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COSRX vs Kiehl's

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

COSRX and Kiehl's are two prominent skincare brands founded respectively in 2013 and 1851. The Korean brand is beloved for serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and masks featuring hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide to suit oily and acne-prone skin. Meanwhile, the American brand is loved for nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, and gentle eye products relying on glycerin and squalane to suit mature and sensitive skin. While both share a foundation in hydration, they differ as the former balances excess oil and soothes irritation through active components, whereas the latter utilizes gentle formulations and barrier-supporting properties.

COSRX is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Amorepacific Group since 2024.

koreajoongangdaily.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.com

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular COSRX vs Kiehl's products

People Say

COSRXKiehl's
  • Glow and skin texture improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “woke up with soft, supple skin — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly like water — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Gentle and non-stripping formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “No stinging or irritation — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “doesn't strip my skin — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “no stinging — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “skin drinks it up — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
  • Effective acne and pore control Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “helped to improve my acne after only 2 weeks — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “cleared up my spots — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “Melted blackheads right off — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High price and poor value Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive for me — COSRX The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Allergic reactions and skin irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “stings really bad if it accidentally gets in the eyes — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “burns eyes when sweating — COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen”
    • “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”
  • Dryness or insufficient moisture Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “left my face tight — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
  • No visible or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Takes a month to work — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “didn't do anything — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”

COSRX vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy COSRX routine · CA$218.38 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

COSRX vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy COSRX routine · CA$288.29 · 92% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

COSRX vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy COSRX routine · CA$271.24 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

COSRX or Kiehl's: which is better?

COSRX is better for dry skin because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, compared to High for Kiehl's. The products on this page help provide deep hydration and effective acne control with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Drug Delivery, 2017

What is the difference between COSRX and Kiehl's?

COSRX is generally better for gentle formulations and acne control, whereas Kiehl's excels in providing deep hydration and moisturization. Lovi rates COSRX as a Superior fit for dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, sensitive skin, dry sensitive skin, and oily acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's is rated as a High fit for these skin types.

COSRX or Kiehl's for dry skin?

For dry skin, COSRX offers superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's. The products on this page help provide deep hydration and improve skin texture while remaining gentle and non-stripping.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

COSRX is generally better for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page show that COSRX has superior fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin compared to Kiehl's. Reviewers also note that COSRX provides a more gentle and non-stripping formula along with effective acne and pore control.

Which is more affordable, COSRX or Kiehl's?

COSRX is more affordable, whereas Kiehl's features a high price point among its review themes.

Between COSRX and Kiehl's, which brand offers a better routine fit for dry sensitive skin?

Between COSRX and Kiehl's, COSRX offers a Superior routine fit for dry sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's offers a High routine fit.

How do the fragrance-free product percentages compare between COSRX and Kiehl's?

COSRX offers a higher percentage of fragrance-free options, with 37 out of 38 products on this page listing no fragrance compared to Kiehl's 26 out of 28.

Which brand performs better for effective acne and pore control according to review themes?

COSRX performs better for effective acne and pore control according to review themes. Lovi rates COSRX as having a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin.

COSRX or Kiehl's for oily skin?

For oily skin, both COSRX and Kiehl's fit well, but Lovi rates COSRX as having a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High fit. COSRX offers products like the Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap that help control oil while maintaining hydration.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer moisturizers for different skin types, but Lovi rates COSRX as having a superior fit for dry skin compared to Kiehl's high fit. Additionally, the products on this page for COSRX feature key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which helps with skin quality and aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

COSRX or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

COSRX is the better choice for sensitive skin, offering Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High fit level. The products on this page help provide gentle and non-stripping care.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

COSRX offers superior fit levels for acne-prone skin on the products on this page compared to Kiehl's. Kiehl's sunscreen provides a high fit level for skin with dark spots, combination skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and mature skin.

COSRX or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, COSRX is the better choice because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, whereas Kiehl's is rated as Average. Reviewers note that the products on this page help with effective acne control and clearing.

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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