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Kiehl's vs SK-II

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

Kiehl's and SK-II are heritage skincare brands known for delivering targeted hydration and balance. The American brand is widely loved for its thoughtful array of moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products anchored by glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and dry skin best. Meanwhile, the Japanese brand is deeply loved for its transformative moisturizers, targeted serums, restorative masks, and balancing toners elevated by pitera, suiting acne-prone skin and dry sensitive skin best. While both offer standout solutions for mature skin and acne, glycerin and squalane actively support the epidermis and counteract oxidative stress, whereas pitera measurably improves pore area, roughness, and redness.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

SK-II is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.

en.wikipedia.orgdiscoversk-ii.wixsite.comglossy.co

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

Popular Kiehl's vs SK-II products

People Say

Kiehl'sSK-II
  • Lightweight 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 quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Deep hydration 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”
    • “savior for dry patches — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Radiance and glow Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “leaves me with a red carpet glow — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “noticeable skin brightening effect and glow — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Improves skin barrier and texture Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Smoother skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Makeup compatibility and primer Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Removes leftover dirt — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara, melts stubborn makeup, removes sunscreen easily. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • Fades dark spots and brightens Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “My skin is glowing now. — SK-II Genoptics Ultraura Essence”
    • “Reduced sun spots — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • High price and cost 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”
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Slow or ineffective results Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Unpleasant scent or fragrance 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 dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Causes breakouts and acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “caused tiny red bumps — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Small bumps — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “did break out some while adjusting — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”

Kiehl's vs SK-II routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitBuy SK-II routine · AED 2,470.10 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs SK-II routines for oily skin

Buy SK-II routine · AED 2,468.63 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs SK-II routines for combination skin

Buy SK-II routine · AED 2,424.45 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or SK-II: which is better?

Both brands offer equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, and dark spot skin types, while SK-II achieves a Superior fit level for acne-prone skin. Kiehl's features a wider variety of lightweight moisturizers, whereas SK-II uses fragrance-free formulas centered around Pitera.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and SK-II?

Kiehl's offers lightweight textures and deep hydration with a higher price point, while SK-II provides better radiance, glow, and skin barrier improvement, though it may cause breakouts and acne.

Kiehl's or SK-II for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and SK-II achieve a High Lovi fit level for dry skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that Kiehl's offers deep hydration with lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

Kiehl's or SK-II: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, Kiehl's offers lightweight options with deep hydration, while SK-II features popular formulas like the Facial Treatment Essence. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin as High for both brands.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or SK-II?

When comparing price, Kiehl's features high price and cost as a frequently mentioned drawback in reviews, whereas the products on this page for SK-II do not list price reviews.

Between Kiehl's and SK-II, which brand is better for improving the skin barrier and texture?

SK-II does better than Kiehl's for improving skin barrier and texture based on reviewer feedback on this page.

How do Kiehl's and SK-II compare regarding fragrance in their product formulations?

Kiehl's includes fragrance in select items on the products on this page, whereas SK-II lists no fragrance in every product on this page.

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

SK-II performs better for fading dark spots and brightening the skin. Review themes on this page indicate that SK-II does better for radiance and glow, and fades dark spots and brightens.

Kiehl's or SK-II for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and SK-II offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Lovi rates Kiehl's Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner and Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash as having a Superior fit for oily skin.

Kiehl's or SK-II for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and SK-II achieve a High routine fit level for sensitive skin based on the products on this page. Reviewers note that Kiehl's offers lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and gentle serums, while SK-II features fragrance-free formulations across all its products.

Kiehl's or SK-II for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, SK-II is the better choice because Lovi rates its routine as Superior, whereas Kiehl's routine fit 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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