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SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice

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

SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice are two distinct skincare lines built around thoughtful formulations for varying complexions. The Korean brand features toners, moisturizers, sunscreens, and masks centered on centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to suit combination and oily skin, whereas the American brand offers serums, cleansers, and treatments utilizing hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C to target oily and acne-prone skin. Both labels differ in their foundational heritages and specific ingredient approaches, providing tailored options for individual skincare routines.

SKIN1004 is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2012 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024.

mk.co.krpitchbook.comtracxn.comgoodai-global.com

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

SKIN1004Paula's Choice
  • Lightweight texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sunk in like a dream — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “Texture is on the thinner side... surprisingly lightweight. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and soothing Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “calmed my angry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “Gives my dehydrated skin a moisture surge — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Eliminated redness on my easily irritated skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “instantly hydrates — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Skin smoothing and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “skin feels super soft — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
  • Brightening and complexion Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Gives a nice glow — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Boosting Toner”
  • Effective cleansing Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip my skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara and sunscreen effortlessly. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Gentle formulation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't burn my eyes — SKIN1004 Probio-Cica Bakuchiol Eye Cream”
    • “Does not sting my eyes or irritate my sensitive skin. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Small size or high price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Price is quite steep — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “wish it came in larger size — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “Pricey for daily use — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pad”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Scent dislikes Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like wet dog — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “Has a strong herbal/citrus scent I didn't enjoy. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “smells a bit like plastic — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Insufficient hydration or dryness Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not enough for dry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “not moisturizing enough — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
  • Irritation and eye discomfort Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Made my vision blurry/foggy for a while after rinsing. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “painful tightness — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Paula's Choice performs better for oily, acne-prone, combination, sensitive, and mature skin types, while both brands offer equal routines for dry, dry sensitive skin and skin with dark spots. SKIN1004 stands out for hydration and soothing, whereas Paula's Choice excels in skin smoothing, texture, and brightening.

What is the difference between SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice achieves a Superior routine fit for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, and oily acne-prone skin types, whereas SKIN1004 reaches a High fit level for those categories. Both brands deliver a High routine fit for dry, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin types.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice fit dry skin at a High level on this page. Reviewers note that SKIN1004 excels in hydration and soothing, while Paula's Choice products on this page are known for skin smoothing and texture.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer cleansers that provide effective cleansing, as the products on this page show equal performance for this review theme.

Which is more affordable, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice has high price and packaging issues mostly noted by reviewers, while SKIN1004 is noted for having a small size or high price.

Which brand is better for anti-aging and skin smoothing, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice does better for skin smoothing and texture. Retinol helps reduce signs of aging.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

How do the founding years and corporate ownership of SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice compare?

SKIN1004 was founded in South Korea in 2012 and has been owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024, whereas Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and has been owned by Unilever since 2021.

Which brand performs better for hydration and soothing, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

SKIN1004 performs better than Paula's Choice for hydration and soothing. Reviewers mostly mention its soothing and lightweight toners, along with hydrating and soothing masks.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for oily skin, whereas SKIN1004 has a high fit. Both brands list no fragrance across the products on this page.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers with solid formulations, but SKIN1004 is better for hydration and soothing, while Paula's Choice is better for skin smoothing and texture. Hyaluronic acid helps maintain skin moisture, and niacinamide may reduce pigmentation.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for sensitive skin, whereas SKIN1004 is a high fit. Both brands list no fragrance in the products on this page.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

SKIN1004 offers a sunscreen on this page, the Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum, which achieves a Superior fit level for acne-prone, oily acne-prone, and combination skin, and a High fit level for oily, dry, skin with dark spots, dry sensitive, and sensitive skin. Paula's Choice also features a sunscreen, the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, which yields a High fit level for dry and combination skin, and an Average fit level for acne-prone, oily, oily acne-prone, skin with dark spots, sensitive, and mature skin.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for acne-prone skin, while SKIN1004 has a high fit for this skin type.

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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