🇦🇺Australia

Kiehl's vs Garnier

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

Kiehl's and Garnier are legacy L'Oréal subsidiaries offering distinct approaches to everyday wellness. The American house is known for moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products featuring glycerin and squalane, suiting dry and sensitive skin best, whereas the French label is beloved for makeup removers, masks, and cleansers harnessing glycerin and salicylic acid to best support oily and acne-prone skin. While both share a parent company, Kiehl's focuses on nourishing formulations to increase hydration and restore the barrier, while Garnier provides targeted solutions to reduce blemishes and actively support the complexion.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Garnier is a French skincare brand founded in 1904 and owned by L'Oréal since 1965.

en.wikipedia.orgloreal.comgarnierusa.comafrica.garnier.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Garnier products

People Say

Kiehl'sGarnier
  • Dark Spots and Brightening Effects Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Instantly brightens the face — Garnier Vitamin C Face Wash”
    • “My face is glowing this morning — Garnier Vitamin C Sheet Mask”
    • “woke up glowing — Garnier Vitamin C Brightening Night Serum”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “doesn't leave skin feeling dry — Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water with Vitamin C”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Garnier Express Aclara”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Friendly Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't irritate sensitive eyes — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “doesn't burn my eyes — Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water”
  • 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 looked & felt smoother — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “skin feels softer — Garnier Vitamin C Brightening Night Serum”
  • Pore Cleansing and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “neutralizes shine immediately — Garnier Pure Active 3-in-1 Charcoal Mask”
    • “stubborn blackheads gone — Garnier Pure Active 3-in-1 Charcoal Mask”
    • “helped me with my acne — Garnier 3in1 Clay Anti-Spot Wash Scrub Mask”
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High Price and Value Issues Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Burning, Stinging, and Irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “stings my face and feels like burning — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “burned my face — Garnier Express Aclara”
    • “burning sensation — Garnier Pure Active 3-in-1 Charcoal Mask”
  • 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”
    • “dark circles returned after washing — Garnier Vitamin C Eye Cream”
    • “didn't remove sun spots — Garnier Express Aclara”

Kiehl's vs Garnier routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$685.63 · 86% fitBuy Garnier routine · A$151.54 · 76% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Garnier routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$767.92 · 85% fitBuy Garnier routine · A$240.56 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Garnier routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$693.88 · 83% fitBuy Garnier routine · A$176.10 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Garnier: which is better?

Kiehl's and Garnier both offer great options depending on your skincare goals, with Kiehl's focusing more on deep hydration and sensitive skin, while Garnier tends to excel in oil control and brightening. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is great for lightweight moisture, whereas Garnier is often praised for effective cleansers and makeup removers.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Garnier?

Kiehl's focuses on deep hydration and sensitive skin with high fit levels for dry, sensitive, and mature skin, while Garnier is better for dark spots and pore cleansing, excelling in oily and acne-prone routines. Reviewers note that Kiehl's products offer lightweight moisture with fewer fragrances, whereas Garnier provides refreshing and effective cleansers.

Kiehl's or Garnier for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Garnier have a High routine fit level for dry skin. Kiehl's stands out for hydration and moisture, while Garnier offers brightening and refreshing cleansers among the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Garnier: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Garnier offer effective cleansers, with Kiehl's generally providing better options for dry, sensitive, and mature skin, while Garnier excels in oil control and pore cleansing for oily and acne-prone skin types on this page.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Garnier?

Garnier is generally more affordable, whereas high price and value issues are often noted as a drawback for the products on this page by Kiehl's reviewers.

Between Kiehl's and Garnier, which brand performs better for dark spots and brightening effects?

Garnier performs better for dark spots and brightening effects among the products on this page, as reviewers highlight its serums and masks for these benefits.

Which brand has more products containing fragrance?

Kiehl's has more products containing fragrance than Garnier among the products on this page, with 2 of 28 Kiehl's products listing fragrance compared to 6 of 12 Garnier products.

Which brand is better for pore cleansing and oil control?

Garnier does better for pore cleansing and oil control among the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Garnier for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Garnier fit oily skin well, as the products on this page offer high routine fit for this skin type. Kiehl's features a high fit with options like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash, while Garnier provides strong oil-controlling masks and cleansers.

Kiehl's or Garnier for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Garnier offer products on this page that fit sensitive skin well. Kiehl's is particularly well-suited for sensitive skin, as it is one of the skin types the brand fits best and most of its products are fragrance-free.

Kiehl's or Garnier for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and Garnier have a High routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page.

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