🇬🇧United Kingdom

Paula's Choice vs RoC

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

Paula's Choice and RoC are established skincare brands offering serums, cleansers, moisturizers, and more, built around key ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and retinol. The American brand is known for products that suit oily and acne-prone skin best, while the French brand is beloved for targeted formulations that suit mature skin and skin with dark spots best. Both brands harness glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, whereas only the latter features retinol to significantly reduce fine wrinkles and increase collagen. Choosing between them depends on whether your complexion requires the former's balancing treatments or the latter's smoothing solutions.

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

unilever.comtracxn.com

RoC is a French skincare brand founded in 1957 and owned by Bridgepoint Group plc since 2024.

en.wikipedia.orgprnewswire.combeautymatter.com

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

Popular Paula's Choice vs RoC products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceRoC
  • Skin texture improvement and smoothing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “diminished my forehead lines — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
    • “face looked smoother — RoC Daily Resurfacing Disks”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas 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 instantly — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
  • Anti-aging and wrinkle reduction Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “wrinkles look less deep — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Fine lines definitely softer — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “crow's feet are fading — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum”
    • “softens lines and wrinkles — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
  • Non-irritating and gentle formulas Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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 leave my skin feeling tight — RoC BARRIER RENEW® GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER”
    • “No irritation for me — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Deep hydration Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin is no longer dry — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “Areas stay hydrated all day — RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream”
    • “My skin looks smoother and hydrated. — RoC Derm Correxion Contour Cream”
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
  • Non-greasy formulas Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs nicely — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Absorbs easily and quickly — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly without residue — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
  • Unpleasant smell or strong fragrance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “smells like perfume — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “smell is too strong — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum”
    • “perfume smell is too strong — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “smells like grain — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
  • Skin irritation and burning Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “burnt skin off — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “caused cystic acne — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “ruined my skin barrier — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
    • “caused redness and stinging — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
  • High price and value concerns Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “small bottle — RoC Multi Correxion Revive + Glow Daily Serum”
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for dry skin

Buy RoC routine · £114.75 · 91% fitBuy Paula's Choice routine · £210.78 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for oily skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · £280.77 · 92% fitBuy RoC routine · £202.94 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Paula's Choice vs RoC routines for combination skin

Buy Paula's Choice routine · £235.40 · 90% fitBuy RoC routine · £180.66 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or RoC: which is better?

Paula's Choice and RoC both offer strong options, but Paula's Choice is often better for fragrance-free formulations and oily or acne-prone skin types, while RoC excels in anti-aging performance and deep hydration. The products on this page help improve skin texture and reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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

Paula's Choice features fragrance-free formulas with a strong focus on oily and acne-prone skin, while RoC offers anti-aging and deep hydration benefits with some fragranced products on this page. Paula's Choice achieves a Superior routine fit for oily skin, whereas RoC reaches a Superior routine fit for dry skin.

Paula's Choice or RoC for dry skin?

RoC has a Superior routine fit for dry skin, compared to High for Paula's Choice. RoC features targeted anti-aging and deep hydration for dry skin, while every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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

Paula's Choice offers a superior fit for oily and oily acne-prone skin on the products on this page, while RoC provides a high fit for those types with its cleanser. Additionally, the cleansers from Paula's Choice list no fragrance in their ingredients.

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

RoC tends to be more affordable, while reviewers mostly mention high price and packaging issues as drawbacks for the products on this page from Paula's Choice.

Which brand has a stronger fragrance across its products, Paula's Choice or RoC?

RoC has a stronger fragrance across its products, since 10 out of 12 products on the RoC page list no fragrance while two serums contain it, whereas every single product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Paula's Choice and RoC?

Paula's Choice was founded in the United States in 1995, while RoC was founded in France in 1957. Both brands have since changed ownership, with Paula's Choice owned by Unilever and RoC owned by Bridgepoint Group plc.

Which brand is better suited for oily acne-prone skin according to the routine fit levels?

Paula's Choice is better suited for oily acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior routine fit level while RoC reaches a High fit level on the products on this page.

Paula's Choice or RoC for oily skin?

For oily skin, Paula's Choice is a better fit with a Superior routine level compared to RoC's High level. The products on this page for Paula's Choice feature fragrance-free formulas, while RoC offers strong anti-aging benefits.

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

Paula's Choice offers a wide selection of targeted moisturisers and hydrating treatments, while RoC provides options like the Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream that helps with deep hydration and anti-aging. Both brands feature high-performing products on this page that support mature and dry skin types.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Paula's Choice or RoC for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Paula's Choice is a better choice because Lovi rates its overall routine fit as Superior, compared to High for RoC. Furthermore, every product on the Paula's Choice page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

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

Paula's Choice offers the Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, while RoC features the BARRIER RENEW AM MOISTURIZER SPF 30 on this page. For dry skin and dry sensitive skin, Lovi rates the RoC sunscreen as High and the Paula's Choice sunscreen as High.

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

Both Paula's Choice and RoC offer a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin. Paula's Choice includes fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, which helps address blemishes.

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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