🇦🇪United Arab Emirates

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's

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

Some By Mi and Kiehl's are distinct skincare brands that offer varied formulas for specific complexions. Founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021, the Korean brand features serums, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and more built around niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid, fitting sensitive and dry sensitive skin best. Founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, the American brand is widely loved for its thoughtful array of moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more anchored by glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and dry skin best. While both brands address targeted concerns like acne and aging, they differ through their heritage, foundational ingredients, and optimal skin matches.

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.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 Some By Mi and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Some By Mi vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Some By MiKiehl's
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly 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”
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
  • Brightening and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Fades dark spots — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “skin looks visibly brighter — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Surprisingly gentle — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “doesn't strip dry my skin — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Reduces pimples — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “cleared my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam”
    • “flattened my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”
  • Price and Value Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “Too expensive for 50ml — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Scents and Fragrance Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Sticky or Greasy Residue Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves face really greasy — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
    • “leaves sticky film — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · AED 485.71 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,652.44 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · AED 714.25 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,609.62 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · AED 714.25 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · AED 1,639.74 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which is better?

Some By Mi is better for sensitive and acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's is better for lightweight hydration. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation, and retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in aging skin.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between Some By Mi and Kiehl's?

Some By Mi is better for acne and blemish control and skin smoothing textures, while Kiehl's is better for lightweight and fast absorbing products and hydration and moisture. Lovi finds Some By Mi to be superior for sensitive skin, skin with dark spots, and dry sensitive skin, whereas both brands have equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, mature, and oily acne-prone skin.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Some By Mi and Kiehl's are great choices, as the products on this page provide a High routine fit for dry skin. Some By Mi helps nourish dry skin using ingredients like niacinamide and panthenol, while Kiehl's delivers deep hydration with glycerin and squalane.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Some By Mi is better for acne-prone skin, with cleansers like the Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Low pH Gel Cleanser rated High or Superior for acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's leans toward deep pore options for oily skin like the Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, Some By Mi or Kiehl's?

Some By Mi is more affordable, as the products on this page show better review themes for price and value compared to Kiehl's.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Some By Mi and Kiehl's are a High fit for oily skin, meaning they work equally well for this skin type. Some By Mi relies on ingredients like niacinamide and salicylic acid, while Kiehl's features glycerin and vitamin C across the products on this page.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both Some By Mi and Kiehl's offer moisturizers that help deliver strong hydration, with Some By Mi featuring options like Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream and Kiehl's featuring formulas such as Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry skin as High for both brands.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for sensitive skin because Lovi rates its fit as Superior, compared to High for Kiehl's. Reviewers note that Some By Mi offers gentle serums, and every product on the page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Both Some By Mi and Kiehl's offer sunscreens with High fit levels for a wide range of skin types on the products on this page, including sensitive, oily, and dry skin. Some By Mi features the V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen, while Kiehl's offers the Better Screen UV Serum.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Some By Mi is the better fit for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as High while Kiehl's is rated Average.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Some By Mi is a better fit for skin with dark spots, achieving a Superior rating compared to Kiehl's High rating on this page. The products on this page help brighten the complexion and reduce pigmentation with ingredients like niacinamide.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Both Some By Mi and Kiehl's are a High fit for mature skin, so either brand helps. Kiehl's is noted for lightweight and fast-absorbing moisturizers, while Some By Mi helps with skin smoothing and texture.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for dry sensitive skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for dry sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its fit as Superior while Kiehl's is High. Some By Mi also helps target dark spots effectively with ingredients like niacinamide.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play