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Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's

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

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceKiehl's
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture 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”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement 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”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Glow, Brightening, and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formula 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”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Clearing Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “controlled my back and chest acne — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • High Price and Value Concerns Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • 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”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent or Smell Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Irritation and Burning Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “stung my face — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both brands are great choices depending on your specific skin needs, as Paula's Choice is better suited for acne-prone skin while Kiehl's offers a High fit level for dry sensitive skin. Both brands achieve equal High routine fits for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spot, and oily acne-prone skin types.

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are both United States skincare brands founded in the 1990s and 1850s, respectively. Paula's Choice focuses heavily on fragrance-free formulations targeted toward acne-prone, oily, and combination skin, whereas Kiehl's features targeted solutions for skin with dark spots, mature skin, and dry skin.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a High fit for dry skin on this page, offering targeted products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin that help provide deep hydration. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas, while Kiehl's provides options like the Midnight Recovery Concentrate to support the skin barrier.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer top-tier cleansers that achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for oily and oily acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser helps clear blemishes, while Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash is ideal for a gentle cleanse.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's face negative mentions regarding high prices and value concerns, placing them at an equal level for affordability on this page. Reviewers frequently note high price points for both brands.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a High fit for oily skin. The products on this page help provide suitable daily care for oily skin types.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer effective moisturizers on this page, but Paula's Choice has fragrance-free options that may reduce the likelihood of irritation for sensitive skin. Kiehl's moisturizers provide deep hydration and a lightweight texture, though a few products include fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer a High routine fit level. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page, while Kiehl's provides options with soothing ingredients like Calendula officinalis flower extract that helps calm irritation.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Both brands offer solid sunscreens on this page, but Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 and Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum both deliver High fit levels for most skin types. Paula's Choice relies entirely on fragrance-free formulations across its range, whereas Kiehl's mostly avoids fragrance while including it in a few select items.

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

Paula's Choice is a better choice than Kiehl's for acne-prone skin. The routine fit for Paula's Choice is High, whereas Kiehl's routine fit is Average.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are good choices for mature skin, achieving a High fit level with the products on this page. Paula's Choice helps improve skin texture and manage signs of aging with ingredients like retinol, which stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer a High Lovi fit for skin with dark spots. Niacinamide, a key ingredient found in the products on this page, helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, Kiehl's fits better with a High level, while Paula's Choice reaches an Average level. Kiehl's offers products like Midnight Recovery Concentrate that provide deep hydration and support the skin barrier, which helps soothe irritation.

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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