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Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List

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

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are well-regarded skincare brands that offer thoughtfully formulated cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, and more. The American brand Paula's Choice relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to best suit oily and acne-prone skin, whereas the British brand The INKEY List centers its products around glycerin to best serve sensitive and combination skin. While both incorporate hydrating glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, they differ in their founding origins, parent companies, and targeted skin types.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing 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”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Improves texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-irritating 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”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Radiance, glow, and dark spots Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Visibly reduces acne scars — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for improving texture, radiance, and treating dark spots, while The INKEY List is better for affordability and reducing redness.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice offers a superior routine fit for oily, combination, acne-prone, and mature skin, whereas The INKEY List focuses on sensitive skin and provides more affordable options.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both offer a High routine fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice features targeted fragrance-free options like the Replenishing Moisturizer.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin, where its cleansers achieve a Superior Lovi fit level, compared to The INKEY List cleansers which reach a High fit level.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Paula's Choice, as reviewers mostly mention affordable serums and moisturizers for The INKEY List, whereas high price is mostly mentioned for Paula's Choice.

Which brand is better for improving skin texture and smoothness?

Paula's Choice is better for improving skin texture and smoothness because reviewers note it does better in this category. The products on this page help refine the skin using various exfoliants and treatments.

Which brand performs better for reducing redness and soothing skin?

The INKEY List performs better for reducing redness and soothes skin according to the review themes on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Paula's Choice fits oily skin better, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for The INKEY List.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both offer effective moisturizers, but Paula's Choice generally achieves superior fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin types. Shoppers often note The INKEY List for providing affordable, lightweight, and fast-absorbing moisturizers, whereas Paula's Choice is frequently recognized for smooth textures and anti-aging serum formulations.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both brands fit sensitive skin at a Superior level on Lovi. Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products with key ingredients like green tea and niacinamide that help soothe the skin.

Carcinogenesis, 2001Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for The INKEY List.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for mature skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for mature skin, whereas The INKEY List offers a high fit. Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and reduce signs of aging with formulations featuring key ingredients like retinol.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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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