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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 heritage American skincare brands owned by L'Oréal. Kiehl's is known for its nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products featuring dependable ingredients like glycerin and squalane, making it best suited for mature and sensitive skin. SkinCeuticals is loved for its expertly formulated serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and eye products incorporating glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone, which suit dry and oily skin best. While both rely on glycerin to increase hydration and restore barrier function, they differ in their foundational ingredients, secondary benefits, and ideal skin types.

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 · CA$619.72 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for oily skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · CA$625.44 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for combination skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · CA$592.53 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are high quality brands that offer an equal routine fit for most skin types, while Kiehl's is better for gentle and sensitive skin care and SkinCeuticals is better for skin barrier and texture improvement. Topical hyaluronic acid helps provide significant benefits for skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

What is the difference between Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals?

When comparing the products on this page, both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer high routine fits across most skin types, but SkinCeuticals achieves a High routine fit for acne-prone skin while Kiehl's is Average. Kiehl's does better for gentle and sensitive skin care, whereas SkinCeuticals does better for skin barrier and texture improvement.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer a High routine fit for dry skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's features a range with a high price point and lightweight moisturizers, while SkinCeuticals provides hydrating and plumping moisturizers.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer cleansers with high fit levels for various skin types on the products on this page, but Kiehl's tends to do better for gentle and sensitive skin care. Topical emollients in their formulations help maintain the skin barrier.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals share a high price point among the products on this page.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer a High routine fit for oily skin, with both brands featuring targeted cleansers and serums that help control excess oil and maintain skin clarity. SkinCeuticals is noted for texture-improving serums, while Kiehl's is frequently recognized for lightweight moisturizers.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer moisturizers on this page that provide deep hydration and skin barrier support. SkinCeuticals does better with texture-improving moisturizers, while Kiehl's is noted for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's is noted as doing better for gentle and sensitive skin care among the products on this page.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer sunscreens with High fit levels for sun protection and brightening, such as Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum and SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for acne-prone skin?

SkinCeuticals is a better match than Kiehl's for acne-prone skin because Lovi rates SkinCeuticals as High for acne-prone skin, whereas Kiehl's is rated Average.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are a High fit for mature skin for the products on this page. Topical retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for skin with dark spots?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are a High fit for skin with dark spots according to Lovi. Both brands offer products on this page that may help brighten the complexion and fade discoloration.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dry sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer a High routine fit for dry sensitive skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that both brands provide deep hydration and gentle care.

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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