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The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice

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

The Ordinary and Paula's Choice are skincare brands that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. The Canadian brand centers its formulations around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and dry sensitive skin best, while the American brand builds its offerings around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin C, favoring acne-prone and oily skin. Both lines feature targeted treatments for acne, dark spots, and mature concerns, differing primarily in their foundational ingredients and specific target skin types.

The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

The OrdinaryPaula's Choice
  • Smoothes skin texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • Clears acne and blemishes Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Great value and affordability Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “extremely affordable — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Lightweight absorption Sometimes NotedOften 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”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and plumping Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “leaves my skin radiant and clear — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • High price point Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like vinegar — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “smell is unbearable — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “has a slight chemical smell — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Breakouts and purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “gave me cystic acne — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Small tube size and packaging Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice: which is better?

The Ordinary offers better value and affordability, while Paula's Choice provides lightweight absorption. Both brands provide fragrance-free formulas and ingredients like hyaluronic acid that help hydrate the skin.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

The Ordinary provides better value and affordability, while Paula's Choice is noted for lightweight absorption. The Ordinary fits dry sensitive skin at a Superior level, whereas Paula's Choice fits it at an Average level.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for dry skin, where Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Paula's Choice. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin hydration and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice offer cleansers that fit skin types well, with The Ordinary providing options like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser and Paula's Choice featuring formulas such as the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser. Review themes show that the products on this page for The Ordinary offer great value and affordability. Niacinamide helps control skin aging and pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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

The Ordinary offers better affordability and greater value serums compared to Paula's Choice.

Which brand has better options for mature skin, The Ordinary or Paula's Choice?

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice fit mature skin at a High level on this page. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for fading dark spots?

The Ordinary is superior for fading dark spots, offering better value and higher fit levels across the products on this page for this concern. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

For oily skin, both brands fit well, with Lovi ranking The Ordinary as Superior and Paula's Choice as High. The Ordinary products on this page help clear acne and blemishes, while Paula's Choice is noted for lightweight absorption.

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

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice offer solid moisturizers, with routine fit levels for dry skin rated Superior for The Ordinary and High for Paula's Choice. The Ordinary provides particularly strong budget-friendly options featuring key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin across the products on this page.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary fits sensitive skin better, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior while Paula's Choice is High. Both brands feature fragrance-free products on this page.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice fit acne-prone skin well, with a High routine fit level for the products on this page. The Ordinary does better for clearing acne and blemishes.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, The Ordinary fits better with a Superior routine level compared to Paula's Choice's Average level. Hyaluronic acid helps maintain moisture and supports skin barrier function.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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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