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Paula's Choice vs La Prairie

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

Paula's Choice and La Prairie are distinct skincare lines founded in 1995 and 1978, respectively. Paula's Choice is known for serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners featuring hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, which suit oily and acne-prone skin best. Conversely, La Prairie is celebrated for its exquisite eye products, moisturizers, serums, and toners with sophisticated formulas that suit dry sensitive skin and mature skin best. While both brands offer targeted solutions for mature skin and dark spots, the American brand relies on barrier-restoring glycerin, whereas the Swiss brand provides a serene and restorative ritual.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs La Prairie products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceLa Prairie
  • Lightweight and fast absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “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 liquid silk — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Texture smoothing and softening Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “softens skin noticeably — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Glow, radiance, and brightening Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Anti-aging, firming, and lifting Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Deep hydration Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Pore improvement and clearing Often MentionedNot noted
    • “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”
  • 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”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Strong fragrance Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Packaging issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “one side stopped — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “leak everywhere in the box — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedNot noted
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or La Prairie: which is better?

Paula's Choice fits oily, acne-prone, and combination skin with a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas La Prairie is a better fit for dry sensitive skin with a Superior Lovi fit level, while both brands reach a Superior Lovi fit level for mature skin. Paula's Choice helps avoid added fragrance across all its products on this page, while La Prairie features fragrance in most of its products on this page.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and La Prairie?

Paula's Choice is better for pore improvement and clearing, whereas La Prairie performs better for deep hydration and anti-aging, firming, and lifting. Paula's Choice is fit best for oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin, while La Prairie is fit best for dry sensitive, mature, and sensitive skin.

Paula's Choice or La Prairie for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and La Prairie achieve a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice relies on fragrance-free formulations with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, whereas La Prairie features luxurious, deeply hydrating textures that help soften and smooth dry skin.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice and La Prairie both offer popular moisturizers, but Paula's Choice is often favored for its fragrance-free formulas and better suitability for oily and acne-prone skin, while La Prairie specializes in luxury anti-aging and deep hydration for mature or dry sensitive skin.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or La Prairie?

Paula's Choice is more affordable than La Prairie, as La Prairie's products come with exorbitant prices. However, high price and value concerns are noted for Paula's Choice as well.

Which brand has a fragrance in more of its products, Paula's Choice or La Prairie?

La Prairie has a fragrance in more of its products than Paula's Choice. Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance, whereas four out of five products on the La Prairie page list fragrance in their ingredients.

Paula's Choice or La Prairie for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior while La Prairie is High. The products on this page help target pores and clear oil without heavy fragrance.

Paula's Choice or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its overall routine as Superior compared to La Prairie's High rating. Paula's Choice products on this page also list no fragrance, whereas most La Prairie products contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, where Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for La Prairie. The products on this page for Paula's Choice also feature ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide that help target blemishes and clear pores.

Paula's Choice or La Prairie for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and La Prairie are great options for mature skin, as Lovi rates their routines as Superior. Paula's Choice is often noted for its anti-aging serums, while La Prairie helps provide lifting, firming, and deep hydration.

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

Paula's Choice or La Prairie for dry sensitive skin?

La Prairie is the better choice for dry sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Paula's Choice. Both brands offer good hydration, but La Prairie's formulations provide deep moisturization that helps soothe sensitive skin types.

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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