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Clarins vs MAC

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

Clarins and MAC are respected beauty houses offering distinct approaches to daily maintenance. Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C, known for luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, soothing eye products, and gentle toners enriched with nourishing shea and hydrating squalane. Conversely, MAC is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 1984 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 1994, beloved for reliable moisturizers and makeup removers crafted from carefully balanced formulas. While the former suits sensitive and dry sensitive skin best through formulations that reduce redness and increase collagen, the latter suits balanced skin best with gentle and effective ingredients.

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

MAC is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 1984 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 1994.

elcompanies.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Clarins vs MAC products

People Say

ClarinsMAC
  • Hydration and Glow Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “foundation glides on — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
    • “Sits beautifully under makeup — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
  • High Price Point Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “too expensive — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
    • “A bit expensive — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”

Questions and answers

Clarins or MAC: which is better?

Clarins and MAC are both well-known beauty brands with comparable high price points, but Clarins offers a much wider range of products on this page tailored to sensitive, dry sensitive, and mature skin types. Reviewers frequently mention that MAC excels at makeup bases and primers, while Clarins is often praised for its hydrating and glowing serums and moisturizers.

What is the difference between Clarins and MAC?

Clarins offers a much larger selection of skincare products on this page compared to MAC, with Lovi finding that Clarins fits sensitive skin, dry sensitive skin, and mature skin best. Reviewers mention that Clarins features hydrating and glowing serums and luxurious textures, while MAC is mostly noted for makeup bases, primers, and lightweight moisturizers.

Clarins or MAC: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, the products on this page for Clarins fit dry skin at a High to Superior level with items like Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream, whereas MAC offers options such as Hyper Real Serumizer and Mineralize Timecheck Lotion with an Average to High fit.

Which is more affordable, Clarins or MAC?

Reviewers note that both Clarins and MAC share a high price point, meaning neither brand is more affordable on the products on this page.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Clarins or MAC?

The products on this page for both Clarins and MAC generally show average fits for acne-prone skin, meaning neither brand clearly causes fewer breakouts than the other.

Which brand has been around longer, Clarins or MAC?

Clarins has been around longer than MAC, having been founded in France in 1954 compared to MAC which was founded in Canada in 1984.

Do all MAC products contain fragrance according to the page?

According to the page, all MAC products on the page contain fragrance, as 0 of the 3 products list no fragrance.

What key ingredients are found across Clarins products?

Shea butter, Squalane, Oat, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, and Glycerin are the key ingredients found across the Clarins products on this page.

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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