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Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals

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

Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are both American skincare brands owned by L'Oréal. Kiehl's is beloved for its moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products featuring glycerin and squalane, suiting dry and sensitive skin best, while SkinCeuticals is loved for its targeted serums, nourishing moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and soothing eye products formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone, which suit dry and dry sensitive skin best. The brands differ primarily in their specific standout offerings and targeted formulations for concerns like acne, dark spots, and mature skin.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

SkinCeuticals is an American skincare brand founded in 1994 and owned by L'Oréal since 2005.

loreal.comskinceuticals-za.compitchbook.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals products

People Say

Kiehl'sSkinCeuticals
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “silky and non-greasy — SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye”
    • “absorbs quickly — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “Hydrated my skin beautifully. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “Pure hydration in a bottle — SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “definitely gave me a glass skin texture — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “pores appeared less noticeable — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “My skin is softer to the touch. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “Perfect starting strength — SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3”
  • Brightening and Dark Spot Fading Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “I really love this product, as my skin is brighter. — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
    • “Really fades brown spots, perfect for men and a little goes a long way! — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
  • Pore Cleansing and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “gets rid of blackheads — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
    • “reduces oil — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Too pricey for the hype — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
  • Lack of 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”
    • “haven't noticed much change on the deeper lines — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “did nothing — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
  • Greasiness and Heavy Residue Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “feels tacky — SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier”
    • “sticky residue — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “skin went through a slight purge — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “made me break out — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “caused cystic acne — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for dry skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · A$487.49 · 94% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · A$685.63 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for oily skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · A$720.56 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · A$767.92 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for combination skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · A$604.42 · 89% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · A$693.88 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which is better?

Both brands perform well, but SkinCeuticals has a Superior routine fit for dry, sensitive, dry sensitive, oily, and acne-prone skin, whereas Kiehl's is noted for being gentler on sensitive skin. SkinCeuticals also features texture-improving serums and lipid-restoring moisturizers.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are US skincare brands owned by L'Oréal, but SkinCeuticals achieves superior routine fit levels for dry, sensitive, acne-prone, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin types on the products on this page.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dry skin?

SkinCeuticals is a Superior fit for dry skin, whereas Kiehl's is a High fit. Emollients like those found in the products on this page help improve skin barrier function and hydration.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer strong options, but Kiehl's is often preferred for gentle and sensitive skin care. Lovi rates several Kiehl's cleansers as Superior for oily and acne-prone skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

Both brands are frequently noted by reviewers for having a high price point, so neither stands out as more affordable on the products on this page.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which brand is better for sensitive skin care?

Kiehl's does better for sensitive skin care, as Lovi rates Kiehl's fit for sensitive skin as High and SkinCeuticals as Superior.

Which brand has a higher number of products containing fragrance?

SkinCeuticals has a higher number of products containing fragrance on the products on this page, with three items listing fragrance compared to two for Kiehl's.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which is better for dark spot fading and brightening?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are equal for brightening and fading dark spots, as the products on this page show similar high fit levels. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are good options, as Lovi rates both brands with a High routine fit for this skin type. SkinCeuticals also offers a Superior routine fit for oily skin.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer excellent moisturizers, with Kiehl's providing a High routine fit for dry skin and SkinCeuticals offering a Superior one.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for sensitive skin?

Both brands offer solid options for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's is noted as doing better for gentle and sensitive skin care overall. Lovi rates Kiehl's routine fit for sensitive skin as High and SkinCeuticals as Superior.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreen, Kiehl's is a solid choice because the products on this page achieve a High fit for skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, and acne-prone skin. SkinCeuticals also offers effective options, with Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 reaching a Superior fit for skin with dark spots.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, SkinCeuticals is Superior while Kiehl's has a High routine fit. Reviewers note that both brands help improve skin texture and clear pores, but SkinCeuticals may cause fewer breakouts since reviewers report acne and skin irritation more often for Kiehl's.

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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