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Paula's Choice vs Clinique

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

Paula's Choice and Clinique are established American skincare brands offering diverse ranges of serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c or caffeine. Paula's Choice features formulations centered on glycerin and vitamin c that suit oily and acne-prone skin best, while Clinique incorporates hydrating hyaluronic acid, nourishing glycerin, and invigorating caffeine to comfortably suit dry sensitive skin and oily skin. The brands differ primarily in their founding years, parent companies, and specific active ingredients like caffeine and vitamin c, though both utilize barrier-restoring glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clinique products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClinique
  • 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”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “cools the heat in my cheeks — Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Smoothes texture and refines pores Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • Unclogs pores and clears acne 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”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Firms and plumps Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “improved neck texture — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “glass skin look — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “visibly plumped up — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • Causes purging or breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like nail polish remover — Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2”
    • “Smells like old oil — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “Has a weird plastic-like smell — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Drying and flaking Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “dryness and scaliness — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Made my skin flaky — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clinique: which is better?

Paula's Choice is a better fit overall, offering superior routines for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin compared to Clinique. Paula's Choice also does better at smoothing texture, refining pores, adding glow, and unclogging pores.

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

Paula's Choice outperforms Clinique across most skin types, achieving a Superior routine fit for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin compared to Clinique's lower ratings. Paula's Choice also tends to do better on smoothing texture, unclogging pores, and adding glow, while Clinique is noted for being gentle and non-irritating.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin, offering High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average routine fit on this page.

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

Paula's Choice cleansers achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for oily skin, oily acne-prone skin, and acne-prone skin, while Clinique cleansers fit these skin types less strongly. Paula's Choice products on this page help unclog pores and clear acne more effectively.

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

Both brands are noted by reviewers for having a high price point. Lovi's price-related review themes indicate that neither brand holds a clear affordability advantage.

Which brand has a better routine fit for dry sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clinique have a High routine fit for dry sensitive skin. Paula's Choice offers products on this page like the Advanced Replenishing Toner, while Clinique includes the Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser.

Paula's Choice or Clinique: which is better for smoothing texture and refining pores?

Paula's Choice is better for smoothing texture and refining pores. Lovi rates its routine fit for combination and oily skin as Superior compared to Clinique's Average and High fits, and reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better at smoothing texture and refining pores.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine compared to Clinique's High fit level.

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

Paula's Choice is a better choice for moisturizers due to its superior formulations containing advanced key ingredients like ceramides and antioxidants. Clinique is also popular for its hydrating and lightweight moisturizers, but Paula's Choice provides targeted options that help maintain optimal skin health.

Carcinogenesis, 2001

Paula's Choice or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit than Clinique for sensitive skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Clinique's Average level. Niacinamide, featured prominently across the products on this page, helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a Superior routine compared to Clinique's Average fit level.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for mature skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for mature skin, offering targeted anti-aging serums with ingredients like retinol that help stimulate collagen accumulation in aging skin. Clinique also has options for mature skin, but Paula's Choice achieves a higher overall fit level for this skin type across the products on this page.

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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