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Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder

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

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are distinguished American skincare brands offering comprehensive ranges of serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. While Paula's Choice is built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C to suit acne-prone and oily skin best, Estée Lauder expertly formulates its products with hyaluronic acid and glycerin to serve acne-prone and mature skin. Both brands differ in their founding years, corporate ownership, and specific standout solutions, though glycerin significantly increases skin hydration and restores barrier function across their offerings.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEstée Lauder
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Feel 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 quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Smoothing Skin Texture 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”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep Hydration and Plumping Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formulas 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”
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Instantly blurs fine lines. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
  • High Price Point and Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • Packaging Issues and Leaks Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Caused small bumps on forehead — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “cystic acne — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better?

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder both offer great products, but Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily and combination skin types. Estée Lauder tends to provide deeper hydration, while Paula's Choice is superior for fast absorption and smoothing skin texture.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder both offer effective skincare products, but Paula's Choice generally provides a High routine fit for oily skin and skin with dark spots, whereas Estée Lauder provides an Average fit for those skin types.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin, but Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across all products on this page while Estée Lauder includes some scented options. Hyaluronic acid is found in both brands to help with hydration.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice cleansers offer a Superior fit for oily and acne-prone skin on the products on this page, while Estée Lauder cleansers achieve an average fit for those skin types.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Both brands share a high price point as a common drawback for shoppers. Shoppers frequently mention high prices for the products on this page for both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which brand has better anti-aging and firming results?

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are equal for anti-aging and firming results, according to reviewer feedback on the products on this page.

Which brand has more complaints about fragrance or strong scent, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Estée Lauder has more complaints about fragrance or strong scent, whereas every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better for skin with dark spots?

Paula's Choice is better for skin with dark spots, as its routine fit is High compared to Estée Lauder's Average. Paula's Choice features more products tailored for dark spots with a Superior fit level, and niacinamide in the products on this page helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, with Lovi rating its routine as High compared to Estée Lauder's Average.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder both offer moisturizers with a high fit for various skin types on the products on this page, but Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across its entire range while Estée Lauder includes fragrance in some products. Both brands provide effective hydration using key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are a High fit for sensitive skin. Lovi rates the routine fit for sensitive skin as High for both brands.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice offers a Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 that is rated High for dry and combination skin, while Estée Lauder offers a DayWear Moisturizer sunscreen rated Superior for dry, sensitive, and mature skin and High for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin. Both brands provide fragrance-free options across their page lines, though Estée Lauder also includes scented variants in its sunscreen offerings.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder achieve a High routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free options like the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser, while Estée Lauder offers items such as the Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée.

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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