🇬🇧United Kingdom

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 thoughtfully formulated cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, and more. The American brand Paula's Choice relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c to best suit oily and acne-prone skin, whereas the British brand The INKEY List centers its products around glycerin to best serve sensitive and combination skin. While both incorporate hydrating glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, they differ in their founding origins, parent companies, and targeted skin types.

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 Paula's Choice routine · £210.78 · 86% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · £92.69 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

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

Buy Paula's Choice routine · £280.77 · 92% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · £160.15 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

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

Buy Paula's Choice routine · £235.40 · 90% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · £130.06 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

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

Paula's Choice outperforms The INKEY List for oily, acne-prone, and mature skin, while both brands offer equal fit levels for sensitive and dry skin types.

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

Paula's Choice is a United States brand owned by Unilever, whereas The INKEY List is a United Kingdom brand owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited. Lovi rates Paula's Choice as a Superior fit for oily, combination, acne-prone, mature, and dark spot skin types, while The INKEY List is rated as a High fit for those same categories.

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

Both brands offer a High Lovi fit for dry skin with the products on this page. Paula's Choice relies on hydrating toners and replenishing moisturizers, while The INKEY List features nourishing options like its Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturizer.

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

Paula's Choice is better for oily and acne-prone skin types, offering Superior fit levels for cleansers like the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser, whereas The INKEY List provides High fit levels for similar skin concerns.

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 price and value compared to Paula's Choice.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for reducing redness and soothing skin?

The INKEY List does better for reducing redness and soothing skin. Both brands offer fragrance-free products on this page.

Paula's Choice or The INKEY List for improving skin texture and smoothness?

Paula's Choice does better than The INKEY List for improving texture and smoothness based on the review themes on this page.

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

Paula's Choice does better than The INKEY List for radiance, glow, and dark spots on the products on this page. Topical niacinamide may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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

For oily skin, Paula's Choice is a better fit with a Superior routine level compared to The INKEY List at High. The products on this page help control oil and target blemishes effectively.

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

Both brands offer effective moisturizers on the products on this page, but Paula's Choice provides superior options for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin, while The INKEY List is known for affordable and hydrating formulas. The INKEY List moisturizer options fit sensitive skin well.

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

Both Paula's Choice and The INKEY List fit sensitive skin at a Superior level with the products on this page. Paula's Choice offers more fragrance-free options featuring soothing key ingredients like green tea and niacinamide.

Carcinogenesis, 2001Antioxidants, 2021

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

For acne-prone skin, Paula's Choice is a superior fit while The INKEY List is a high fit.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play