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Estée Lauder vs SK-II

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

Estée Lauder and SK-II are esteemed skincare brands rooted in heritage, with the American pioneer known for its comprehensive moisturizers and serums featuring hyaluronic acid, and the Japanese house beloved for nourishing treatments anchored by pitera. Both suit dry skin best, though the former addresses dry sensitive complexions with nourishing formulations while the latter gently nurtures delicate skin with time-tested efficacy. They differ fundamentally in their signature ingredients and geographic origins, offering distinct pathways to enhanced hydration and balance.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs SK-II products

People Say

Estée LauderSK-II
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Skin texture improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Smoother skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Radiance, glow and brightening Sometimes NotedMostly 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 me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Lightweight feel and absorption Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Absorbs into the skin quickly. — SK-II Genoptics Ultraura Essence”
    • “Absorbs quickly — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Gentle and non-drying formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves skin soft, feels moisturized, does not dry out skin. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • Effective makeup removal and cleansing Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “removes all my makeup effortlessly — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Melts away Double Wear foundation instantly — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves my skin very clean — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara, melts stubborn makeup, removes sunscreen easily. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • High price point and expensive cost Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Very expensive for the amount — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Unpleasant scent or fragrance issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “smells like dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “smells slightly like saliva — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Lack of results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “didn't notice any difference — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “just expensive water — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Haven't seen the results yet. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Bulky or poor packaging design Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “cotton is too thick and heavy — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for dry skin

Buy SK-II routine · A$1,400.12 · 90% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · A$330.00 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for oily skin

Buy SK-II routine · A$1,436.99 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · A$497.39 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for combination skin

Buy SK-II routine · A$1,429.91 · 88% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · A$490.31 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which is better?

Both brands perform well on this page, but they excel in different areas with Estée Lauder providing deep hydration and gentle cleansing, while SK-II offers better skin texture improvement and lightweight absorption. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry sensitive skin as High for both brands.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and SK-II?

Estée Lauder provides deeper hydration and gentler cleansers across the products on this page, while SK-II delivers better results for skin texture, radiance, and lightweight absorption. For dry skin and acne-prone skin, Lovi rates SK-II's brand-focused routines as Superior compared to Estée Lauder's High fit level.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for dry skin?

For dry skin, Lovi rates SK-II as a Superior fit and Estée Lauder as a High fit, though the products on this page for both brands feature deep hydration. Hyaluronic acid helps bind moisture in the skin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which moisturizer is better?

Both Estée Lauder and SK-II offer moisturizers on this page that help deliver deep hydration, with Estée Lauder featuring key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or SK-II?

Reviewers note that both Estée Lauder and SK-II have a high price point, but neither brand features pricing details directly on this page.

Between Estée Lauder and SK-II, which brand offers better results for skin texture improvement?

SK-II offers better results for skin texture improvement compared to Estee Lauder. Reviewers note that SK-II does better for skin texture improvement.

How do the founding countries and parent companies of Estée Lauder and SK-II compare?

Estée Lauder was founded in 1946 in the United States and is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., while SK-II was founded in 1980 in Japan and has been owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products between Estée Lauder and SK-II?

SK-II has more fragrance-free products on this page, as every SK-II product lists no fragrance, whereas 12 of the 14 Estée Lauder products are fragrance-free.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Estée Lauder and SK-II achieve a High routine fit on the products on this page. Reviewers report that Estée Lauder offers a gentler and more non-drying formula with effective makeup removal, while SK-II delivers a lighter feel and better absorption.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for sensitive skin?

Both Estée Lauder and SK-II offer a High Lovi routine fit for sensitive skin among the products on this page.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, SK-II achieves a Superior routine fit level, while Estée Lauder achieves a High routine fit level on this page. Reviewers note that SK-II does better for lightweight feel and absorption, whereas Estée Lauder does better for gentle and non-drying formulas.

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.

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