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Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder

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

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are American skincare brands known for offering cleansers, moisturizers, serums, toners, and more. Paula's Choice is built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily skin and mature skin best. Meanwhile, Estée Lauder is formulated with hydrating elements like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, suiting mature skin and sensitive skin best. While both rely on glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, they differ in their specific product compositions and target skin types.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEstée Lauder
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Feel Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Smoothing Skin Texture 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”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep Hydration and Plumping Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formulas 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”
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Instantly blurs fine lines. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
  • High Price Point and Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • Packaging Issues and Leaks Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Caused small bumps on forehead — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “cystic acne — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for fast absorption, smoothing texture, and glowing skin, while Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration and plumping. Lovi rates Paula's Choice routine as Superior for oily, acne-prone, and mature skin, whereas Estée Lauder achieves a High fit for those same skin types.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice offers a Superior routine fit for oily and mature skin on this page, whereas Estée Lauder provides an Average or High fit for those skin types. Reviewers frequently note that Paula's Choice delivers fast absorption and smoothing texture, while Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin, offering High routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's Average level. The products on this page for Paula's Choice feature key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin that help with hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin, where the products on this page achieve a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Estée Lauder's cleansers fit those skin types at High and Average levels.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder feature a high price point as a common drawback in the products on this page, meaning neither brand is clearly more affordable than the other.

Between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder, which brand is better for reducing skin dark spots?

Paula's Choice is better for reducing dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine as High compared to Estée Lauder's Average. Niacinamide helps suppress melanosome transfer to improve pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand performs better for mature skin and firming results: Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice performs better for mature skin with a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Estée Lauder achieves a High fit level. Both brands are equal in anti-aging and firming results, but Paula's Choice features proven ingredients like retinol that help stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which brand has a higher routine fit for dry sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice has a higher routine fit for dry sensitive skin, with a High routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's Average routine fit.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to Estée Lauder's High fit level for this skin type.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice is better suited for most skin types due to superior fit ratings across the products on this page, whereas Estée Lauder leans toward deep hydration and soothing options. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are great for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates both brands at a High fit level for this skin type. Paula's Choice relies on fragrance-free formulations with soothing and anti-aging ingredients like niacinamide and retinol, whereas Estée Lauder provides gentle options like the Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée and DayWear Moisturizer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers solid sunscreen options like the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, but Estée Lauder stands out with its DayWear Moisturizer, which achieves a Superior fit level for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and sensitive skin on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to Estée Lauder's High. The products on this page for Paula's Choice feature key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, which help target blemishes.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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