🇨🇦Canada

Kiehl's vs Clinique

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

Kiehl's and Clinique are two American skincare brands offering nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, and gentle eye products. Kiehl's is known for soothing toners relying on glycerin and squalane, suiting mature skin and sensitive skin best, while the second brand incorporates hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and caffeine to suit dry sensitive skin and oily skin. Both differ in their specific formulations, as the first brand's offerings provide barrier-supporting properties and the latter brand's products provide comforting, balancing benefits.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clinique products

People Say

Kiehl'sClinique
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “sinks in instantly — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Gentle for Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “doesn't dry out — Clinique all about clean”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Often 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”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • 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 feels silky smooth — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Base Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
  • Radiance and Glow Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gives a very nice radiance — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “Expensive for cleanser — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • 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”
    • “didn't help dark circles — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “don't expect miracles overnight — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitBuy Clinique routine · CA$469.99 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitBuy Clinique routine · CA$386.05 · 78% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitBuy Clinique routine · CA$322.06 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clinique: which is better?

Kiehl's and Clinique are both effective skincare brands, with Kiehl's offering a High routine fit for dry skin compared to Clinique's Average fit. Reviewers note that Clinique does better for sensitive skin, while Kiehl's does better for deep hydration and radiance.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clinique?

Both brands offer lightweight moisturizers and cleansers, but Kiehl's is better for deep hydration and radiance, while Clinique is better for sensitive skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides higher routine fit for dry skin and skin with dark spots, whereas Clinique avoids fragrance across all products on this page.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dry skin?

Kiehl's is a better fit for dry skin than Clinique, featuring a High routine fit compared to Clinique's Average fit. Kiehl's offers products like the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, which provides superior dry skin hydration supported by key ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Clinique: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique offer effective cleansers, but Kiehl's cleansing products on this page show higher Lovi fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin types. For example, the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash achieves a Superior fit for oily skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique does better than Kiehl's on high price and cost, as high price point is noted as a negative review theme for both brands. Clinique also has lower overall product pricing across the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which brand has better fragrance-free options?

Clinique has better fragrance-free options because every product on the Clinique page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas two Kiehl's products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which is better for treating dark spots?

Kiehl's is better for treating dark spots, as the products on this page achieve a High fit level for skin with dark spots compared to Clinique's Average fit level.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which brand offers better deep hydration?

Kiehl's offers better deep hydration, as the products on this page achieve higher routine fits for dry skin and win the comparison for deep hydration and moisture. The brand features key hydrating ingredients like squalene and glycerin that help support dry skin.

Molecules, 2009

Kiehl's or Clinique for oily skin?

Both brands offer High routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers mention that the products on this page from both lines help deliver oil-controlling and smoothing or lightweight benefits.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, Kiehl's offers a higher routine fit for dry skin and skin with dark spots than Clinique, and the products on this page provide deep hydration. Clinique provides better gentleness for sensitive skin, while every product on this page for Clinique lists no fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are good options for sensitive skin, as the products on this page achieve High routine fit ratings for this skin type. Reviewers note that Clinique does slightly better for sensitive skin, and every product on Clinique's page lists no fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clinique for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are a good match for acne-prone skin, as their routines on this page reach an average fit level. Reviewers for both brands note that the products on this page help provide effective care while sometimes causing breakouts.

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