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Paula's Choice vs Clinique

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

Paula's Choice and Clinique are American skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, makeup removers, eye products, and more. Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to suit acne-prone skin and oily skin best, while Clinique incorporates hydrating hyaluronic acid, nourishing glycerin, and invigorating caffeine to suit dry sensitive skin and oily skin best. Ultimately, both differ as the former was founded in 1995 and is owned by Unilever, whereas the latter was founded in 1968 and is owned by The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clinique products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClinique
  • Lightweight and fast absorbing 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”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “cools the heat in my cheeks — Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Smoothes texture and refines pores Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • Unclogs pores and clears acne 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”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Firms and plumps Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “improved neck texture — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “glass skin look — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “visibly plumped up — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • High price and small size Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • Causes purging or breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like nail polish remover — Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2”
    • “Smells like old oil — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “Has a weird plastic-like smell — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Drying and flaking Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “dryness and scaliness — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “Made my skin flaky — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clinique routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clinique: which is better?

Paula's Choice is generally better for most skin types on this page, offering a High routine fit for dry, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and dark spot-prone skin, whereas Clinique is a better fit for dry sensitive skin. Both brands achieve a High routine fit for oily, mature, and oily acne-prone skin.

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

Paula's Choice and Clinique are both American skincare brands founded in the 1990s and 1960s respectively, but Paula's Choice is owned by Unilever while Clinique is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. The products on this page show that Paula's Choice fits best for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin, whereas Clinique fits best for dry sensitive, oily, and mature skin.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dry skin, offering High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average level. The products on this page help hydrate and nourish dry skin with ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice offers a better selection of cleansers, as the products on this page achieve a Superior fit for oily, acne-prone, and combination skin types. Meanwhile, Clinique's cleansers tend to show lower fit levels and may cause irritation for sensitive skin.

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

Both brands are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither stands out as more affordable.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clinique fit oily skin well, with Lovi rating both brands at a High level for this skin type. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice helps smooth texture and unclog pores, while Clinique is often praised for its lightweight and fast-absorbing moisturizers.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Clinique offer effective moisturizers, with Paula's Choice providing a High routine fit for dry and combination skin, while Clinique achieves a High fit for dry sensitive skin. Both brands feature options formulated with hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help hydrate the skin. Retinol found in Paula's Choice treatments may stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average level on this page. Paula's Choice also does better in smoothing texture, refining pores, and providing a glow.

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

Paula's Choice is a better option for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page achieve a High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average fit. Paula's Choice also does better at unclogging pores and clearing acne.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, Clinique fits better with a High routine level, while Paula's Choice is Average. The products on this page help hydrate and soothe dry sensitive skin.

Paula's Choice or Clinique for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Clinique offer products that fit mature skin well, as seen in the equal high routine fit levels. Paula's Choice products on this page help smooth texture, while Clinique products help provide hydration.

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

Paula's Choice is a better option for skin with dark spots, as the products on this page achieve a High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average fit. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

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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