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SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice

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

SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice are two distinct skincare lines known for addressing specific complexions through targeted formulations. The South Korean brand features soothing toners, comforting moisturizers, reliable sunscreens, and nourishing masks built around pure centella, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and brightening niacinamide, suiting sensitive and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the American brand offers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners formulated with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C, fitting oily and acne-prone skin best. While both cater to blemish-prone complexions, they differ in their foundational philosophies, with one focusing on gentle botanical calming agents and the other utilizing potent active ingredients.

SKIN1004 is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2012 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024.

mk.co.krpitchbook.comtracxn.comgoodai-global.com

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

SKIN1004Paula's Choice
  • Lightweight texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sunk in like a dream — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “Texture is on the thinner side... surprisingly lightweight. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and soothing Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “calmed my angry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “Gives my dehydrated skin a moisture surge — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Eliminated redness on my easily irritated skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “instantly hydrates — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Skin smoothing and texture Sometimes NotedMostly 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 super soft — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
  • Brightening and complexion Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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 a nice glow — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Boosting Toner”
  • Effective cleansing Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip my skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara and sunscreen effortlessly. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Gentle formulation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't burn my eyes — SKIN1004 Probio-Cica Bakuchiol Eye Cream”
    • “Does not sting my eyes or irritate my sensitive skin. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Small size or high price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Price is quite steep — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “wish it came in larger size — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “Pricey for daily use — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pad”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Scent dislikes Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like wet dog — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “Has a strong herbal/citrus scent I didn't enjoy. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “smells a bit like plastic — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Insufficient hydration or dryness Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not enough for dry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “not moisturizing enough — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
  • Irritation and eye discomfort Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Made my vision blurry/foggy for a while after rinsing. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “painful tightness — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

SKIN1004 vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which is better?

Paula's Choice outperforms SKIN1004 for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin, achieving Superior fit levels in those categories compared to the High fit levels of SKIN1004. Both brands offer equal routine fit for dry skin, skin with dark spots, and dry sensitive skin, but SKIN1004 does better for hydration and soothing while Paula's Choice excels in skin smoothing and brightening.

What is the difference between SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice?

Both brands offer fragrance-free products, but Paula's Choice achieves a superior routine fit for oily, acne-prone, combination, sensitive, and mature skin, whereas SKIN1004 focuses best on sensitive, acne-prone, and dry skin.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer a high routine fit for dry skin on the products on this page. SKIN1004 focuses on hydrating ingredients like sodium hyaluronate to help improve skin quality.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer cleansers with effective cleansing. SKIN1004 stands out for hydration and soothing, while Paula's Choice delivers strong skin smoothing and texture benefits.

Which is more affordable, SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice?

Reviews note high prices for Paula's Choice, while SKIN1004 has small size or high price drawbacks listed.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which brand does better for brightening and complexion?

Paula's Choice does better for brightening and complexion. Review themes on the products on this page indicate that Paula's Choice outperforms SKIN1004 in this category, utilizing key ingredients like niacinamide which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do the founding years and corporate ownership compare between SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice?

SKIN1004 was founded in South Korea in 2012 and has been owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024, whereas Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and has been owned by Unilever since 2021.

What are the main key ingredients found across SKIN1004 products compared to Paula's Choice products?

SKIN1004 features Centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and panthenol across the products on this page. In contrast, Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, vitamin C, licorice root, niacinamide, salicylic acid, green tea, and vitamin E.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is superior for oily skin, whereas SKIN1004 has a high fit for oily skin.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers on the products on this page that help hydrate and soothe the skin, with SKIN1004 focusing on Centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid and Paula's Choice incorporating key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides.

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

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a Superior fit for sensitive skin, whereas SKIN1004 has a High fit for sensitive skin.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Paula's Choice offer sunscreens on this page with High fit levels for dry skin and dry sensitive skin, while SKIN1004 features a Soothing Sun Milk and a Water-Fit Sun Serum that help provide sensitive skin care.

SKIN1004 or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Paula's Choice is a superior fit for acne-prone skin on this page, while SKIN1004 has a high fit. Paula's Choice helps target blemishes with key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide.

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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