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Paula's Choice vs ISDIN

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

Paula's Choice and ISDIN are established skincare brands offering distinct approaches to daily skin health and comfort. The American brand, founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to fit oily skin and acne-prone skin best. Conversely, the Spanish brand, founded in 1975 and owned by Puig, is beloved for sophisticated moisturizers, advanced sunscreens, targeted serums, and soothing eye products driven by meticulously crafted formulas that suit sensitive skin and dry skin best. While both support skin health through expert offerings, they differ in their key formulations and ideal skin types.

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

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ISDIN is a Spanish skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by Puig.

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs ISDIN products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceISDIN
  • Texture and Lightweight Feel 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 — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “ultra-light fluid product, which makes it super easy to apply — ISDIN Fusion Water”
  • Brightness, Tone and Anti-Aging Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
    • “helps reduce swelling in the area of my under-eye bags — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”
    • “Skin feels intensely hydrated — ISDIN Hyaluronic Concentrate”
  • Skin Texture Smoothing and Pores Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “cleared my bumps — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “pores look smaller — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “skin was much smoother — ISDIN Retinal Intense Serum”
  • Sensitive Skin and Gentle Care Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Sensitive/reactive skin tolerates — ISDIN Hyaluronic Moisture”
    • “no excessive exfoliation — ISDIN Retinal Intense Serum”
    • “doesn't sting eyes — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Acne and Blemish Control 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”
    • “Removes all my makeup easily — Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Finish Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “doesn't leave you white as a ghost — ISDIN Fusion Water”
    • “acts like a primer — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “dries down matte — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
  • High Price and Value Issues Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “very expensive — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “My only wish is that ISDIN would make this product in a bigger size bottle. — ISDIN Fusion Water”
  • Unpleasant Smell or Scent Concerns Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “smell is overpowering — ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica”
    • “lingering headache inducing effect — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”
  • Packaging and Size Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Pump stopped working — ISDIN Hyaluronic Concentrate”
    • “I like the actual product, but the packaging is awful, I've already lost three bottles the applicator pops off. — ISDIN Flavo-C Serum”
    • “surprisingly small bottle — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
  • Product Formula and Stability Issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “turned orange in weeks — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “Did not notice any difference in my pores. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “did nothing — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “don't see result — ISDIN K-Ox Eyes”

Paula's Choice vs ISDIN routines for dry skin

Buy ISDIN routine · £127.49 · 94% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · £210.78 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs ISDIN routines for oily skin

Buy ISDIN routine · £232.16 · 93% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · £280.77 · 92% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs ISDIN routines for combination skin

Buy ISDIN routine · £221.17 · 93% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · £235.40 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or ISDIN: which is better?

Paula's Choice and ISDIN both offer strong options, with Paula's Choice excelling in acne care and pore smoothing while ISDIN is noted for its lightweight, sensitive-skin-friendly sunscreens. Both brands achieve equal routine fit levels across most skin types, though ISDIN reaches a Superior routine fit for dry sensitive skin compared to High for Paula's Choice.

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

Paula's Choice offers a larger selection of fragrance-free products with strengths in acne and blemish control as well as skin texture smoothing, while ISDIN is known for ultralight, makeup-friendly sunscreens and gentle care for sensitive and dry skin types.

Paula's Choice or ISDIN for dry skin?

ISDIN offers a Superior routine fit for dry skin, whereas Paula's Choice provides a High routine fit.

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

Paula's Choice offers a wider range of moisturizers with fragrance-free formulas, while ISDIN is known for providing ultralight and lightweight moisturizers. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry skin as High for Paula's Choice and Superior for ISDIN.

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

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN share high price as a common drawback noted by reviewers, so neither brand is more affordable on this page.

Between Paula's Choice and ISDIN, which brand is better for reducing skin texture issues and minimizing pores?

Paula's Choice is better for reducing skin texture issues and minimizing pores. Lovi rates its skin texture smoothing and pores performance above ISDIN for the products on this page.

How do the fragrance profiles of Paula's Choice and ISDIN products compare based on their ingredients?

Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas 5 of 8 ISDIN products on this page contain fragrance.

Which brand performs better regarding sensitive skin and gentle care, Paula's Choice or ISDIN?

ISDIN does better than Paula's Choice regarding sensitive skin and gentle care, according to the review themes on this page.

Paula's Choice or ISDIN for oily skin?

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN offer a Superior Lovi routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page help manage oily skin while maintaining a lightweight feel.

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

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN offer effective sunscreens on this page, with ISDIN particularly noted for its ultralight and makeup-friendly finishes. Paula's Choice products on this page list no fragrance, whereas ISDIN options may include fragrance.

Paula's Choice or ISDIN for sensitive skin?

Both Paula's Choice and ISDIN offer a Superior Lovi fit level for sensitive skin. However, ISDIN does better on sensitive skin and gentle care according to review themes, while every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance.

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

Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Paula's Choice helps with blemish control through specialized formulas, while ISDIN offers high-performing, lightweight sunscreens that suit blemish-prone complexions.

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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