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La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's

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

La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's are heritage skincare houses under the same parent company, offering distinct paths to healthy skin. La Roche-Posay provides thoughtful serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and eye products featuring glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide that suit dry skin and skin with dark spots best. Conversely, Kiehl's relies on dependable ingredients like glycerin and squalane within nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products to support mature skin and sensitive skin. While both brands harness glycerin for hydration, they differ through specialized formulations designed to address varying personal concerns.

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

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 La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's products

People Say

La Roche-PosayKiehl's
  • Texture Improvement and Skin Softness Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Skin Sensitivity and Irritation Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Brightening and Dark Spots Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “skin looks brighter — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Tint and Makeup Compatibility Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “makeup sits perfectly — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
  • Value and Pricing Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Too expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Tube is tiny for the price — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Texture and Pilling Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Very sticky — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Stinging and Adverse Reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burns my eyes — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
    • “burned my face — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “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”
  • Packaging and Design Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · CA$198.48 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · CA$286.80 · 83% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · CA$328.49 · 85% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which is better?

La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's both offer strong skincare options, but La Roche-Posay achieves a superior routine fit for dry skin and skin with dark spots on the products on this page. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer, contributing to brightening benefits.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's?

La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's are both owned by L'Oréal S.A., but La Roche-Posay was founded in France in 1975, while Kiehl's started in the United States in 1851. For routine fit, La Roche-Posay reaches a Superior level for dry skin and skin with dark spots on this page, whereas Kiehl's reaches a High level for both. Furthermore, the products on this page show that La Roche-Posay includes fragrance in 21 of its 35 items, while Kiehl's includes it in only 2 of its 28 products.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for dry skin?

La Roche-Posay is a better choice for dry skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior compared to High for Kiehl's. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging for dry skin types.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Both La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's offer excellent cleansers, with Lovi fit levels varying by skin type. For instance, the Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser from La Roche-Posay has a High fit for acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash achieves a Superior fit for oily and oily acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's?

La Roche-Posay is more affordable, as Kiehl's is noted for having a high price point. Review themes on the page also indicate that La Roche-Posay does better when it comes to value and pricing.

Between La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's, which brand offers a better routine for skin with dark spots?

La Roche-Posay offers a superior routine for skin with dark spots compared to Kiehl's. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do the fragrance options compare between La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's product lines?

La Roche-Posay offers more products with added fragrance, whereas nearly all of Kiehl's products on this page are fragrance-free. Specifically, 21 of 35 La Roche-Posay products list no fragrance compared to 26 of 28 Kiehl's products.

Which brand performs better for texture improvement and skin softness according to reviewers?

Kiehl's performs better for texture improvement and skin softness according to reviewers. The products on this page help improve skin texture and provide a soft feel.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers mention that both brands provide lightweight and non-greasy moisturizers.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

La Roche-Posay is better for dry skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Kiehl's. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation and soothe the skin.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's achieve a High routine fit for sensitive skin. The products on this page for La Roche-Posay include 21 fragrance-free formulas, while Kiehl's offers 26 fragrance-free options.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

La Roche-Posay offers sunscreens with a higher fit for skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, combination skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, and oily skin, where the products on this page achieve a Superior fit compared to Kiehl's High fit.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

La Roche-Posay provides a better routine fit for acne-prone skin than Kiehl's. On this page, La Roche-Posay reaches a High routine fit for acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's reaches an Average routine fit.

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

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