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Kiehl's vs Clinique

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

Kiehl's and Clinique are two American skincare brands offering thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, eye products, and more. Kiehl's is known for glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and dry skin best, while Clinique incorporates hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and caffeine, suiting dry sensitive skin and oily skin best. The former brand addresses specific concerns with items like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, whereas the latter offers solutions such as the Clarifying Do-Over Peel. Ultimately, they differ through their distinct ingredient profiles, as the first relies on barrier restoration and oxidative stress reduction, and the second utilizes wrinkle reduction and UV protection.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clinique products

People Say

Kiehl'sClinique
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “sinks in instantly — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Gentle for Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “doesn't dry out — Clinique all about clean”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “savior for dry patches — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • 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”
    • “skin feels silky smooth — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Base Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
  • Radiance and Glow Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gives a very nice radiance — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “Expensive for cleanser — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “some extremely dry skin types need a thicker balm or oil on top — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Causes 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 whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • 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 help dark circles — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “don't expect miracles overnight — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitBuy Clinique routine · AED 1,605.23 · 66% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitBuy Clinique routine · AED 1,002.51 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitBuy Clinique routine · AED 790.89 · 72% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clinique: which is better?

Kiehl's tends to be better for dry skin and skin with dark spots, while Clinique is often preferred for being gentle on sensitive skin. The products on this page for both brands offer hydrating moisturizers, though Kiehl's provides a higher routine fit for dry and combination skin types.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clinique?

When comparing the products on this page, Kiehl's is better suited for dry skin and dark spots, whereas Clinique is known for being gentler on sensitive skin. Both brands offer lightweight, non-greasy options, but Kiehl's tends to provide deeper hydration.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dry skin?

Kiehl's is a better choice than Clinique for dry skin because the routine fit for this skin type is rated High for Kiehl's and Average for Clinique. The products on this page help provide deep hydration, with key ingredients like squalane that may support skin barrier health.

Molecules, 2009

Kiehl's or Clinique: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers, Kiehl's offers options on this page that may better suit oily or combination skin, while Clinique is noted for gentle cleansers that help sensitive skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique is more affordable on this page, as high price points are noted as a negative review theme for both brands while Clinique is specifically highlighted for having a lower cost.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique offers more fragrance-free products on this page, as every single Clinique product lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in two of its products.

How do the key ingredients differ between Kiehl's and Clinique?

Kiehl's features key ingredients like Glycerin, Vitamin C, Squalane, Shea butter, and Vitamin E across its products, while Clinique relies on Hyaluronic acid, Glycerin, Caffeine, and Salicylic acid. Squalane helps support the skin barrier, and hyaluronic acid aids in providing deep hydration.

Molecules, 2009Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Clinique for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are good options for oily skin, as the products on this page achieve a High fit level for this skin type.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique offer popular moisturizers, with Kiehl's generally fitting dry skin better at a High level compared to Clinique's Average routine fit. Kiehl's products on this page are often noted for deep hydration, while Clinique is frequently praised for lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas.

Kiehl's or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are good options for sensitive skin, as the products on this page show high routine fit levels for both brands. Clinique is often noted as better for gentleness, while Kiehl's offers a higher routine fit for dry sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Clinique for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are a High fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's has dedicated routines that help manage breakouts, while Clinique relies on oil-controlling moisturizers.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dry sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are a High fit for dry sensitive skin on this page, but Clinique features fragrance-free formulas across all products while Kiehl's has fragrance in a few items.

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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