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Kiehl's vs Clarins

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

Kiehl's and Clarins are two respected skincare brands offering moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products designed to nourish the complexion. Kiehl's is known for glycerin and squalane, suiting dry skin and dark spots, while the French brand uses shea and squalane to best support sensitive and dry sensitive skin. Both lines feature standout treatments for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin, though they differ through distinct active ingredients that restore the epidermal barrier or reduce redness.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clarins products

People Say

Kiehl'sClarins
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
  • No white cast and glowing skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Makeup base and primer compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Rich and creamy texture Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “feels luxurious and thick — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Breakouts and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Ineffective or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “didn't see a lift — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “no change in circles — Clarins Double Serum Eye”

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitBuy Clarins routine · AED 1,301.95 · 73% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitBuy Clarins routine · AED 1,305.87 · 71% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitBuy Clarins routine · AED 1,132.10 · 71% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clarins: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins are strong skincare options, with Kiehl's standing out for having nearly all fragrance-free products on this page while Clarins features mostly fragranced formulas. Reviewers note that Clarins offers deeper hydration and more luxurious textures, whereas Kiehl's routine fit is High for dry and oily skin compared to Clarins' Average.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's has no fragrance in almost all of the products on this page, whereas nearly all Clarins products contain fragrance. Kiehl's offers a better routine fit for dry, oily, and combination skin, while Clarins is better for acne-prone skin.

Kiehl's or Clarins for dry skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's achieves a High routine fit on the products on this page, whereas Clarins reaches an Average routine fit. Reviewers frequently note that Kiehl's provides deep hydration.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's offers better cleansers on this page, as its formulations achieve superior fit levels for oily and oily acne-prone skin types. Clarins features mostly average fit levels for its cleansers across those same skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins are noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither brand is more affordable on the products on this page.

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, which brand has fewer products containing added fragrance?

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, Kiehl's has fewer products containing added fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to almost all of Clarins' products.

Which brand performs better for deep hydration according to review themes?

Clarins performs better for deep hydration compared to Kiehl's.

Which brand is owned by L'Oréal S.A., Kiehl's or Clarins?

Kiehl's is owned by L'Oréal S.A.

Kiehl's or Clarins for oily skin?

For oily skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because the products on this page achieve a High routine fit compared to Clarins's Average fit.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

Clarins generally offers better moisturizers because review themes rank the brand higher for deep hydration and rich, creamy textures across the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins are a High fit for sensitive skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's is unlikely to have scent and fragrance complaints since almost all products on the page list no fragrance, whereas nearly all Clarins products list fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

Clarins fits acne-prone skin better than Kiehl's according to Lovi fit levels. Reviewers mention that Clarins helps provide hydrating and glowing serums.

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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