🇫🇷France

La Roche-Posay vs Clarins

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

La Roche-Posay and Clarins are two respected French skincare houses offering targeted solutions for diverse complexions. The former is known for nourishing serums, rich moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and targeted eye products formulated with glycerin, soothing thermal water, and niacinamide, suiting mature skin and skin with dark spots best. Meanwhile, the latter is celebrated for nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, delicate eye products, and refreshing toners harnessing soothing shea and replenishing squalane to best suit sensitive and mature skin. These brands ultimately differ in their key botanical and scientific elements, with both delivering carefully balanced care.

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

This page compares some of the most popular La Roche-Posay and Clarins products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular La Roche-Posay vs Clarins products

People Say

La Roche-PosayClarins
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Gentle on Sensitive Skin Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Calmed my skin after a chemical peel — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “no irritation for contact wearers — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
    • “absorbs quickly without grease — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “absorbs in seconds — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
  • Skin Texture and Smoothing Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin feels smoother — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “softens forehead lines — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “makes skin silky smooth — Clarins Hydrating Toning Lotion”
  • Brightening and Dark Spots Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “radiant youthful glow — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “skin looks brighter — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Texture and Quality Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Price and Value Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Too expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Tube is tiny for the price — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
  • Fragrance and Scent Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “scent is awful — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “overwhelming floral smell — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Smells like cheap fragrance — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and Pump Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Pump stopped working halfway — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “dispenses too much — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Product Pilling and Texture Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “sat on top of skin — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “Described as having a sticky, gel-like texture. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “leaves a sticky film — Clarins Hydrating Toning Lotion”
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”

La Roche-Posay vs Clarins routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Clarins routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Clarins routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or Clarins: which is better?

Both brands offer an equal routine fit across all skin types on the products on this page, but they differ in formulations and feedback. La Roche-Posay is generally better for sensitive skin and value, while Clarins is often noted for texture, brightening, and luxury. Niacinamide helps control skin aging and pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and Clarins?

La Roche-Posay and Clarins are both French skincare brands founded decades ago, but they differ in formulation approaches and user feedback on this page. La Roche-Posay tends to be gentler on sensitive skin and has more fragrance-free options, whereas Clarins is often noted for luxurious textures and glowing serums. Both brands achieve high routine fit levels across major skin types.

La Roche-Posay or Clarins for dry skin?

Both brands are a good choice for dry skin, as Lovi rates the routine fit for dry skin as High for both La Roche-Posay and Clarins. La Roche-Posay features products like Pure Vitamin C Cream which has a Superior fit for dry skin, while Clarins offers options like Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream which also has a Superior fit for dry skin.

La Roche-Posay or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

Both La Roche-Posay and Clarins offer effective cleansers on the products on this page, but La Roche-Posay tends to be gentler on sensitive skin. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay has fewer fragrance and scent issues than Clarins.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or Clarins?

La Roche-Posay is more affordable, as price and value concerns are often mentioned for Clarins and are a notable drawback on its page.

Between La Roche-Posay and Clarins, which brand offers more fragrance-free products?

La Roche-Posay offers significantly more fragrance-free options, with 21 out of 35 products on this page listing no fragrance. In contrast, Clarins has only 1 fragrance-free product among the 24 listed on its page.

How do La Roche-Posay and Clarins compare regarding brightening and dark spots according to review themes?

Clarins does better than La Roche-Posay regarding brightening and dark spots according to review themes. Both brands feature key ingredients like niacinamide and vitamin C that help improve skin appearance and reduce pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand is better for sensitive skin regarding fragrance and scent issues?

La Roche-Posay is better for sensitive skin regarding fragrance and scent issues, as 21 of the products on this page list no fragrance compared to only 1 for Clarins. Reviewers also note that strong fragrance and scent issues are less of a concern for La Roche-Posay.

La Roche-Posay or Clarins for oily skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Clarins offer products that are well-suited for oily skin, with both brands achieving a High routine fit level for this skin type. La Roche-Posay features options like the Anthelios sunscreen which has a Superior fit level for oily skin, while Clarins provides choices such as the Double Serum Light Texture.

La Roche-Posay or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer moisturizers with a High or Superior Lovi fit depending on your skin type. La Roche-Posay moisturizers frequently feature hydrating and soothing key ingredients like glycerin, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, whereas Clarins formulas often incorporate shea butter and squalane.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

La Roche-Posay or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Clarins offer options that fit sensitive skin well, as the products on this page show high routine fit levels for both brands. However, reviewers note that La Roche-Posay does better when it comes to being gentle on sensitive skin.

La Roche-Posay or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

Both brands offer an equal routine fit level of High for acne-prone skin. La Roche-Posay includes many fragrance-free options across the products on this page, whereas almost all Clarins products list fragrance.

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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