🇳🇱Netherlands

Paula's Choice vs Clarins

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

Paula's Choice and Clarins are two distinct skincare lines offering targeted solutions for diverse complexions. The American brand, founded in 1995, features cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers built around glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C that best suit oily and acne-prone skin. Meanwhile, the French brand, established in 1954, is known for luxurious moisturizers, soothing eye products, gentle toners, and potent serums enriched with nourishing shea and hydrating squalane that favor sensitive and dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, the two brands differ through their specific ingredient philosophies and the exact skin types they accommodate.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

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

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clarins products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClarins
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “watery consistency — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
  • Texture smoothing and refinement Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
  • Deep hydration and softness Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “no more dry patches — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Anti-aging and firming results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
    • “plumped my fine lines — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “softened crow's feet — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Pore cleansing and clarity 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”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “weird glue-like smell — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Cap broke immediately — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Dryness, flaking, and irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not moisturizing enough — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clarins: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin, while Clarins is better suited for dry sensitive skin. Both brands offer high fit levels for sensitive and mature skin as well as skin with dark spots.

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

Paula's Choice helps oily, acne-prone, and combination skin with fragrance-free formulas, while Clarins is better suited for dry sensitive skin and mature skin despite often containing added fragrance. Paula's Choice is superior for pore cleansing and smoothing textures, whereas Clarins excels in providing deep hydration and anti-aging results.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin, offering High routine fit compared to Clarins' Average routine fit on this page. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin that help provide hydration.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice is better for pore cleansing and clarity, offering cleansers with a Lovi fit level of Superior for oily and acne-prone skin types. Clarins cleansers focus more on deep hydration and softness, with options like their Hydrating Gentle Foaming Cleanser rated High for dry skin.

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

Both brands are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither stands out as more affordable. Reviewers mention high prices and small sizes equally for the products on this page.

Between Paula's Choice and Clarins, which brand offers a better routine fit for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clarins offer a High fit for mature skin. Paula's Choice focuses on targeted serums and exfoliants, while Clarins is known for rich, nourishing moisturizers.

How do the fragrance options differ between Paula's Choice and Clarins products?

Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas almost all Clarins products on this page include fragrance.

Which brand performs better for anti-aging and firming results according to review themes?

Clarins performs better for anti-aging and firming results according to review themes. Retinol helps reduce signs of aging in skin by stimulating collagen accumulation.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Clarins for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is better suited for oily skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to an Average fit for Clarins. Paula's Choice also does better for pore cleansing and clarity, and the products on this page list no fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice is better for lightweight and fast-absorbing moisture, while Clarins is better for deep hydration and softness. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice moisturizers are lightweight and fast-absorbing, whereas Clarins moisturizers provide deep hydration and softness.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice and Clarins both fit sensitive skin with a High Lovi routine fit level. Paula's Choice helps oily, acne-prone, and combination skin types best, whereas Clarins focuses on dry sensitive and mature skin.

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin because the products on this page achieve a High routine fit, whereas Clarins achieves an Average routine fit.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play