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SK-II vs Allies of Skin

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

SK-II and Allies of Skin are respected skincare lines that offer distinct paths to a balanced complexion. The Japanese brand relies on its signature ingredient, pitera, within restorative masks, balancing toners, targeted serums, and transformative moisturizers to suit dry sensitive skin and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, the other brand features potent serums, luxurious moisturizers, and targeted eye products formulated with powerhouse ingredients like niacinamide to suit dry skin and acne-prone skin best. While both brands help restore balance and address dark spots, acne, and maturity, they differ through their core active ingredients and specific formulations.

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 SK-II and Allies of Skin products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular SK-II vs Allies of Skin products

People Say

SK-IIAllies of Skin
  • Improves skin texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “sinks easily into damp skin — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
    • “Woke up looking well-rested — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
  • Hydration and balancing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “skin feels deeply hydrated, plump, and smoother — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
    • “nourished and hydrated — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
    • “more like a spray serum — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
  • Radiance and glow Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “leaves me with a red carpet glow — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Skin looks brighter — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “gives skin an instant dewy glow — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Lightweight and gentle absorption Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Best retinol for sensitive skin — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “feels super soothing, doesn't trigger redness — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
    • “preps skin for better absorption — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Calming redness and acne Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Redness is less noticeable — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “Dramatic impact on acne — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “reduces appearance of redness — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
  • Visible anti-aging and firming Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “fix the fine lines — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
    • “Tightened the skin in just a few uses — Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment”
    • “reducing the appearance of fine lines — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
  • High price Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Pricey — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “price definitely hurts — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Breakouts, purging, and skin reactions Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “caused tiny red bumps — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “dried to a tacky finish — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “didn't like how sticky face feels — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
    • “Slightly irritating... when I first started — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
  • Lack of results or effectiveness Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “still not impressed with the results — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
    • “Have not noticed improved skin quality yet — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “Nothing significant — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Unpleasant scent and fragrance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Distinct rancid smell — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “gives a weird fermented stench — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
    • “makes me cough during application — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
    • “smells like dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”

SK-II vs Allies of Skin routines for dry skin

Buy Allies of Skin routine · AED 1,027.85 · 96% fitBuy SK-II routine · AED 2,470.10 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

SK-II vs Allies of Skin routines for oily skin

Buy Allies of Skin routine · AED 1,405.73 · 93% fitBuy SK-II routine · AED 2,468.63 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

SK-II vs Allies of Skin routines for combination skin

Buy Allies of Skin routine · AED 1,294.67 · 94% fitBuy SK-II routine · AED 2,424.45 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

SK-II or Allies of Skin: which is better?

Allies of Skin is better for overall routine fit across most skin types, featuring a Superior routine fit for mature skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, and others compared to SK-II's High fit. Allies of Skin relies on key ingredients like niacinamide to help manage skin aging and pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between SK-II and Allies of Skin?

SK-II stands out for radiance and glow, while Allies of Skin does better with lightweight and gentle absorption, calming redness and acne, and visible anti-aging and firming. Lovi rates Allies of Skin as having a Superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas SK-II offers a High fit.

SK-II or Allies of Skin for dry skin?

Allies of Skin is a superior match for dry skin with a Superior routine fit, whereas SK-II offers a High routine fit for dry skin. Every product on this page for both brands lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

SK-II or Allies of Skin: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer moisturizers on this page, with Allies of Skin achieving a Superior Lovi routine fit for dry skin compared to SK-II's High fit. Allies of Skin relies on key ingredients like niacinamide, which helps control skin aging and pigmentation, whereas SK-II products on this page feature Pitera.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which is more affordable, SK-II or Allies of Skin?

Both brands feature a high price point as a common drawback, meaning neither is clearly more affordable than the other.

Which brand uses Pitera and which uses Niacinamide as key ingredients?

SK-II uses Pitera as its key ingredient across the products on this page, while Allies of Skin uses Niacinamide.

SK-II or Allies of Skin for oily skin?

Allies of Skin is a better fit than SK-II for oily skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to SK-II's High level. Allies of Skin products on this page help provide lightweight and gentle absorption alongside effective oil balancing.

SK-II or Allies of Skin for sensitive skin?

Both brands are great choices for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates SK-II High and Allies of Skin Superior for this skin type. Allies of Skin stands out for lightweight and gentle absorption as well as calming redness and acne, while SK-II uses Pitera across the products on this page.

SK-II or Allies of Skin for acne-prone skin?

Both SK-II and Allies of Skin are great options for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit for this skin type. Allies of Skin stands out for calming redness and acne, while SK-II uses its key ingredient Pitera across its fragrance-free formulas.

SK-II or Allies of Skin for mature skin?

Allies of Skin achieves a Superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas SK-II reaches a High routine fit. Reviewers often note that Allies of Skin provides effective anti-aging and brightening serums.

SK-II or Allies of Skin for skin with dark spots?

Allies of Skin achieves a Superior fit level on Lovi for skin with dark spots, while SK-II reaches a High fit level. Allies of Skin relies on key ingredients like Niacinamide, which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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