🇨🇦Canada

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 respected skincare brands that offer nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, gentle eye products, and more. The American brand relies on dependable ingredients like glycerin and squalane to suit mature skin and sensitive skin best, while the British brand builds its lineup around glycerin to fit combination skin and sensitive skin best. Both brands differ in their founding history, ownership, and specific formulations, though their shared use of glycerin significantly increases hydration and restores epidermal barrier function.

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 The INKEY List routine · CA$118.83 · 82% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$258.98 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$206.30 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

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

Both brands are great choices, but they fit different needs and budgets on this page. The INKEY List offers a more affordable price point and achieves a Superior fit for sensitive and combination skin, while Kiehl's stands out for skin barrier and texture results.

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

Kiehl's offers a higher price point with specialized ranges for skin barrier and texture, whereas The INKEY List provides more affordable options. Both brands deliver equal levels of hydration and lightweight texture across the products on this page.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List fit dry skin well, offering an equal routine fit level of High on the products on this page. Reviewers note that both brands provide hydrating moisturizers, while The INKEY List also offers more affordable prices.

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

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser and Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash both provide a High fit for acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's cleanser offers a Superior fit for oily skin and oily acne-prone skin. The products on this page show that Kiehl's cleanser features calendula extract.

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

The INKEY List is more affordable than Kiehl's, as affordability is a noted advantage for the products on this page. Reviewers frequently mention that The INKEY List offers affordable moisturizers and serums, whereas a high price point is commonly cited as a drawback for Kiehl's.

Which brand has better makeup compatibility, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List perform equally well regarding makeup compatibility, as both brands are noted for offering good products under makeup.

Which brand offers better skin barrier and texture results, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

Kiehl's does better than The INKEY List for skin barrier and texture results according to the review themes on this page.

How do the packaging issues and fragrance options compare between Kiehl's and The INKEY List?

The INKEY List has more frequent packaging issues, whereas Kiehl's is noted for them less often. For fragrance options, the products on this page for The INKEY List list no fragrance in their ingredients, while two of Kiehl's products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List fit oily skin well, with Lovi rating both routines as High. The INKEY List stands out for having every product on its page free of added fragrance, whereas two Kiehl's moisturizers list fragrance.

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

Both brands offer well-regarded moisturizers, but The INKEY List is frequently noted by reviewers for providing affordable options alongside lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas. Kiehl's also delivers popular lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and deep hydration, though its products often come with a higher price point.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both brands are a strong fit for sensitive skin, with Lovi rating Kiehl's as High and The INKEY List as Superior. Reviewers note that products from both lines are gentle on skin, while The INKEY List stands out for its more affordable price point.

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

The INKEY List is a better choice for acne-prone skin because the products on this page achieve a High routine fit, compared to Kiehl's Average fit. Sodium hyaluronate helps support skin recovery, and niacinamide may help regulate oil production.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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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