🇳🇱Netherlands

Paula's Choice vs Elemis

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

Paula's Choice and Elemis are established skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. Paula's Choice relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to suit acne-prone and oily skin best, while Elemis harnesses glycerin and shea to comfort mature and dry sensitive skin. Both brands differ in their core formulations, as the American brand targets blemishes and barrier care, whereas the British brand emphasizes deeply conditioning and anti-aging treatments.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Elemis is a British skincare brand founded in 1989 and owned by L'Occitane Group since 2019.

elemis.comau.elemis.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Elemis products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceElemis
  • Improving Skin Texture and Smoothness Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “bumps be gone — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “baby soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture 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”
    • “Absorbs almost immediately, and my skin feels well hydrated all day. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “weightless serum — Elemis Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment”
  • Instant and Deep Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “The cream really hydrates and my face looks amazing. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
    • “Quenches thirsty skin... immediate improvement. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “healthy glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “instantly fresh glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
  • Pleasant Scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like a spa — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
    • “smells like a holiday — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “smells like a tropical cocktail — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “Doesn't smell at all — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “improved neck texture — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “My neck doesn't sag... plumps my skin to look more youthful. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
  • High Price and Value Issues Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Complete waste of money for me. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “very expensive — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
  • Packaging Issues and Small Size Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “jar looks half empty — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “tube feels half empty — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “pump broke quickly — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smell is overpowering — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs Elemis routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Elemis routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Elemis routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Elemis: which is better?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for most skin types, but Paula's Choice is better for fragrance-sensitive shoppers since the products on this page list no fragrance, whereas most Elemis products contain it.

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

Paula's Choice and Elemis both offer high routine fit across most skin types, but Paula's Choice is better for improving skin texture and anti-aging, while Elemis is better for deep hydration and luxurious textures. Furthermore, every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance, whereas most Elemis products on the page include fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Elemis for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis have a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free options like the Advanced Replenishing Toner, while Elemis features rich hydrating choices such as the Pro-Collagen Night Cream.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis offer cleansers with high routine fit levels for various skin types, but Paula's Choice is a fragrance-free option whereas most Elemis cleansers contain added fragrance.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis share a high price as a frequently noted drawback for the products on this page. Reviewers report that price and value issues are equal between the two brands.

Between Paula's Choice and Elemis, which brand is better for anti-aging and firming?

Paula's Choice is better for anti-aging and firming, as the products on this page outperform Elemis in improving skin texture, smoothness, and anti-aging results.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Which brand has a stronger fragrance across its products, Paula's Choice or Elemis?

Elemis has a stronger fragrance across its products, as most items on its page list added fragrance, whereas every product from Paula's Choice lists no fragrance.

How do the routines for dry sensitive skin compare between Paula's Choice and Elemis?

For dry sensitive skin, Elemis has a High Lovi fit level while Paula's Choice has an Average Lovi fit level.

Paula's Choice or Elemis for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis are good for oily skin, with Lovi giving both brands a High fit level for this skin type. The products on this page from Paula's Choice contain no fragrance, whereas most Elemis products list added fragrance.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis offer moisturizers with a high Lovi fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas while Elemis is noted for its luxurious textures.

Paula's Choice or Elemis for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis have a High routine fit for sensitive skin. Paula's Choice is fragrance-free across the products on this page, whereas Elemis includes fragrance in several of its formulas and may sometimes cause skin irritation.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Elemis fit acne-prone skin well, with Lovi fit levels reaching Superior for several products on this page. Paula's Choice focuses heavily on targeted treatments containing ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, whereas Elemis offers nourishing formulations that help maintain skin balance.

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