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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 addressing diverse dermatological needs through distinct formulations. The former, founded in 1995, features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting dry skin and oily acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the latter, founded in 1946, offers a comprehensive range of moisturizers, serums, eye products, cleansers, and more, formulated with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, and suits mature skin and oily acne-prone skin best. While both brands utilize hydrating components to improve the complexion, they differ in their specific heritage and specialized product offerings.

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 · S$289.57 · 95% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · S$189.84 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$531.12 · 91% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · S$423.46 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$393.15 · 92% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · S$319.36 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

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

Paula's Choice outperforms Estée Lauder on this page, offering Superior routine fit across all skin types compared to Estée Lauder's High fit. The products on this page for Paula's Choice also benefit from entirely fragrance-free formulations.

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

Paula's Choice offers products on this page that have a Superior routine fit across all skin types, whereas Estée Lauder achieves a High fit for those same routines. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better for fast absorption, smoothing skin texture, and glow, while Estée Lauder excels in deep hydration and plumping.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

For dry skin, Paula's Choice is the better choice as Lovi rates its routine as Superior, compared to High for Estée Lauder. The products on this page for Paula's Choice feature key barrier-supporting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Paula's Choice offers a cleanser fit level that is Superior for oily, oily acne-prone, acne-prone, and combination skin on the products on this page, whereas Estée Lauder's cleansers reach a High fit level for most of those same skin types. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder provides gentle and non-drying cleansers with deep hydration, while Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across every product.

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

Both brands are noted on this page for having a high price point as a common drawback, meaning neither stands out as more affordable than the other.

Which brand has better fragrance-free options?

Paula's Choice has better fragrance-free options because every single product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Estée Lauder includes fragrance in some of its formulations.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

For oily skin, Paula's Choice is a better fit with a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's High fit. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better for fast absorption and lightweight feel.

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

Paula's Choice is better suited for most moisturizers on the page, offering options like the Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer which fits oily skin at a High level and has no fragrance across its products. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice delivers fast absorption and lightweight feel, while Estée Lauder's moisturizers like Revitalizing Supreme+ may cause warnings or caution for certain skin types such as oily or combination skin.

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

Paula's Choice is a better choice for sensitive skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's High fit on this page. Every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, helping minimize the likelihood of irritation.

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

Both brands offer sunscreens on this page, with Paula's Choice providing the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 and Estée Lauder offering the DayWear Moisturizer. According to Lovi, the Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer achieves a Superior fit for dry sensitive skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, and mature skin, and a High fit for combination skin, acne-prone skin, skin with dark spots, oily skin, and oily acne-prone skin. Meanwhile, the Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 achieves a High fit for dry skin, combination skin, and dry sensitive skin, and an Average fit for acne-prone skin, oily skin, oily acne-prone skin, skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, and mature skin.

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

Paula's Choice is a better choice than Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates the routine fit for this skin type as Superior compared to High for Estée Lauder. The products on this page from Paula's Choice also help target blemishes with key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide without added fragrance.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for mature skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's High fit on this page. Paula's Choice offers numerous targeted anti-aging products containing retinol, which helps stimulate collagen accumulation and reduce cell aging in human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Estée Lauder for skin with dark spots?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for skin with dark spots, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's High fit. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation by suppressing melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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