula's Choice is noted for its strengths in acne and oil control across the products on this page.

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

CeraVe provides moisturizers on this page that are noted for superior healing, texture, and deep hydration, while Paula's Choice offers lightweight options like the Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer. CeraVe formulas help restore the skin barrier with ceramides, whereas Paula's Choice focuses on targeted boosters and treatments. Both brands offer fragrance-free options across the products on this page.

CeraVe or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice achieves a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, while CeraVe reaches a High fit on the products on this page. Reviewers note that CeraVe is particularly strong for fragrance-free and gentle formulas.

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

CeraVe provides a High fit for acne-prone, sensitive, dry sensitive, combination, skin with dark spots, oily acne-prone, and oily skin, with Superior fits for mature and dry skin on its sunscreen products. Paula's Choice offers a High fit for dry and combination skin, while its other sunscreen products hold an Average fit across multiple skin types.

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

Both CeraVe and Paula's Choice achieve a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice is noted for acne and oil control, while CeraVe offers gentle, non-stripping cleansers.

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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