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Paula's Choice vs Eminence

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

Paula's Choice and Eminence are two distinct skincare lines built for different complexions and preferences. The American brand founded in 1995 focuses on serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more formulated with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting acne-prone and oily skin best with ingredients like glycerin that significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function. Meanwhile, the second brand is widely beloved for its deeply nourishing moisturizers and the pure botanical potency of its formulas that suit dry, sensitive, and combination skin types best. While both lines deliver visible renewal through carefully crafted treatments, they differ in their core ingredient philosophies and ideal skin matches.

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 Paula's Choice and Eminence products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Paula's Choice vs Eminence products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEminence
  • Fast absorption and lightweight formula 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”
    • “doesn't feel heavy — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
    • “buttery and great — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
  • Non-greasy feel and hydration Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels baby soft — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “Not too thick — Eminence Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream”
    • “hydrates without leaving me shiny — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs super fast — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Non-irritating and gentle Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “no stinging — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “calms my irritation — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
  • 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”
    • “Skin feels soft — Eminence Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream”
  • Pore clearance and acne reduction Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “cleared up my acne — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Skin texture smoothing Mostly MentionedNot 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”
  • High price and expensive size Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “pricey but worth it — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “spent a lot of money — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
  • Unpleasant smell and scent dislike Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “fragrance is terrible — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “strong tea tree smell — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
  • Purging and breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “irritated my skin horribly — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “Caused pimples — Eminence Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream”

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Eminence: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better suited for smoothing skin texture, while Eminence performs better for hydration and acne reduction. Both brands share similar price points and feature fragrance-free formulations across their products on this page.

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

Paula's Choice offers a much wider variety of targeted serums, exfoliants, and toners that fit best on acne-prone, oily, and combination skin, whereas Eminence focuses on hydrating and soothing moisturizers.

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

Paula's Choice offers a wider range of moisturizers with specialized formulas for different skin types, while Eminence is noted for providing soothing and hydrating options that help with non-greasy feel and pore clearance. Both brands share concerns about high prices.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Eminence share high price as a common drawback noted by reviewers, so neither brand stands out as more affordable based on the products on this page.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Paula's Choice or Eminence?

Eminence does better for pore clearance and acne reduction than Paula's Choice, according to reviewer feedback on the products on this page.

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of Paula's Choice and Eminence compare?

Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995 and has been owned by Unilever since 2021, whereas Eminence was founded earlier in 1958 and remains independently owned.

Which brand has a wider product selection listed on the page across different categories like cleansers, toners, and serums?

Paula's Choice has a much wider product selection on the page, featuring dozens of items across cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers, whereas Eminence lists only three moisturizers.

What are the main differences in what reviewers say about the scents and fragrance profiles of Paula's Choice versus Eminence?

Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients and reviewers sometimes note packaging issues, whereas Eminence products also list no fragrance yet reviewers often mention a strong scent dislike and an unpleasant smell. Reviewers find that both brands share an equal dislike for unpleasant smells and strong scents.

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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