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Paula's Choice vs Clarins

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

Paula's Choice and Clarins are two distinct skincare brands offering diverse selections of cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers. The American brand, founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, builds its products around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting dry and oily acne-prone skin best with key ingredients like glycerin that significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function. Meanwhile, the French brand, founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C, carefully enriches its formulations with nourishing shea and squalane to suit sensitive and acne-prone skin best, harnessing shea butter to reduce redness and protect the skin and squalane to increase collagen and fight skin damage. Choosing between both lines comes down to how each brand pairs these distinct ingredients and targeted products with specific skin types.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Clarins products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceClarins
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formula 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 immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Glow and radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
  • Texture smoothing and refinement 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”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
  • Deep hydration and softness Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “no more dry patches — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Anti-aging and firming results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
    • “plumped my fine lines — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “softened crow's feet — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Pore cleansing and clarity Often 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 small size Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “weird glue-like smell — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “dropper can be unpredictable — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “Cap broke immediately — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Dryness, flaking, and irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not moisturizing enough — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$289.57 · 95% fitBuy Clarins routine · S$247.61 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$531.12 · 91% fitBuy Clarins routine · S$455.72 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Clarins routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$393.15 · 92% fitBuy Clarins routine · S$455.72 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Clarins: which is better?

Paula's Choice is generally better for lightweight texture, pore clarity, and skin smoothing, while Clarins excels in deep hydration, softness, and anti-aging results. Paula's Choice is fragrance-free across the products on this page, whereas most Clarins items contain fragrance. Lovi rates Paula's Choice as Superior and Clarins as High across all skin types.

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

Paula's Choice achieves a Superior routine fit across every skin type on this page, whereas Clarins achieves a High routine fit across all skin types. Paula's Choice is fragrance-free across the products on this page, while Clarins includes fragrance in 23 of its 24 products on this page.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for dry skin?

Paula's Choice is a better choice for dry skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Clarins which has a High fit. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free products on this page and key ingredients like hyaluronic acid to help improve skin hydration.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice is better for cleansers, as the products on this page achieve a Superior fit for oily and acne-prone skin types. Clarins cleansers range from Average to Low fit for those same skin concerns.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Clarins are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, meaning neither brand is clearly more affordable than the other.

Between Paula's Choice and Clarins, which brand offers fragrance-free products?

Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas almost all Clarins products contain fragrance.

Which brand is better for deep hydration and softness, Paula's Choice or Clarins?

Clarins does better for deep hydration and softness, thanks to formulas centered on nourishing ingredients like shea butter and squalane. Hyaluronic acid helps bind moisture within the skin to support these hydrating effects.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Paula's Choice or Clarins for oily skin?

For oily skin, Paula's Choice is a Superior fit while Clarins is a High fit. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with active ingredients like salicylic acid that help manage oil and pore clarity.

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

Paula's Choice and Clarins both offer effective moisturizers, but Paula's Choice is better suited for oily and acne-prone skin, while Clarins is often noted for deep hydration and luxurious textures. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulations, whereas many Clarins moisturizers contain added fragrance which may cause sensitivity for some shoppers.

Paula's Choice or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice has a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, while Clarins has a High fit. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice provides a lightweight and fast-absorbing formula, whereas Clarins formulas may feature a strong fragrance.

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

Paula's Choice is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a Superior routine compared to Clarins' High fit. The products on this page for Paula's Choice are fragrance-free, whereas almost all Clarins products contain added fragrance, which may irritate sensitive acne-prone 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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