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Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's

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

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are two celebrated skincare brands that offer nourishing daily care tailored to dry and sensitive skin. The Korean brand, founded in 2016, features thoughtful serums, masks, moisturizers, and sunscreens with star ingredients like niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. Meanwhile, the American brand, established in 1851, is beloved for moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products utilizing glycerin and squalane. While both brands support barrier function and hydration, they differ in their heritage, specific formulations, and targeted approaches to concerns like acne, dark spots, and aging.

Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.

kbeautywiki.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.comgoodai-global.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 Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Beauty of JoseonKiehl's
  • Unique or Pleasant Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
    • “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Non-Irritating Formulation Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Radiant Skin and Glow Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “Gives me that chok-chok dewy look — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Gentle Exfoliation and Texture Smoothing Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “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 feels baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
  • Pore and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “less shiny by noon — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
    • “pores look cleaner — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask”
    • “pores look smaller — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “dealing with cystic acne — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “smells like cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Beauty of Joseon routine · A$217.64 · 89% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · A$685.63 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$767.92 · 85% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · A$242.56 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$693.88 · 83% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · A$210.57 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both brands are great choices, but Beauty of Joseon is better for gentle, non-irritating formulas and pore and oil control, while Kiehl's is better for gentle exfoliation and texture smoothing. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon has a better price point, whereas Kiehl's has more frequent complaints about breakouts, acne, and scent issues.

What is the difference between Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon offers fragrance-free products with a focus on gentleness and pore control, while Kiehl's provides a wider range featuring options with fragrance and targeted anti-aging solutions like retinol. Both brands achieve equal high fit levels for most skin types.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a good choice for dry skin, as both brands achieve a High routine fit level for this skin type. Beauty of Joseon features every product on this page with no fragrance in its ingredients, while Kiehl's uses key ingredients like glycerin and squalane to help provide deep hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Beauty of Joseon offers gentler, non-irritating formulas, making it a strong choice for sensitive skin types, whereas Kiehl's features standout options like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner and targeted cleansers that excel in deep cleansing for oily skin.

Which is more affordable, Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon is more affordable, as high price points are noted as a drawback for Kiehl's but not for Beauty of Joseon.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which brand has fewer fragrance issues?

Beauty of Joseon has fewer fragrance issues because every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in some of its products.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a good choice for oily skin, as their routines have a High fit for this skin type. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon is helpful for pore and oil control, while Kiehl's is noted for gentle exfoliation and texture smoothing.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's offer effective moisturizers that provide deep hydration and suit various skin types equally well. However, Beauty of Joseon is noted for gentler, non-irritating formulas and better pore and oil control, while Kiehl's features more options aimed at mature skin and gentle exfoliation.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for sensitive skin. Beauty of Joseon stands out for having every product on the page free of fragrance, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in a couple of items.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's offer sunscreens with High fit levels for most skin types on their respective pages. Beauty of Joseon's Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics utilizes ingredients like rice bran oil which may help with hydration.

Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2011

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's offer a high routine fit for acne-prone skin. However, reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon does better for pore and oil control, while Kiehl's receives more complaints about causing breakouts and acne.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Kiehl's is better for mature skin, achieving a high routine fit compared to Beauty of Joseon's average fit. Kiehl's offers targeted products like the Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, where retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Niacinamide helps control skin aging and 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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