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Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's

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

Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are two esteemed American skincare lines established, respectively, in 1995 and 1851. The former brand offers serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, while the latter is loved for nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products formulated with glycerin and squalane. Both lines suit dry skin best, though the first brand also fits oily acne-prone skin and the second suits mature skin. They differ primarily in their ownership and specific ingredient actions, where glycerin increases hydration for both, and squalane uniquely counteracts oxidative stress for the second.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceKiehl's
  • Fast Absorption and Lightweight Texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Skin Texture Improvement 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”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Glow, Brightening, and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Non-Irritating and Gentle Formula 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”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Clearing Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
    • “heals blemishes faster — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “controlled my back and chest acne — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • High Price and Value Concerns Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Purging and Breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent or Smell Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Irritation and Burning Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “stung my face — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$289.57 · 95% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · S$209.58 · 92% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$531.12 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$393.15 · 92% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both brands offer a Superior routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, and oily acne-prone skin on this page, but Paula's Choice achieves a Superior fit for acne-prone skin and skin with dark spots where Kiehl's reaches a High fit. Paula's Choice features no fragrance across the products on this page, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in a couple of items.

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

Paula's Choice is owned by Unilever and offers fragrance-free products on this page, while Kiehl's is owned by L'Oréal and includes fragrance in two of its products on this page. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better for fast absorption and acne-clearing, whereas Kiehl's excels in deep hydration and glow. Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, and oily acne-prone skin.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are great choices for dry skin, as Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as Superior. The products on this page for both brands help provide deep hydration and nourishment for dry skin types.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer cleansers on this page that achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for oily acne-prone skin, oily skin, and acne-prone skin.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's face negative feedback regarding high prices, making them comparable in affordability concerns.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a Superior fit for oily skin. The products on this page help provide effective daily care without feeling heavy.

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

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer moisturizers with a Superior routine fit for dry and oily skin types on this page. Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, while two Kiehl's moisturizers contain fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's fit sensitive skin at a Superior level on this page. Reviewers note that both brands offer non-irritating and gentle formulas for daily use.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's offer sunscreens on this page, but Paula's Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 has a High fit for combination and dry sensitive skin while Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit for combination, sensitive, and acne-prone skin.

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

Paula's Choice is better for acne-prone skin because the routine fit on Lovi is Superior, while Kiehl's is High. Reviewers note that Paula's Choice does better for acne and blemish clearing, and every product on this page lists no fragrance.

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a Superior fit for mature skin. The products on this page help support aging skin with ingredients like retinol, which stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a Superior fit for skin with dark spots, and Niacinamide may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Paula's Choice or Kiehl's for dry sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and Kiehl's are a good choice for dry sensitive skin, with Lovi fit levels of Superior and High respectively. Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page, while Kiehl's offers deep hydration that helps soothe dryness.

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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