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Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List

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

Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are well-regarded skincare brands that offer diverse cleansers, moisturizers, serums, and toners built around effective hydrating ingredients like glycerin. The American line, established in 1995, features formulations best suited for dry and oily acne-prone skin, while the British brand, founded in 2018, primarily serves dry and dry sensitive skin types. Although both utilize barrier-restoring glycerin to increase moisture, they differ in their specific targeted treatments, ownership, and regional origins.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing 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”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Improves texture and smoothness Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-irritating 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”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Radiance, glow, and dark spots Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Visibly reduces acne scars — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Reduces redness and soothes skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “calmed redness immediately — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “dropper leaks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant smell or scent Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$253.28 · 96% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · S$289.57 · 95% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$520.95 · 94% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · S$531.12 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Paula's Choice vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$411.40 · 94% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · S$393.15 · 92% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands are equal, as they both offer a Superior routine fit across all skin types on the products on this page.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and The INKEY List?

Paula's Choice offers a wide variety of anti-aging serums and is noted for improving texture and dark spots, while The INKEY List focuses on affordable moisturizers and reducing redness. Both brands feature fragrance-free products on the products on this page and achieve equal routine fit levels across all skin types.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List are well suited for dry skin, offering routines with a Superior fit level. The INKEY List features hydrating moisturizers and affordable price points, while Paula's Choice provides targeted options such as cleansers and toners.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List offer cleansers with a Superior fit for oily, acne-prone, and combination skin types. Paula's Choice cleansers help target skin with dark spots at a High level, while The INKEY List products on this page provide an affordable price and value.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable, as the products on this page offer better value and lower prices compared to Paula's Choice.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which brand is better for reducing redness and soothing skin?

The INKEY List does better for reducing redness and soothing skin.

Which brand has fewer packaging issues and small size problems, Paula's Choice or The INKEY List?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List perform equally regarding packaging issues and small size problems.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which is better for radiance, glow, and dark spots?

Paula's Choice does better for radiance, glow, and dark spots compared to The INKEY List.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List provide a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer effective moisturizers, with The INKEY List doing better for affordability while Paula's Choice helps improve texture and smoothness. Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as Superior across skin types.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List fit acne-prone skin at a Superior routine level, with Paula's Choice doing better for radiance, glow, and dark spots and The INKEY List offering more affordable prices and value.

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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