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The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice

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

The Ordinary and Paula's Choice are well-known skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more. Both brands suit dry skin and oily acne-prone skin best, while using key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The Canadian brand centers its formulations around ingredients such as squalane, whereas the American brand builds its products around vitamin c. They differ in their specific top-rated treatments, with the former brand featuring options like niacinamide, mandelic acid, and lactic acid, and the latter brand offering formulations such as a BHA liquid exfoliant and a retinol treatment.

The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice products

People Say

The OrdinaryPaula's Choice
  • Smoothes skin texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
  • Clears acne and blemishes Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “Helped clear my cystic acne — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Great value and affordability Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “extremely affordable — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Lightweight absorption Sometimes NotedOften 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”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “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”
  • Hydration and plumping Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “leaves my skin radiant and clear — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • High price point Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Unpleasant scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like vinegar — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “smell is unbearable — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “has a slight chemical smell — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Breakouts and purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “gave me cystic acne — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • Small tube size and packaging Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for dry skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$289.57 · 95% fitBuy The Ordinary routine · S$164.78 · 92% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$531.12 · 91% fitBuy The Ordinary routine · S$393.06 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Paula's Choice routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · S$393.15 · 92% fitBuy The Ordinary routine · S$289.36 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice: which is better?

The Ordinary offers better affordability and value for money, whereas Paula's Choice achieves a Superior fit level for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone skin, and skin with dark spots. Both brands share a Superior routine fit for dry, mature, and oily acne-prone skin.

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

The Ordinary provides great value and affordability with acne-clearing serums, while Paula's Choice offers lightweight absorption and generally higher fit levels for oily, combination, sensitive, and dark spot skin types on this page.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice offer a superior routine fit for dry skin. The products on this page help deliver great hydration and plumping benefits.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Both brands offer cleansers that fit dry skin at a high level on the products on this page, but Paula's Choice provides a superior fit for oily acne-prone skin.

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

The Ordinary offers better value and affordability than Paula's Choice according to the reviewers on this page.

Which brand has better lightweight absorption, The Ordinary or Paula's Choice?

Paula's Choice does better with lightweight absorption compared to The Ordinary, as noted by reviewers on the page.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for oily skin?

Paula's Choice is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine compared to the High fit provided by The Ordinary. Topical application of niacinamide may help regulate sebum production and improve skin texture in oily skin types.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice offer moisturizers on this page that are well-suited for various skin types. The products on this page help hydrate the skin and may improve barrier function with ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer products on this page with High Lovi fit levels, though Paula's Choice achieves a Superior routine fit overall compared to The Ordinary's High fit.

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

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice fit acne-prone skin well at a High level. Reviewers note that the products on this page from The Ordinary do better at clearing acne and blemishes.

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for mature skin?

Both The Ordinary and Paula's Choice achieve a Superior routine fit level for mature skin with the products on this page. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

The Ordinary or Paula's Choice for skin with dark spots?

Paula's Choice offers a Superior routine fit for skin with dark spots, whereas The Ordinary provides a High fit on this page. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses 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

How does it fit your skin?

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