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Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are two American skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. Paula's Choice relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily and acne-prone skin best, whereas Kiehl's incorporates nourishing glycerin and squalane to suit skin with dark spots and combination skin. While both brands feature glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, the first brand also utilizes squalane to counteract oxidative stress and stimulate fibroblast migration, and they differ primarily in their targeted formulations and founding eras.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceKiehl's
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin never been this silky — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Glow, Brightening, and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Clearing Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “controlled my back and chest acne — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • High Price and Value Concerns Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent or Smell Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Irritation and Burning Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “stung my face — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin, where the products on this page have a superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's. Reviewers also note that Paula's Choice does better for fast absorption and acne clearing.

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

Paula's Choice fits best for oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Kiehl's is tailored best for skin with dark spots, combination skin, and mature skin. Paula's Choice tends to excel in fast absorption and acne clearing, while Kiehl's is known for deep hydration and brightening.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's choice-focused and Kiehl's-focused routines provide appropriate product steps for dry skin types.

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

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone, oily, and oily acne-prone skin, where the products on this page achieve a Superior Lovi fit compared to Kiehl's High fit. Kiehl's also offers effective cleansers like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner and related cleansers, but Paula's Choice consistently reaches Superior fit levels for blemish-prone skin types.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's share high price and value concerns among reviewers, meaning neither brand is clearly more affordable than the other on this page.

Between Paula's Choice and Kiehl's, which brand is better for managing skin with dark spots?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a high routine fit for skin with dark spots. The products on this page for both brands help target pigmentation with key ingredients like vitamin C and niacinamide.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do Paula's Choice and Kiehl's compare in terms of fragrance use across their products?

Paula's Choice has no fragrance in any of the products on this page, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in 2 of its 28 products on this page. Topical ingredients and product formulas are otherwise free of added scents across both brands.

Which brand performs better for acne-prone skin according to the routine fit levels?

Paula's Choice performs better for acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior routine fit level compared to Kiehl's Average fit level.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Paula's Choice offers a Superior fit for oily skin, whereas Kiehl's provides a High fit.

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's both offer quality moisturizers, but Paula's Choice fits oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin with a Superior Lovi level while Kiehl's fits them at a High level. Kiehl's moisturizers are mostly noted for a lightweight and non-greasy texture, whereas Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice offers a Superior Lovi fit for sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's provides a High fit on this page.

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

Paula's Choice offers a Superior fit for sensitive skin with its Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, whereas Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum fits sensitive skin at a High level. Both sunscreens may help protect the skin while providing lightweight hydration on the products on this page.

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

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to Kiehl's Average fit level. The products on this page help clear blemishes effectively.

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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