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Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica

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

Paula's Choice and Dermalogica are American skincare brands founded in 1995 and 1986, respectively, that both came under Unilever ownership. Paula's Choice features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, while Dermalogica offers targeted serums, nourishing moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and purifying masks formulated with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and salicylic acid. The first brand fits oily skin and acne-prone skin best, whereas the second brand suits dry skin and oily skin best through formulations addressing specific needs. They differ in their standout products and exact ingredient profiles, utilizing glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Dermalogica is an American skincare brand founded in 1986 and owned by Unilever since 2015.

en.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceDermalogica
  • Improving skin texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedOften 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 smooth as silk — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Fast absorption and lightweight feel Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “blends seamlessly — Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50”
    • “feels like nothing — Dermalogica Active Moist”
  • Glow, radiance and brightening Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “spots barely visible — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “immediately brighter looking — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Unclogging pores and clearing acne Mostly 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”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “Brings out all the gunk — Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry skin — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “super hydrating — Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque”
    • “skin feels hydrated — Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “helps calm and nourish my skin — Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream”
    • “The redness is better — Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream”
    • “Calms redness — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • High price and expensive size Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “expensive for body lotion — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “hefty price tag — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “smells like puke — Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant”
    • “smells like medicine — Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50”
  • Purging, breakouts and skin reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Cystic acne flare-ups — Dermalogica Precleanse”
    • “Caused cystic acne — Dermalogica Super Rich Repair”
    • “gave me acne — Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • 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”
    • “Leaky pump — Dermalogica Precleanse”
    • “pump dispenses too much — Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel”

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Dermalogica routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin, sensitive skin, and oily acne-prone skin, where Lovi rates its routine as Superior. Dermalogica is better for dry skin, where Lovi rates its routine as Superior. Both brands are equally matched for oily, combination, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin.

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

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin, while Dermalogica is better for dry skin. Paula's Choice focuses more on unclogging pores and brightening, whereas Dermalogica focuses more on deep hydration and soothing.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for dry skin?

For dry skin, Dermalogica has a superior routine fit compared to Paula's Choice, offering deep hydration and moisturization. Both brands list no fragrance in their products on this page, and topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

For cleansers, both Paula's Choice and Dermalogica have products on this page that achieve a Lovi fit level of Superior for oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin. Reviewers note that Dermalogica cleansers are especially gentle and non-stripping.

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

Both brands are frequently noted by shoppers for having a high price point, so neither is clearly more affordable than the other based on the products on this page.

Between Paula's Choice and Dermalogica, which brand is better for improving skin texture and smoothness?

Paula's Choice does better than Dermalogica for improving skin texture and smoothness based on the reviews on this page. Topical use of retinol helps support collagen accumulation and smooth aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Which brand performs better for deep hydration and moisturization, Paula's Choice or Dermalogica?

Dermalogica performs better for deep hydration and moisturization. Lovi rates Dermalogica's routine fit for dry skin as Superior, while Paula's Choice's routine fit is High.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica: which is better at reducing redness and soothing skin?

Dermalogica is better at reducing redness and soothing skin, as reviewers note it for soothing moisturizers and deep hydration. Paula's Choice and Dermalogica both offer fragrance-free products on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Dermalogica for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering a Lovi fit level of Superior compared to Dermalogica's High. The products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, which helps reduce the likelihood of skin irritation.

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

Dermalogica is better for deep hydration and moisturization compared to Paula's Choice, offering products like Super Rich Repair and Stabilizing Repair Cream. Lovi rates the Dermalogica routine for dry skin as Superior, while Paula's Choice is rated High.

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

Paula's Choice is a superior match for acne-prone skin compared to Dermalogica, which has a high routine fit on the products on this page. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better at unclogging pores and clearing acne.

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

For sunscreens on this page, both brands offer good choices with similar high ratings for various skin types. Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 and Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 both help protect the skin while fitting well into daily routines.

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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