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Kiehl's vs Avène

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

Kiehl's and Avène are two distinct skincare brands offering thoughtfully crafted moisturizers, serums, toners, and cleansers anchored by nourishing ingredients like glycerin and squalane. Kiehl's suits skin with dark spots and dry skin best, while the French brand suits oily acne-prone skin and acne-prone skin best through barrier-restoring hydration. Both rely on science-backed formulations to address particular concerns, though they differ in their heritage, specific standout products, and exact active components.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Avène products

People Say

Kiehl'sAvène
  • Skin Barrier and Tone Improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “absorbs very quickly — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture 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”
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
  • Gentleness and Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “no irritation at all — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Pores and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “keeps skin matte — Avène Cleanance”
  • Soothing Irritation and Redness Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Calms angry, red skin — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Application and Texture Difficulties Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “too thick — Avène Hydrance+”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with tiny whiteheads all over — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Caused small bumps/texture — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Scents and Fragrance Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smell is overpowering — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitBuy Avène routine · AED 669.42 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Avène routine · AED 859.37 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Avène routine · AED 1,056.50 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Avène: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer great options, but Avène is better for acne-prone and oily acne-prone skin with a Superior routine fit. Kiehl's is better for fragrance-conscious users since 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance compared to only 7 of 15 for Avène.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Avène?

Kiehl's and Avène offer comparable routines for most skin types, but Avène achieves a Superior Lovi fit level for oily acne-prone skin compared to Kiehl's High level. Avène does better with gentleness and sensitive skin as well as soothing irritation and redness, while Kiehl's is better with scents and fragrance because fewer products list fragrance on this page.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for dry skin, making either brand a solid choice. The products on this page from Kiehl's lean toward high ratings for dry skin when using items like Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, while Avène features options such as Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm.

Kiehl's or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer cleansers with strong options for various skin types, but Avène does better for gentleness and sensitive skin. Reviewers note that Avène provides gentle deep clean cleansers, while Kiehl's cleansers feature high price points and potential skin irritation.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Avène?

Avène is more affordable than Kiehl's, as a high price point is often noted for Kiehl's products while Avène features price point only sometimes among its review themes.

Which brand has fewer products with fragrance, Kiehl's or Avène?

Kiehl's has fewer products with fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to 7 of 15 products for Avène.

How do the founding years and parent companies of Kiehl's and Avène compare?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas Avène was founded in 1990 in France and is owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

Which brand performs better for soothing irritation and redness according to reviewers?

Avène performs better than Kiehl's for soothing irritation and redness according to reviewers. The products on this page help calm sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Avène for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Kiehl's and Avène offer products on this page with a High routine fit level. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products and superior cleansers like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash, while Avène is noted for better pricing and soothing irritation.

Kiehl's or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer moisturizers with strong hydrating benefits, such as Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate and Avène's Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm, which each achieve a Superior fit for dry skin. For shoppers sensitive to scents, Kiehl's may be a better choice as 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance, compared to only 7 of 15 for Avène.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Avène for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Avène does better for gentleness and sensitive skin. For scent preferences, Kiehl's does better because almost all the products on this page list no fragrance, whereas over half of Avène's products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer sunscreens that perform well, with Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum achieving a High Lovi fit level for skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, and acne-prone skin. Avène Cleanance is well-suited for oily skin with a Superior Lovi fit level. Reviewers note that Avène sunscreens are gentle and non-stripping.

Kiehl's or Avène for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Avène is a better choice as Lovi rates its routine as High while Kiehl's is Average. Avène features products like Cleanance and Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water that help manage oil and soothe irritation with a lower likelihood of heavy residues.

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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