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Kiehl's vs Clinique

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

Kiehl's and Clinique are two American skincare brands offering beloved moisturizers, serums, eye products, and more. Kiehl's features key ingredients like glycerin and squalane, while the other brand relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and caffeine in its gentle formulations. Both brands suit dry skin and sensitive skin best. While the first brand is known for its nourishing formulations that increase hydration and restore epidermal barrier function, the other brand differs through ingredients that lengthen wrinkle reduction and protect against UV radiation.

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

This page compares some of the most popular Kiehl's and Clinique products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Kiehl's vs Clinique products

People Say

Kiehl'sClinique
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “sinks in instantly — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Gentle for Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “doesn't dry out — Clinique all about clean”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedSometimes 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 feels silky smooth — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Base Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
  • Radiance and Glow Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gives a very nice radiance — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “Expensive for cleanser — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “some extremely dry skin types need a thicker balm or oil on top — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Ineffective or Slow Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “didn't help dark circles — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “don't expect miracles overnight — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$685.63 · 86% fitBuy Clinique routine · A$365.39 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$767.92 · 85% fitBuy Clinique routine · A$490.43 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$693.88 · 83% fitBuy Clinique routine · A$469.78 · 72% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clinique: which is better?

Kiehl's performs better overall on this page, offering High routine fit levels across all listed skin types, whereas Clinique reaches High fit levels only for dry, sensitive, and oily skin.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clinique?

Kiehl's provides a high routine fit across more skin types on this page, including combination, acne-prone, mature skin, and skin with dark spots, whereas Clinique achieves an average fit for those specific types. Clinique is known for having every product on this page formulated without fragrance, while Kiehl's includes fragrance in two of its products.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique offer a High routine fit for dry skin, making them strong choices for this skin type. Reviewers frequently note that Kiehl's provides deep hydration, while Clinique is widely appreciated for its lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizers.

Molecules, 2009Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Clinique: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's offers better cleansers overall on this page, with superior Lovi fit levels for oily and oily acne-prone skin types compared to Clinique. Additionally, Kiehl's cleansers are backed by ingredients like squalene that help support the skin barrier, though every product on Clinique's page is completely fragrance-free.

Molecules, 2009

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique does better on price because its review themes cite a high price point less often than Kiehl's products on this page do.

Between Kiehl's and Clinique, which brand offers better options for mature skin?

Kiehl's offers better options for mature skin, achieving a High routine fit level compared to Clinique's Average routine fit level. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Do Kiehl's products contain fragrance, or are they completely fragrance-free like Clinique?

Kiehl's products on this page are mostly fragrance-free, as 26 of 28 list no fragrance, whereas every Clinique product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

How do Kiehl's and Clinique compare when it comes to fading dark spots and improving skin radiance?

Kiehl's performs better than Clinique for fading dark spots and adding radiance, as the products on this page achieve a High routine fit for skin with dark spots compared to Clinique's Average fit. Kiehl's also features ingredients like Vitamin C and retinol, which help brighten skin and improve texture.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or Clinique for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are good options for oily skin, as the products on this page show an equal high routine fit for this skin type. Kiehl's offers targeted oil-control items like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, while Clinique features oil-balancing options such as the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which moisturizer is better?

Kiehl's offers a higher overall routine fit for moisturizers on this page, achieving a High level for dry skin compared to Clinique's Average level. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides deeper hydration, although Clinique's options are often recognized for being lightweight and fast-absorbing.

Kiehl's or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are good options for sensitive skin, as the products on this page achieve high routine fit levels for this skin type. Clinique is noted by reviewers as doing better for being gentle on sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Clinique for acne-prone skin?

Kiehl's is a better fit than Clinique for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as High while Clinique's routine is Average.

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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