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Kiehl's vs The INKEY List

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

Kiehl's and The INKEY List are well-known skincare brands offering moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more. Kiehl's features key ingredients like glycerin and squalane, while the British brand focuses on glycerin. The American brand suits dry skin and sensitive skin best, and its counterpart fits sensitive skin and acne-prone skin best. Through their nourishing formulations, both differ in their specific targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, skin with 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

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 Kiehl's and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Kiehl's vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Kiehl'sThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid 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”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Gentle on Skin Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Makeup Compatibility Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Melts away makeup and impurities without drying — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “no pilling under makeup — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture 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”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
  • Affordable Price 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”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Efficacy and 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 do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · A$685.63 · 86% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · A$220.70 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · A$457.62 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · A$767.92 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · A$381.72 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · A$693.88 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands offer solid options, but The INKEY List generally achieves higher Lovi fit levels across more skin types and is noted for its affordable price.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and The INKEY List?

Kiehl's offers a high-end range featuring a wider variety of specialized treatments and cleansers with lower overall fragrance counts, while The INKEY List provides a more affordable selection with superior routine fit for oily, sensitive, acne-prone skin, and skin with dark spots.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List achieve a High fit level for dry skin on this page. Kiehl's routine fit is High, and the products on this page help provide deep hydration and nourishment.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List offer cleansers with high or superior Lovi fit levels across multiple skin types on the products on this page, but they cater to different budget preferences. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides better skin barrier and texture results, while The INKEY List offers a more affordable price point.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Kiehl's, as affordability is a noted strength for The INKEY List while high prices are a frequent downside for Kiehl's.

Which brand has better packaging quality, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List has better packaging quality than Kiehl's, as packaging issues are a negative review theme for Kiehl's on the page.

Which brand offers better skin barrier and texture results?

Kiehl's does better on skin barrier and texture according to the review themes on this page, while both brands offer good hydration and moisture.

Do Kiehl's and The INKEY List products contain fragrance?

Kiehl's has fragrance in two of the products on this page, while The INKEY List lists no fragrance in any of its products on this page.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi finds that The INKEY List offers a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High routine fit.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List offer well-reviewed hydrating moisturizers on this page, but The INKEY List provides more affordable options.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer products on this page that are a High fit, but Lovi rates The INKEY List routine as Superior and Kiehl's as High.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi rates Kiehl's routine fit as High and The INKEY List's as Superior.

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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