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Paula's Choice vs Elemis

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

Paula's Choice and Elemis are two established skincare companies that offer serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. Paula's Choice relies on key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to best suit dry and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Elemis utilizes nourishing components such as glycerin and shea to suit dry, balanced, and sensitive skin. While both brands feature glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and improve barrier function, the American brand also draws on vitamin c, and the British brand incorporates shea to reduce inflammation and relieve skin pruritus.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Elemis is a British skincare brand founded in 1989 and owned by L'Occitane Group since 2019.

elemis.comau.elemis.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Elemis products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceElemis
  • Improving Skin Texture and Smoothness Mostly MentionedOften 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”
    • “baby soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture 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”
    • “Absorbs almost immediately, and my skin feels well hydrated all day. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “weightless serum — Elemis Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment”
  • Instant and Deep Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “The cream really hydrates and my face looks amazing. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
    • “Quenches thirsty skin... immediate improvement. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Brightening Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Discoloration almost gone — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “healthy glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “instantly fresh glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
  • Pleasant Scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like a spa — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
    • “smells like a holiday — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “smells like a tropical cocktail — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “Doesn't smell at all — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Anti-Aging and Firming Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “improved neck texture — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “My neck doesn't sag... plumps my skin to look more youthful. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
  • High Price and Value Issues Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “Complete waste of money for me. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “very expensive — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
  • Packaging Issues and Small Size Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “jar looks half empty — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “tube feels half empty — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “pump broke quickly — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smell is overpowering — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs Elemis serums and treatments

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Elemis: which is better?

Paula's Choice is better for improving skin texture and anti-aging, while Elemis provides superior instant and deep hydration. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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

Paula's Choice offers fragrance-free products on this page and is superior for anti-aging and skin texture, whereas Elemis features many fragranced formulas and is noted for deep hydration and pleasant scents. Both brands share similar price points and provide effective ingredients like glycerin.

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

Paula's Choice is better for cleansers on this page because every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Elemis cleansers often contain fragrance. Paula's Choice cleansers also achieve Superior Lovi fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin types.

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

Both brands are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither stands out as more affordable on the products on this page.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Paula's Choice or Elemis?

Paula's Choice helps prevent breakouts better because the products on this page include targeted anti-acne ingredients like Salicylic acid, while Elemis products on this page rely more on heavy botanical oils and nourishing butters that may trigger clogged pores in acne-prone skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2013American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2019

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of Paula's Choice and Elemis compare?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States and has been owned by Unilever since 2021, whereas Elemis was founded in 1989 in the United Kingdom and has been owned by the L'Occitane Group since 2019.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products according to their ingredient lists?

Paula's Choice has more fragrance-free products, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas only 4 of the 22 products on the Elemis page are fragrance-free.

What are the main skin types that Paula's Choice products fit best?

Paula's Choice products on this page fit dry skin, oily acne-prone skin, and mature skin best. The products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.

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

Paula's Choice offers a better selection of moisturisers for drier or blemish-prone skin types on this page, whereas Elemis provides richer, more intensely hydrating formulas that are generally well-suited for mature skin.

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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