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Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List

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

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are well-regarded skincare brands that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, built around barrier-supporting ingredients like glycerin. The American line from 1995 features formulations with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c that suit acne-prone skin and oily skin best, while the British line from 2018 focuses on glycerin-centered products tailored for sensitive skin and combination skin. Ultimately, the two differ in their founding origins, parent companies, and specific active ingredients, yet both provide targeted solutions for diverse skin concerns.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing 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”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Improves texture and smoothness 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 softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-irritating 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”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Radiance, glow, and dark spots Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Visibly reduces acne scars — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands are great options depending on your specific skin needs and budget. Paula's Choice is better for improving texture, radiance, and dark spots, while The INKEY List is more affordable and helps reduce redness and soothe skin.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List both offer effective routines across most skin types, but Paula's Choice is better for improving texture and dark spots, while The INKEY List is more affordable and better at reducing redness.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List offer a High routine fit for dry skin, though Paula's Choice features a wider range of key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin across the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice offers cleansers that are mostly rated as a Superior fit for oily skin and acne-prone skin, whereas The INKEY List includes options like the Salicylic Acid Cleanser which also fits oily and acne-prone skin well at a High level. Both brands provide fragrance-free cleansers, but Paula's Choice is often noted for targeting texture and radiance.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List does better for affordable price and value, whereas Paula's Choice is noted for a high price and poor value.

Which brand performs better for radiance, glow, and dark spots?

Paula's Choice does better for radiance, glow, and dark spots. The products on this page help target uneven skin tone and improve overall skin clarity.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand has fewer issues with unpleasant smell or scent?

Paula's Choice has fewer issues with unpleasant smell or scent, as every product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas The INKEY List has reviewers noting an unpleasant smell or scent.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List show a High routine fit for oily skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that The INKEY List offers affordable moisturizers and serums, while Paula's Choice is better for improving texture and smoothness and enhancing radiance.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List offer good moisturizers, with Paula's Choice providing formulas that tend to improve texture and smoothness, while The INKEY List delivers affordable options that help hydrate the skin.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List fit sensitive skin at a High level. Reviewers note that both brands offer gentle and non-irritating formulas across the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry sensitive skin?

The INKEY List fits dry sensitive skin better than Paula's Choice, as Lovi rates The INKEY List as High for this skin type and Paula's Choice as Average.

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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