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Kiehl's vs Shiseido

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

Kiehl's and Shiseido are two historic skincare brands offering thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, toners, cleansers, and sunscreens. The American brand is anchored by nourishing glycerin and squalane, suiting dry skin and dark spots best, while the Japanese brand is formulated with glycerin and suits sensitive and mature skin best. Ultimately, both brands differ through their unique ingredient actions, as the former counteracts oxidative stress and restores epidermal barrier function, whereas the latter significantly improves stratum corneum hydration.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Shiseido is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1872 and owned by Shiseido Company, Limited.

corp.shiseido.comen.wikipedia.orgmarketscreener.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Shiseido products

People Say

Kiehl'sShiseido
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Immediate sensation of comfort — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels plump, soft and nourished, eliminates dryness, bouncy feel — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Skin feels more hydrated — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Airy-soft texture — Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Velvety smooth — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
    • “makes skin baby soft — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “smoothes rough skin — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Radiance and relaxing experience Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter, more radiant, and "glowy." — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “Pleasant floral fragrance, relaxing, luxurious smell. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “spa-like scent, high-quality packaging, little goes a long way — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Luxurious texture and formula Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “silky smooth, rich but non-greasy, absorbs quickly, melts into skin — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Velvety, rich cream texture — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Velvety texture — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
  • Plumping and anti-aging Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Smoothed out crow's feet — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “tighter jawline, lifted appearance, improved elasticity, less sagging — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “wrinkles look softer — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “Skin looks noticeably more plump — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • High price and cost value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Very expensive for the size — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Expensive, pricey, high cost for the amount. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
  • Unpleasant or strong scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “old lady smell — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Greasy residue and oiliness Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “Stays tacky and shiny — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “feels a bit oily — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “A little too much (too greasy) — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lack of results or effectiveness Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “No change in deep wrinkles — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “No noticeable difference, not moisturizing enough on its own. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “no visible lifting, just a moisturizer, didn't erase deep wrinkles — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitBuy Shiseido routine · AED 1,124.76 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for oily skin

Buy Shiseido routine · AED 1,563.63 · 84% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitBuy Shiseido routine · AED 1,322.98 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido provide a High routine fit for most skin types, including dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, and dark spot-prone skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is better for lightweight and non-greasy textures, whereas Shiseido excels in deep hydration, luxurious formulas, and anti-aging benefits.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Shiseido?

Shiseido is a Japanese brand founded in 1872, while Kiehl's is an American brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. Shiseido generally offers a more luxurious texture and does better with deep hydration, whereas Kiehl's is known for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and has far fewer products containing added fragrance on this page.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for dry skin, though they differ in formulation styles and common feedback. The products on this page for Kiehl's feature mostly fragrance-free options with key ingredients like glycerin and squalane, while Shiseido emphasizes deep hydration and luxurious textures.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer products on this page with high routine fit levels for cleansing, but reviewers note that Shiseido features deep-cleansing and efficient cleansers while Kiehl's provides lightweight and non-greasy options.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Shiseido?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido are comparable in affordability, as reviewers note a high price point for the products on this page for each brand.

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

Kiehl's has fewer products containing fragrance, with only 2 out of the products on this page listing fragrance compared to Shiseido's 15 fragranced products.

How do Kiehl's and Shiseido compare regarding mature skin and dark spots routines?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido reach a High routine fit level for mature skin and skin with dark spots. For these concerns, the products on this page help improve skin quality and signs of aging with ingredients like sodium hyaluronate.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which brand performs better for deep hydration and moisturization according to reviewers?

Shiseido performs better for deep hydration and moisturization according to reviewers.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer products on this page that achieve a High Lovi routine fit level for oily skin. Reviewers often mention that Kiehl's provides lightweight and non-greasy moisturizers, while Shiseido provides deep-cleansing and efficient cleansers.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which moisturizer is better?

Shiseido is often noted for providing deeper hydration and more luxurious textures, while Kiehl's is frequently praised for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers. Both brands achieve a High routine fit level for dry skin among the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's is noted for lightweight formulas, while Shiseido provides deep hydration.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreens on this page, Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit level for skin with dark spots, combination skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and mature skin, and an Average fit level for oily skin, dry skin, oily acne-prone skin, and dry sensitive skin. Shiseido's Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion has an Average fit level for sensitive skin and mature skin, a Low fit level for skin with dark spots, oily skin, and acne-prone skin, a Caution fit level for combination skin, oily acne-prone skin, and dry sensitive skin, and a Warning fit level for dry skin. Shiseido also offers Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream and Essential Energy Hydrating Day Cream, which both have a Superior fit level for mature skin.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for acne-prone skin?

Shiseido is a better fit for acne-prone skin, as the routine fit for Shiseido is High while the routine fit for Kiehl's is Average.

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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