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Neutrogena vs Kiehl's

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

Neutrogena and Kiehl's are American skincare brands known for thoughtfully crafted moisturizers, sunscreens, cleansers, toners, serums, and eye products. The first brand features glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone, whereas the second relies on glycerin and squalane. Both suit skin with dark spots best, while the first also suits mature skin and the second suits dry skin. Ultimately, the brands differ through their unique ingredient synergies and distinct corporate histories, dating back to 1930 and 1851 respectively.

Neutrogena is an American skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026.

investor.kimberly-clark.comen.wikipedia.orginvestors.kenvue.com

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Neutrogena vs Kiehl's products

People Say

NeutrogenaKiehl's
  • Deep and intense hydration Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Skin looked plumper and radiant — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Quenches dry skin instantly — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Acne-safe and gentle formulas Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin soft and balanced — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “love that it has no scent — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “calms my acne prone skin — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky residue — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “absorbs instantly — Neutrogena COLLAGEN BANK Moisturizer”
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue. — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Makeup base and compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Foundation glides right over it — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Concealer doesn't cake or get stuck in crevices — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin texture improvement and anti-aging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “skin looked & felt smoother — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “Skin is looking smoother — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
  • Radiant glow and brightening Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Gave me a glass-skin glow — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Price and quantity concerns Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Jar is too small for the price — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Runs out quickly — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Tube is tiny for the cost — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging and design issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Kept sliding off my face — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Eye and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “stings my face and feels like burning — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “left my face bright red — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “burns my eyes terribly — Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen”
  • Strong fragrance and scent issues Sometimes NotedRarely 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”
    • “Smell is too overpowering and lingering — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · AED 586.20 · 69% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · AED 523.16 · 70% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · AED 534.78 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle formulas as well as lightweight textures, while Kiehl's is better for skin texture improvement and anti-aging. Lovi finds that Kiehl's offers a high routine fit for dry skin, whereas Neutrogena offers an average fit for it.

What is the difference between Neutrogena and Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is a United States brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation, while Kiehl's is an American brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oreal S.A. Reviewers find that Neutrogena offers better acne-safe formulas and lightweight textures, whereas Kiehl's performs better for skin texture improvement, anti-aging, radiant glow, and brightening. Kiehl's achieves a High routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin, compared to Neutrogena's Average fit for those same skin types.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Kiehl's fits dry skin better than Neutrogena, achieving a high routine fit compared to Neutrogena's average fit. Both brands offer deeply hydrating moisturizers, and Kiehl's uses ingredients like squalane that help soften dry skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle cleansers, whereas Kiehl's is better for skin texture improvement and brightening, though Lovi rates both brands as having high fit levels for cleansers suited to mature skin and skin with dark spots.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is more affordable, whereas Kiehl's is noted by reviewers for a high price point.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which brand is better suited for mature skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are well-suited for mature skin, achieving an equal High routine fit level across the products on this page. Retinol is a key ingredient in products from both brands that helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which brand offers better options for treating dark spots?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's offer strong options for treating dark spots, as the products on this page for both brands achieve high fit levels for skin with dark spots. Kiehl's features targeted brightening serums like its Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, while Neutrogena includes well-regarded treatments such as its Stubborn Marks PM Treatment, which helps fade pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Which brand uses fewer fragrances in its products, Neutrogena or Kiehl's?

Neutrogena has a slightly higher proportion of fragrance-free options on this page, with 35 of 39 products listing no fragrance, compared to Kiehl's where 26 of 28 products are fragrance-free.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Kiehl's has a High Lovi fit level for oily skin, whereas Neutrogena has an Average Lovi fit level on this page.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and lightweight moisture, while Kiehl's is better for deep hydration and dry skin. Reviewers note that Neutrogena offers deeply hydrating and non-greasy moisturizers, whereas Kiehl's provides intensive hydration with a higher price point.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Lovi finds that Kiehl's fits sensitive skin with a High level, whereas Neutrogena has an Average level for this skin type. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides deep hydration.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Neutrogena has multiple sunscreens with a Superior Lovi fit level for combination and sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit level for those skin types.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Neutrogena is the better choice for acne-prone skin on this page, achieving a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average fit level.

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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