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Kiehl's vs Allies of Skin

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

Kiehl's and Allies of Skin are skincare brands offering thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, and eye products anchored by nourishing ingredients like glycerin, squalane, and niacinamide. The American brand is widely loved for its hydrating formulas suited best for dry skin and dark spots, while Allies of Skin is favored for its luxurious, potent treatments tailored best for dry skin and acne-prone skin. Ultimately, the former relies on glycerin and squalane to increase hydration and counteract oxidative stress, whereas the latter utilizes niacinamide to improve aging signs and decrease hyperpigmentation.

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Allies of Skin products

People Say

Kiehl'sAllies of Skin
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “nourished and hydrated — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
    • “more like a spray serum — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
  • Lightweight texture and absorption Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “sinks easily into damp skin — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “Woke up looking well-rested — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “Pores appear to be tighter — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Best retinol for sensitive skin — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “feels super soothing, doesn't trigger redness — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Fades dark spots and brightens Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “scars visibly lightened after I started using this — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
    • “Gives me a nice youthful glow — Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment”
    • “brightens the undereye — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Visible plumping Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “more like a spray serum — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
    • “Skin feels hydrated — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “Skin looks noticeably more plump — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • High price point Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “overpriced for what it does — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “Pricey — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
  • Ineffective or slow results Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “results were subtle — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “still not impressed with the results — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Burning, stinging, and irritation Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “stings my face and feels like burning — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “left my face bright red — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Slightly irritating... when I first started — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
  • Packaging and design issues Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “pump head is fixed — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”

Kiehl's vs Allies of Skin routines for dry skin

Buy Allies of Skin routine · AED 1,027.85 · 96% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Allies of Skin routines for oily skin

Buy Allies of Skin routine · AED 1,405.73 · 93% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Allies of Skin routines for combination skin

Buy Allies of Skin routine · AED 1,294.67 · 94% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Allies of Skin: which is better?

Allies of Skin is better because its products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit for dry skin, acne-prone skin, and oily skin, whereas Kiehl's achieves a High or Average fit. Reviewers also note that Allies of Skin does better at fading dark spots and brightening, as well as providing visible plumping.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Allies of Skin?

Allies of Skin fits dry skin, sensitive skin, and oily skin at a Superior level, while Kiehl's fits them at a High level. Allies of Skin relies on key ingredients like Niacinamide, which helps reduce pigmentation, whereas Kiehl's uses a wider variety of key ingredients such as Vitamin C and Squalane.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Kiehl's or Allies of Skin for dry skin?

Allies of Skin fits dry skin better, with a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High routine fit. Allies of Skin relies on a routine of hydrating and plumping serums as well as gentle, effective moisturizers.

Kiehl's or Allies of Skin: which moisturizer is better?

Allies of Skin is better for moisturizers as the products on this page achieve a Superior fit for dry skin compared to Kiehl's High fit. Allies of Skin moisturizers are mostly mentioned by reviewers for being gentle and effective.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Allies of Skin?

Both Kiehl's and Allies of Skin share a high price point as a common drawback in reviews, so neither is clearly more affordable.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or Allies of Skin?

Allies of Skin has more fragrance-free products on this page, as every single one of its products lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas two of Kiehl's products contain fragrance.

How do the routines for dry skin differ between Kiehl's and Allies of Skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's fits at a High level while Allies of Skin fits at a Superior level. The routine for Kiehl's uses cleansers, a hydrating toner, a serum concentrate, a moisturizer, and sunscreen, whereas Allies of Skin uses a hydrating cleanser, a treatment mist, and sunscreen.

Which brand is better for fading dark spots and brightening the skin?

Allies of Skin is better for fading dark spots and brightening the skin, as it outperforms Kiehl's in brightening efficacy. Topical niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Kiehl's or Allies of Skin for oily skin?

Allies of Skin is a superior fit for oily skin, whereas Kiehl's provides a High routine fit. Allies of Skin offers fragrance-free formulations and calming serums, while the products on this page for Kiehl's feature options like Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner which has a Superior fit for oily skin.

Kiehl's or Allies of Skin for sensitive skin?

Allies of Skin fits sensitive skin better, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Kiehl's. Reviewers note that Allies of Skin provides gentle, effective moisturizers and calming serums.

Kiehl's or Allies of Skin for acne-prone skin?

Allies of Skin is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to an Average fit from Kiehl's. Reviewers note that Allies of Skin provides effective anti-aging and brightening serums that help calm the skin.

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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