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Clarins vs The INKEY List

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

Clarins and The INKEY List are distinct skincare brands offering moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products for diverse complexions. The French house is celebrated for luxurious formulas enriched with nourishing shea and hydrating squalane, suiting sensitive and dry sensitive skin best, whereas the British label builds its range around glycerin to fit sensitive and acne-prone skin. Both brands address specific concerns effectively, though they differ in heritage, with the established European brand providing targeted treatments like the Extra-Firming Day Cream for dark spots and the modern line featuring options like the PHA Toner.

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Clarins and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Clarins vs The INKEY List products

People Say

ClarinsThe INKEY List
  • Hydration and moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Affordable price and value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Good makeup base and primer Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “concealer sits better — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “Brilliant makeup base — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Texture smoothing and exfoliation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Glass skin — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “makes skin silky smooth — Clarins Hydrating Toning Lotion”
  • Acne clearing and blemish control Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Fragrance and scent issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump design flaws Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “dispenses too much — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price point Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
  • Skin irritation and breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · A$220.70 · 84% fitBuy Clarins routine · A$394.74 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · A$457.62 · 90% fitBuy Clarins routine · A$585.59 · 71% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · A$381.72 · 90% fitBuy Clarins routine · A$557.60 · 70% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Clarins or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands perform well depending on your needs, with Clarins offering a High routine fit for dry and mature skin and The INKEY List achieving a Superior fit for oily, sensitive, and acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Clarins and The INKEY List?

Clarins offers luxurious, fragrance-rich formulas with high fit levels for dry and sensitive skin, while The INKEY List provides fragrance-free, budget-friendly options that achieve superior fit levels for oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin.

Clarins or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List fit dry skin with a High Lovi level. The products on this page for Clarins offer hydrating and smoothing moisturizers, while The INKEY List features affordable moisturizers that help maintain hydration.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

The INKEY List does better for acne clearing and blemish control and texture smoothing and exfoliation. Review themes show that The INKEY List offers a superior routine fit for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone skin, and skin with dark spots compared to Clarins.

Which is more affordable, Clarins or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Clarins, as its serums and moisturizers are noted for their affordable price and value compared to Clarins's high price point.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which has better options for mature skin?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List provide High routine fit options for mature skin. The products on this page for Clarins are founded in France by Famille C, while The INKEY List offers a range founded in the United Kingdom.

Clarins or The INKEY List: how do their fragrances compare across products?

Clarins includes fragrance in almost all of the products on this page, whereas every product from The INKEY List on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which brand is better for skin with dark spots?

The INKEY List is a better choice than Clarins for skin with dark spots because the products on this page achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for this skin type, compared to Clarins which reaches a High fit level. Additionally, niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Clarins or The INKEY List for oily skin?

The INKEY List is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Clarins' Average fit level.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

The INKEY List is better for moisturizers due to a more affordable price point, while Clarins excels in luxurious textures and hydration. The products on this page from The INKEY List feature completely fragrance-free formulas, whereas most Clarins moisturizers include added fragrance.

Clarins or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

The INKEY List offers a Superior Lovi fit for sensitive skin, whereas Clarins provides a High fit.

Clarins or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

The INKEY List fits acne-prone skin better, achieving a Superior routine fit level compared to an Average level for Clarins. The products on this page help provide blemish control and acne clearing.

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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