Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice
Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice are two celebrated skin care brands originating from South Korea and the United States, respectively. Beauty of Joseon is loved for its thoughtful collection of serums, masks, moisturizers, sunscreens, and more, which feature key ingredients like niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, while Paula's Choice offers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c. The Korean brand suits sensitive skin and dry sensitive skin best, whereas the American brand fits oily skin and combination skin best. They differ notably in their core formulations and target audiences, providing distinct paths to achieving balanced and healthy skin.
Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.
kbeautywiki.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.comgoodai-global.com
Paula's Choice is an American skincare brand founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021.
This page compares some of the most popular Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice products
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Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
SAR 263.52
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1% Retinol Treatment
SAR 325.00
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10% Azelaic Acid Booster
SAR 275.52
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C15 Super Booster
SAR 50.00
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CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser
SAR 140.00
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10% Niacinamide Booster
SAR 50.00
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Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA
SAR 252.99
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Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
SAR 166.90
People Say
Texture and Application Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
- “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
- “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
- “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
Gentle and Non-Irritating Formula Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
- “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
- “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
- “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
- “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
- “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
- “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
- “eyes look less tired — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
- “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
Smooths Skin Texture Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
- “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 baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
Pore and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
- “less shiny by noon — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
- “pores look cleaner — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask”
- “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
- “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
Glow and Radiance Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
- “gives a glass skin look — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
- “Gives me that chok-chok dewy look — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
- “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
- “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
Scent and Fragrance Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
- “smells like cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”
- “smells like cheese — Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask”
- “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
- “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
High Price and Value Issues Not notedMostly Mentioned
- “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
- “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
- “gave me cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”
- “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
- “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin
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Cleanser
Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 39.66
-
Hydrating Toner
Ginseng Essence Water
Morning
SAR 40.00
-
Moisturizer
Revive Serum
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 38.00
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SPF
Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics
Morning
SAR 59.99
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Pre-Cleanser
Ginseng Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
SAR 31.96
-
Cleansing Toner
Green Plum Refreshing Toner
Evening
SAR 43.00
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Serum or Treatment
Glow Serum
Evening · Once a week
SAR 35.52
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Enzyme Powder
FANCL Facial Washing Powder
Once a week
SAR 130.30
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Nourishing Mask
Centella Asiatica Calming Mask
Once a week
SAR 14.55
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Cleanser
CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 140.00
-
Hydrating Toner
Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner
Morning
SAR 223.04
- Moisturizer RESIST Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum Morning · Evening · Once a week
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SPF
Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50
Morning
SAR 261.90
-
Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
SAR 65.11
-
Cleansing Toner
ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Cleansing Water
Evening
SAR 72.64
-
Serum or Treatment
RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
Evening · Once a week
SAR 461.00
-
Enzyme Powder
FANCL Facial Washing Powder
Once a week
SAR 130.30
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Nourishing Mask
Mediheal Watermide Essential Mask
Once a week
SAR 234.73
Buy Beauty of Joseon routine · SAR 432.98 · 82% fit
Buy Paula's Choice routine · SAR 1,588.72 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit
Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin
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Cleanser
CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 140.00
-
Hydrating Toner
Advanced Replenishing Toner
Morning · Once a week
SAR 310.00
-
Moisturizer
Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 202.06
-
SPF
Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50
Morning
SAR 261.90
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
SAR 245.95
-
Cleansing Toner
Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Toner
Evening
SAR 187.00
-
Serum or Treatment
Niacinamide 20% Treatment
Evening · Once a week
SAR 51.00
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Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
SAR 157.51
-
Cleansing Mask
Goldfaden MD Facial Detox Mask
Once a week
SAR 328.29
-
Cleanser
Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 39.66
-
Hydrating Toner
Ginseng Essence Water
Morning · Once a week
SAR 40.00
-
Moisturizer
Revive Serum
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 38.00
-
SPF
Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics
Morning
SAR 59.99
-
Pre-Cleanser
Ginseng Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
SAR 31.96
-
Cleansing Toner
Green Plum Refreshing Toner
Evening
SAR 43.00
-
Serum or Treatment
Glow Serum
Evening · Once a week
SAR 35.52
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
SAR 157.51
-
Cleansing Mask
Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask
Once a week
SAR 38.50
Buy Paula's Choice routine · SAR 1,883.71 · 89% fit
Buy Beauty of Joseon routine · SAR 484.14 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit
Beauty of Joseon vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin
-
Cleanser
CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 140.00
-
Hydrating Toner
Advanced Replenishing Toner
Morning · Once a week
SAR 310.00
-
Moisturizer
Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 202.06
-
SPF
Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50
Morning
SAR 261.90
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
SAR 245.95
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
SAR 64.80
-
Serum or Treatment
Niacinamide 20% Treatment
Evening · Once a week
SAR 51.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
SAR 157.51
-
Cleansing Mask
KORA Organics Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask
Once a week
SAR 168.77
-
Cleanser
Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 39.66
-
Hydrating Toner
Ginseng Essence Water
Morning · Once a week
SAR 40.00
-
Moisturizer
Revive Serum
Morning · Evening · Once a week
SAR 38.00
-
SPF
Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics
Morning
SAR 59.99
-
Pre-Cleanser
Radiance Cleansing Balm
Evening · Once a week
SAR 18.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Green Plum Refreshing Toner
Evening
SAR 43.00
-
Serum or Treatment
Glow Serum
Evening · Once a week
SAR 35.52
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
SAR 157.51
-
Cleansing Mask
Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask
Once a week
SAR 38.50
Buy Paula's Choice routine · SAR 1,601.99 · 89% fit
Buy Beauty of Joseon routine · SAR 470.18 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit
Questions and answers
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which is better?
Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice both fit most skin types well, but Beauty of Joseon is better for gentle hydration and sensitive skin, whereas Paula's Choice is better for mature skin and targeting blemishes with active ingredients like retinol and salicylic acid.
What is the difference between Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice?
Beauty of Joseon focuses best on sensitive skin, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots, whereas Paula's Choice is best suited for oily skin, combination skin, and acne-prone skin. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon performs better for gentle formulas and deep hydration, while Paula's Choice is better for high prices and packaging issues.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for dry skin?
Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice fit dry skin at a High level. Beauty of Joseon does better for hydration and moisture, while Paula's Choice products on this page help smooth skin texture.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which cleanser is better?
Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice offer cleansers with strong options for various skin types, but Beauty of Joseon is noted for being more gentle and non-irritating. Paula's Choice leans toward high price and packaging issues, while Beauty of Joseon helps provide better value.
Which is more affordable, Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice?
Beauty of Joseon does better on price, as Paula's Choice has more issues with high price and value. The products on this page for both brands feature no fragrance.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which brand is more gentle and non-irritating?
Beauty of Joseon does better than Paula's Choice for gentle and non-irritating formulas. Reviewers often mention its formulas are gentle and non-irritating.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for oily skin?
Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice fit oily skin at a High level with the products on this page. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice helps with pore and oil control, while Beauty of Joseon is frequently mentioned for deep hydration and moisturization.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which moisturizer is better?
Beauty of Joseon offers better hydration and moisture than Paula's Choice, while both brands fit dry skin, oily skin, and sensitive skin equally at a High level.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?
Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice both fit sensitive skin at a high level. Beauty of Joseon does better for gentle and non-irritating formulas.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice: which sunscreen is better?
Beauty of Joseon offers the Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics sunscreen, while Paula's Choice provides the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50. Both sunscreens achieve a High fit for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, combination skin, and oily skin.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for acne-prone skin?
Both brands offer an equal fit level for acne-prone skin, as their routines on the products on this page both achieve a High rating. Beauty of Joseon helps with gentle, non-irritating formulas, while Paula's Choice is often noted for smoothing skin texture.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for mature skin?
Paula's Choice is a better fit for mature skin, achieving a high routine fit level compared to an average fit level for Beauty of Joseon. Paula's Choice features targeted ingredients like retinol that help stimulate collagen accumulation in aged skin.
Beauty of Joseon or Paula's Choice for skin with dark spots?
Both Beauty of Joseon and Paula's Choice are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon provides deep hydration and gentle formulas, while Paula's Choice offers targeted treatments with ingredients like niacinamide, which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.
Research behind their key ingredients
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Safety evaluation of topical applications of ethanol on the skin and inside the oral cavity
Cutaneous photoprotection from ultraviolet injury by green tea polyphenols
Bacterial cellulose membranes as drug delivery systems: an in vivo skin compatibility study
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Apigenin inhibits UVA-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and prevents signs of skin aging in vivo
Panax ginseng induces human Type I collagen synthesis through activation of Smad signaling
Reduction in the appearance of facial hyperpigmentation by topical N-acetyl glucosamine
Microneedling by dermapen and glycolic acid peel for the treatment of acne scars: Comparative study
Topical glutathione amino acid precursors protect skin against environmental and oxidative stress
Tocotrienol-rich fraction attenuates UV-induced inflammaging: A bench to bedside study
Chemical peels for acne vulgaris: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
The impacts of sodium lauroyl sarcosinate in facial cleanser on facial skin microbiome and lipidome
Nanostructured Lipid Carrier for Topical Application of N-Acetyl Glucosamine
Borage Oil Treated with Immobilized Lipase Inhibits Melanogenesis
Supramolecular collagen nanoparticles for anti-wrinkle, skin whitening, and moisturizing effects
Novel beads made of alpha-cyclodextrin and oil for topical delivery of a lipophilic drug
A study of anti-wrinkle functions and improvement of cream with Phaseolus angularis
The anti wrinkle efficacy of synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) in Chinese Subjects
Hippophae rhamnoides oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion improves barrier function in healthy human subjects
Functional properties and skin care effects of sodium trehalose sulfate
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-

Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-

Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-

Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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