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Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder

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

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are American skincare brands known for offering cleansers, moisturizers, serums, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c. The first brand fits oily skin and combination skin best, while the second suits acne-prone skin and mature skin best. Both brands differ in their formulations, as the first brand's key ingredient glycerin significantly increased skin hydration and restored barrier function, whereas the second brand's use of hyaluronic acid lengthens the effect of botulinum toxin.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceEstée Lauder
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Feel Mostly MentionedOften 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”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Smoothing Skin Texture 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”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Deep Hydration and Plumping Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formulas 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”
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Instantly blurs fine lines. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
  • High Price Point and Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • Packaging Issues and Leaks Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “Caused small bumps on forehead — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “cystic acne — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · SAR 1,588.72 · 79% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · SAR 2,185.29 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · SAR 1,883.71 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · SAR 2,358.15 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · SAR 1,601.99 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · SAR 2,335.63 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for targeting skin with dark spots because Lovi rates its fit for that skin type as High, while Estée Lauder is rated Average.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice offers a wider range of fragrance-free products that excel in brightening and smoothing skin texture, while Estée Lauder frequently features deep hydration and lightweight feel with occasional added fragrance. Lovi rates both brands with equal high routine fit for most skin types, though Paula's Choice is rated higher for skin with dark spots.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder achieve a High routine fit for dry skin. Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free options and is generally better for brightening dark spots, while Estée Lauder provides deep hydration and plumping.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

Paula's Choice cleansers have a Lovi fit level of Superior for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas Estée Lauder cleansers reach a High fit level for those skin types. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder cleansers offer deep hydration and gentle, non-drying formulas, while Paula's Choice focuses more on balancing oily and acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither brand is clearly more affordable.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dark spots?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for dark spots, earning a High Lovi fit level across many products on this page compared to Estée Lauder's average rating. Niacinamide may help suppress melanosome transfer to reduce pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand has a stronger fragrance in its products, Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder?

Paula's Choice has no fragrance listed across the products on this page, whereas Estée Lauder features fragrance in some items like the DayWear Moisturizer and Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for oily skin, but Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas and better performance for fast absorption and smoothing texture. Estée Lauder products on this page provide deep hydration, though some options contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder offer effective moisturizers depending on your skin type, with Paula's Choice providing options such as the Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer and Estée Lauder offering products like Revitalizing Supreme+. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder formulas deliver deep hydration, while Paula's Choice focuses heavily on targeted treatments and fragrance-free options across the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder are both a High fit for sensitive skin on Lovi. Paula's Choice stands out because every product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Estée Lauder includes fragrance in some of its products.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder: which sunscreen is better?

Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 and Estee Lauder DayWear Moisturizer both provide high fit levels for dry, combination, acne-prone, and oily skin on this page, but Paula's Choice formulates every product without fragrance while Estee Lauder includes fragrance in its sunscreen.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder show a high routine fit for acne-prone skin, but Paula's Choice features more products specifically rated as superior for this skin type. Niacinamide helps control skin aging and pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Estée Lauder fit mature skin at a High level on this page. Paula's Choice helps smooth skin texture and brighten tone, while Estée Lauder provides deep hydration and plumping.

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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