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Paula's Choice vs Lancôme

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

Paula's Choice and Lancôme are well-regarded skincare brands that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. The American brand is built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, fitting acne-prone skin and oily skin best, while the French brand is thoughtfully formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and adenosine, suiting sensitive skin and acne-prone skin best. Both brands feature formulations where glycerin significantly increased skin hydration and restored barrier function. They differ in origin, founding years, parent companies, and specific active ingredients like vitamin c and adenosine.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Lancôme is a French skincare brand founded in 1935 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1964.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Lancôme products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceLancôme
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “absorbs almost instantly — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “absorbs instantly — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Improvement Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Skin feels cushiony soft — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives my skin an instant dewy glow — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “keeps the skin soft and hydrated — Lancôme HYDRA ZEN”
    • “The product provides deep hydration and visible rejuvenation. — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Night Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Brightening, Radiance, and Tone Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Skin looks lit from within — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care 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”
    • “instantly soothed my skin — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Doesn't sting my eyes — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
  • Acne Clearing and Pores Mostly 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”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
  • 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”
    • “super expensive — Lancôme Absolue Precious Oil”
    • “expensive as hell — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
  • Irritation, Dryness, and Breakouts Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “didn't notice much change in wrinkles — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Leaves a greasy film — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Scent, Residue, and Texture Flaws Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “My only issue with it is the fragrance. — Lancôme Hydra Zen Gel Cream”
    • “scent is too strong — Lancôme Absolue Revitalizing Eye Cream”

Paula's Choice vs Lancôme routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs Lancôme routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs Lancôme routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Lancôme: which is better?

Paula's Choice and Lancôme are both strong options, but Paula's Choice is often preferred for acne-clearing, brightening, and smoothing the skin texture, whereas Lancôme is noted for deep hydration and soothing sensitive skin. Both brands offer products on this page that achieve high routine fits across most skin types.

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

Paula's Choice is founded in the United States and focuses best on acne-prone, oily, and combination skin, while Lancôme is founded in France and fits best on sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin. Paula's Choice helps more with brightening, acne clearing, and pores, whereas Lancôme helps more with hydration and deep moisture.

Paula's Choice or Lancôme for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Lancôme are a High fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, while many Lancôme products contain added fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice is better for cleansers, as the products on this page achieve Superior fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas Lancôme cleansers receive Warning ratings across multiple skin types.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Lancôme share the disadvantage of a high price point among the products on this page.

Which brand performs better for brightening, radiance, and tone?

Paula's Choice performs better for brightening, radiance, and tone according to the review themes on this page. Ingredients like niacinamide help reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do the fragrance options differ between Paula's Choice and Lancôme products?

Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas 11 of the 14 Lancôme products contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Lancôme for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Lancôme offer a High routine fit for oily skin, making them strong choices. Paula's Choice is particularly known for acne clearing and pores, while Lancôme provides deep hydration and lightweight moisturizers.

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

When comparing moisturizers, Paula's Choice and Lancôme both offer effective options, though Paula's Choice tends to be better for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin, while Lancôme excels in deep hydration and soothing sensitive skin. For instance, the products on this page from Paula's Choice feature fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, helping to improve skin hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

Paula's Choice or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Lancôme are a High fit for sensitive skin. Reviewers note that Lancôme soothes sensitive skin well, while Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products on this page.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Lancôme fit acne-prone skin with a High routine fit level. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like salicylic acid that help clear acne and pores.

Paula's Choice or Lancôme for dry sensitive skin?

Lancôme is a better fit for dry sensitive skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Paula's Choice's Average level. Products like Tonique Confort provide deep hydration for dry skin while helping to soothe sensitive areas.

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

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