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Paula's Choice vs Medik8

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

Paula's Choice and Medik8 are established skincare brands offering serums, moisturizers, toners, and more. The American brand, founded in 1995, builds its formulas around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting oily and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the British brand, founded in 2009, relies on hyaluronic acid and suits dry and sensitive skin best. They differ primarily in their ownership, ingredient focus, and ideal skin types.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Medik8 is a British skincare brand founded in 2009 and owned by L'Oréal Groupe since 2025.

loreal.commedik8.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Paula's Choice and Medik8 products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Paula's Choice vs Medik8 products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceMedik8
  • Hydration and Moisture 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”
    • “Restores moisture — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “absorbed effortlessly — Medik8 Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream”
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “smoother skin — Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse”
  • Gentle Formulation Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “zero irritation or peeling — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
    • “only Vitamin C my sensitive skin can tolerate — Medik8 C-Tetra Serum”
    • “Best retinol replacement — Medik8 Bakuchiol Peptides”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Glow and Brightening Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “I wake up glowing. It adds back that youthful bloom that I've lost. — Medik8 Sleep Glycolic”
    • “unlocked a serious glow — Medik8 C-Tetra Serum”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Reduces fine lines — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “Plumps skin with moisture — Medik8 Bakuchiol Peptides”
  • Acne and Cleansing Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “pores feel cleaner — Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse”
  • High Price Point Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Expensive per bottle — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “very expensive for amount — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
    • “hefty price tag — Medik8 C-Tetra Serum”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Dryness and Flaking Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “slightly drying — Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse”
    • “need a thick moisturizer — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
    • “need more moisture — Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye 3”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Packaging Issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Glass bottle breaks easily — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “hard to get last bit — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”

Paula's Choice vs Medik8 routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Medik8 routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Medik8 routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Medik8: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for acne and cleansing, while Medik8 is better for gentle formulation. For dry skin, Lovi finds that Medik8 has a Superior routine fit, whereas Paula's Choice has a High routine fit.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Medik8?

Paula's Choice fits best for oily and acne-prone skin, while Medik8 fits best for dry and sensitive skin. Reviewers find that Paula's Choice does better for texture and pores, whereas Medik8 does better for gentle formulation.

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for dry skin?

Medik8 is a superior fit for dry skin, whereas Paula's Choice has a high routine fit for dry skin.

Paula's Choice or Medik8: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice outperforms Medik8 for acne and cleansing, with products on this page rated as a Superior fit for oily, acne-prone, and oily acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Medik8?

Both brands frequently face shopper complaints about high prices, making affordability comparable rather than clearly favoring one over the other.

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a Superior fit for oily skin, whereas Medik8 offers a High fit on the products on this page. Paula's Choice features targeted ingredients like salicylic acid that help manage oil and blemishes.

Paula's Choice or Medik8: which moisturizer is better?

Medik8 tends to offer a slightly more hydrating experience for dry skin types, as Lovi rates Medik8 routine fit for dry skin as Superior and Paula's Choice as High. Both brands feature options with hyaluronic acid.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Medik8 are well suited for sensitive skin, with Lovi fit levels reaching Superior for both brands depending on the specific product. Reviewers note that Medik8 formulas are especially gentle and non-irritating.

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for acne-prone skin on Lovi, whereas Medik8 has a high fit. Paula's Choice also does better for acne and cleansing.

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for mature skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for mature skin, whereas Medik8 has a high fit. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and pores.

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for skin with dark spots?

Paula's Choice and Medik8 both fit skin with dark spots at a High level. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice helps with texture and pores while Medik8 helps with a gentle formulation, and both brands include key ingredients like niacinamide, which may reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Paula's Choice or Medik8 for dry sensitive skin?

Medik8 is the better choice for dry sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Paula's Choice.

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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