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Paula's Choice vs Bioderma

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

Paula's Choice and Bioderma are well-regarded skincare brands that offer diverse cleansers, serums, moisturizers, and toners. The American brand, founded in 1995, features products built around glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C that suit oily skin and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the French brand, founded in 1977, is revered for gentle formulas anchored by nourishing glycerin that suit dry skin and sensitive skin best. While both brands utilize hydrating glycerin to restore barrier function, they differ in their primary active ingredients and the specific skin types they target.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Bioderma is a French skincare brand founded in 1977 and owned by Jean-Noël Thorel Foundation since 2018.

bioderma.usnaos.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Bioderma products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceBioderma
  • Non-irritating and gentle Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't sting my eyes — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “doesn't cause any irritation — Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Oil”
    • “mildest face wash I've tried — Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Lightweight and fast absorption 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 instantly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
  • Smoothes skin texture Mostly MentionedNot 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”
  • Hydrating and moisturizing Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “healed my dry skin — Bioderma Sébium Hydra”
    • “skin feels plump — Bioderma Atoderm Crème Ultra”
    • “leaves skin feeling hydrated — Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Oil”
  • Unclogs pores and clears acne Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “It removed my acne from my face. — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
  • Balances oily skin and minimizes pores Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “It works great to balance oil and is very refreshing, especially in the summer. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “Keeps you shine free — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
    • “Noticeable difference in size of pores — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
  • High price and value issues Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “pricier than other brands — Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant”
    • “finished too quickly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
    • “pricey for water — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Drying and flaking Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “Skin looks like sandpaper — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
    • “It isn't a cleanser I can use every day... it can be very drying. — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Very unpleasant chemical smell. You definitely don't want this accidentally going into your mouth. — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
    • “scent is too strong — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
    • “strong scent — Bioderma Sébium Hydra”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs Bioderma routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Bioderma routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Bioderma routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Bioderma: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for unclogging pores, clearing acne, and smoothing skin texture, while Bioderma is better for soothing, barrier-repairing moisture and gentle makeup removers. Lovi finds that Paula's Choice has a superior routine fit for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, while both brands offer a high fit for dry and dry sensitive skin.

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

Paula's Choice offers a superior routine fit for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, and oily acne-prone skin types, while Bioderma provides a high fit across these same categories. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice delivers lightweight textures and anti-aging serums, whereas Bioderma is recognized for soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers.

Paula's Choice or Bioderma for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Bioderma achieve a High routine fit for dry skin on this page, but they differ in formulation. Paula's Choice focuses on fragrance-free products rich in hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide to help lock in moisture, whereas Bioderma offers barrier-repairing moisturizers with glycerin and golden seaweed.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice and Bioderma both offer cleansers with strong fit levels for various skin types, but Paula's Choice is better suited for clearing acne and oily skin with products like the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser, which has a Superior fit for those concerns. Bioderma excels in gentle, non-irritating daily cleansing and soothing, making its cleansers a great choice for sensitive skin.

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

Bioderma has high price and value concerns noted by reviewers.

Between Paula's Choice and Bioderma, which brand has a better routine fit for mature skin?

Paula's Choice has a superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas Bioderma has a high routine fit. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, and niacinamide that help smooth skin texture and address signs of aging.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

How do the fragrance options differ between Paula's Choice and Bioderma products?

Paula's Choice lists no fragrance for every product on the page, whereas Bioderma includes fragrance in nearly half of its products.

Which brand performs better when it comes to unclogging pores and clearing acne?

Paula's Choice performs better than Bioderma for unclogging pores and clearing acne. Lovi rates Paula's Choice as Superior for acne-prone skin, whereas Bioderma's routine fit for acne-prone skin is High.

Paula's Choice or Bioderma for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Paula's Choice is a Superior fit while Bioderma is a High fit. Reviewers note that Bioderma is particularly gentle and non-irritating, whereas Paula's Choice offers lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas.

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

Paula's Choice and Bioderma both offer effective moisturizers, but Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin with its lightweight formulas, while Bioderma is particularly well-suited for soothing dry skin.

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

Paula's Choice achieves a Superior Lovi fit for acne-prone skin, whereas Bioderma achieves a High fit. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better at unclogging pores and clearing acne, while Bioderma is known for being non-irritating and gentle.

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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