🇨🇦Canada

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List

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

Estée Lauder and The INKEY List are well-regarded skincare brands that offer diverse moisturizers, serums, eye products, and cleansers built around hydrating elements like glycerin and hyaluronic acid. While the American label suits mature and sensitive skin best with its nourishing compositions, the British brand caters ideally to combination and sensitive skin. Both houses provide targeted options for concerns such as acne, dark spots, and aging, differing mainly in their founding heritage and specific formulation approaches.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Estée LauderThe INKEY List
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Lightweight feel and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Radiant glow and smooth texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “silky smooth — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Affordable price and great value 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”
  • Gentle and non-drying cleansing Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Lathers well — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Makeup compatibility and base Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't pill — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “layers flawlessly under foundation — Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer”
    • “Brilliant makeup base — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “applies wonderfully under sunscreen and makeup — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
  • High price point and expensive Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Bulky and poor packaging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Impossible to get out — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Causes breakouts and skin irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Stings my eyes badly — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$118.83 · 82% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · CA$386.99 · 76% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$258.98 · 86% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · CA$510.40 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$206.30 · 90% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · CA$424.49 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands are great choices depending on your budget and skin goals, as Estée Lauder excels in deep hydration and radiant glow while The INKEY List offers a lightweight feel at an affordable price.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and The INKEY List?

The INKEY List offers more affordable pricing and lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizers, while Estée Lauder provides deeper hydration and a more radiant glow. Both brands perform equally well across most skin types, though Estée Lauder is best for mature and sensitive skin, and The INKEY List is best for combination and sensitive skin.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List achieve a High Lovi fit level for dry skin on their respective pages. Estée Lauder offers deep hydration with a routine featuring Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée, Micro Essence Treatment Lotion, Revitalizing Supreme+, and DayWear Moisturizer.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

For cleansers on this page, both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List perform well, with reviewers noting that the products on this page provide gentle and non-drying cleansing for the skin.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List offers better affordability and great value, whereas reviewers note that Estée Lauder has a high price point and is expensive.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which offers better lightweight feel and texture?

The INKEY List offers a better lightweight feel and texture compared to Estée Lauder.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which has fewer complaints about bulky and poor packaging?

The INKEY List does better than Estée Lauder regarding bulky and poor packaging, as Estée Lauder receives more complaints about its bulky and poor packaging on the products on this page.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which brand fits combination skin better?

The INKEY List fits combination skin better, as Lovi rates its routine for combination skin as Superior compared to Estée Lauder's High fit level.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List fit oily skin with a High routine fit level. The products on this page for Estée Lauder help provide deep hydration, while The INKEY List focuses on lightweight and fast-absorbing moisturizers.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List offer effective moisturizers, with Estée Lauder focusing on deep hydration and radiant glow, while The INKEY List is known for lightweight, fast-absorbing formulas at an affordable price. The products on this page for both brands feature key ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid to support skin hydration.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, The INKEY List has a Superior routine fit, while Estée Lauder has a High routine fit. The INKEY List offers fragrance-free options across the products on this page, whereas Estée Lauder features fragrance in two products.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List achieve 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