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Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi

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

Dr. Althea and Some By Mi are two K-beauty brands established in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The former relies on soothing formulas to offer thoughtful moisturizers, gentle cleansers, effective makeup removers, and nourishing serums that suit dry skin and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the latter builds its serums, cleansers, toners, and moisturizers around niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid to fit dry sensitive skin and dry skin best. While both cater well to dry skin, the first focuses heavily on balanced hydration and calm comfort with products like the 345 Relief Cream, whereas the second utilizes active ingredients to address clearer skin goals.

Dr. Althea is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2014 and owned by The Pure Lab Co., Ltd..

doctoraltheaglobal.comdoctoralthea.co.kr

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Dr. Althea and Some By Mi products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi products

People Say

Dr. AltheaSome By Mi
  • Gentle Formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “doesn't dry out my face — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
    • “skin doesn't feel stripped — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
    • “great for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
  • Soothing and Calming Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “calms redness — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “instantly calms irritated skin — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “perfect for sensitive skin — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
    • “Calmed my retinol burn overnight — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “hydrating but light — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “consistently hydrated mornings — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs beautifully — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”
    • “Melts instantly — Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm”
  • Brightening and Evening Skin Tone Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Fades dark spots — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “skin looks visibly brighter — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “brightens dull skin — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “faded dark spots — Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum”
  • Scent and Fragrance Dislike Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like plants — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “clinical scent — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “prominent acidic hint — Dr. Althea Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “not enough for dry skin — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “drying on my hands and face — Dr. Althea Amino Gel Cleanser”
    • “not moisturizing enough — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out — Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Dr. Althea Barrier Cream”
    • “Zits appeared initially — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Dr. Althea vs Some By Mi routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which is better?

Dr. Althea provides a Superior fit for acne-prone, mature, and oily acne-prone skin with gentle and soothing formulas, while Some By Mi provides a Superior fit for sensitive, dry sensitive, and skin with dark spots alongside strong skin texture and brightening benefits.

What is the difference between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi?

Dr. Althea provides superior fit levels for acne-prone, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, while Some By Mi offers a superior fit for sensitive and dry sensitive skin and skin with dark spots. Reviewers note that Dr. Althea excels in gentle and soothing formulas, whereas Some By Mi is recognized for its effective acne-clearing treatments and brightening results. Niacinamide may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for dry skin?

Both Dr. Althea and Some By Mi fit dry skin equally well, as Lovi rates both routines as superior. Reviewers note that the products on this page for Dr. Althea offer soothing and hydrating moisturizers, while Some By Mi features excellent texture moisturizers.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which cleanser is better?

Dr. Althea is better for gentle and soothing cleansing, as reviewers frequently note its gentle formulas and the brand excels with a Superior Lovi fit level for cleansers on this page. Some By Mi also offers deep pore cleansing cleansers, but reviewers sometimes note drying or stripping effects.

Which is more affordable, Dr. Althea or Some By Mi?

The products on this page do not list pricing information, so a comparison of affordability between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi cannot be made here.

Between Dr. Althea and Some By Mi, which brand is better suited for mature skin?

Dr. Althea is better suited for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Some By Mi's High level. Dr. Althea's products on this page are rated as High fit for mature skin, while Some By Mi includes products like the Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum that have a Low fit for mature skin.

How do the review themes compare regarding skin texture improvement for Dr. Althea versus Some By Mi?

Some By Mi does better than Dr. Althea regarding skin texture improvement. Reviewers often mention Some By Mi for its skin-smoothing textures.

Which brand performs better for addressing skin with dark spots according to the fit levels?

Some By Mi performs better for addressing skin with dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior compared to High for Dr. Althea.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for oily skin?

For oily skin, both brands offer a High routine fit on the products on this page. Dr. Althea features gentle and soothing cleansers and moisturizers, while Some By Mi excels in pore-cleansing formulas and skin-smoothing textures.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi: which moisturizer is better?

When choosing a moisturizer, Dr. Althea provides the 345 Relief Cream which has a Superior fit for acne-prone skin, while Some By Mi offers the Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream with a Superior fit for acne-prone skin and dry skin.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for sensitive skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for sensitive skin because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, compared to High for Dr. Althea. Reviewers also highlight Some By Mi for gentle and lightweight serums.

Dr. Althea or Some By Mi for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Dr. Althea has a Superior fit level while Some By Mi has a High fit level. Dr. Althea provides gentle and soothing cleansers and moisturizers, whereas Some By Mi offers effective acne-clearing treatments and skin-smoothing textures.

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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