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La Roche-Posay vs The INKEY List

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

La Roche-Posay and The INKEY List are distinct skincare brands that offer a thoughtful range of serums, moisturizers, cleansers, eye products, and toners. The French brand incorporates glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide to suit dry skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the British brand is built around glycerin and fits combination skin and sensitive skin best. While both feature hydrating glycerin, they differ in their heritage and targeted ingredients, with the first brand providing thermal water and niacinamide for specialized soothing and brightening benefits.

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

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

Popular La Roche-Posay vs The INKEY List products

People Say

La Roche-PosayThe INKEY List
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Fragrance-Free and Gentle Formulas Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “zero scent — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “doesn't clog pores — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Good Texture and Smooth Finish Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “absorbs instantly — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Skin Soothing and Redness Reduction Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Healed my surgery scar beautifully — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “Calmed my skin after a chemical peel — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
  • Affordability and 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”
  • Skin Texture Improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin feels smoother — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Skin feels softer — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “skin feels velvety — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Packaging and Pump Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Pump stopped working halfway — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Strong Fragrance or Unpleasant Scent Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “scent is awful — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “overwhelming floral smell — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Heavy, Greasy, or Sticky Feel Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves a tacky residue — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “feels very heavy — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “sticks to my pajamas — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Ineffective or Lack of Results Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “didn't see any significant improvement — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “Weaker retinol product — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Did nothing for my redness — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “didn't do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”

La Roche-Posay vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · CA$198.48 · 91% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · CA$118.83 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

La Roche-Posay vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$258.98 · 86% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · CA$286.80 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

La Roche-Posay vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · CA$206.30 · 90% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · CA$328.49 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List: which is better?

La Roche-Posay is better for dry skin and dark spots where Lovi fit is Superior, while The INKEY List is better for combination and sensitive skin where Lovi fit is Superior. Both brands are equal for hydration and moisture, skin soothing and redness reduction, and packaging and pump issues.

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and The INKEY List?

La Roche-Posay is a French brand owned by L'Oreal S.A. that fits best on dry skin, skin with dark spots, and mature skin, while The INKEY List is a British brand owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited that fits best on combination skin, sensitive skin, and oily skin. The products on this page for La Roche-Posay include some items with fragrance, whereas every product on The INKEY List page lists no fragrance. Reviewers say that The INKEY List does better for affordability, value, and good texture, while La Roche-Posay does better for skin texture improvement.

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List for dry skin?

La Roche-Posay is a better fit for dry skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to The INKEY List's High fit on the products on this page. Topical use of dexpanthenol helps improve skin barrier function, and hyaluronic acid helps maintain moisture levels.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

La Roche-Posay and The INKEY List both offer effective cleansers, with La Roche-Posay showing High or Superior fit levels across several key skin types and offering better fragrance-free and gentle formulas overall. The INKEY List products on this page list no fragrance, and the brand is noted for greater affordability and value.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable, as affordability and value is an area where it does better than La Roche-Posay. Reviewers on the products on this page often mention affordability for The INKEY List, whereas La Roche-Posay faces price, value, and size concerns.

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List: which has better options for skin texture improvement?

La Roche-Posay does better for skin texture improvement among the products on this page. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay excels in skin texture improvement.

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List: which brand offers more fragrance-free products?

The INKEY List offers more fragrance-free products on this page, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, La Roche-Posay includes fragrance in 14 of its 35 products.

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List: which is better for treating skin with dark spots?

La Roche-Posay is better for skin with dark spots, as its routine fit is Superior compared to The INKEY List's High fit level. Furthermore, niacinamide in La Roche-Posay products helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and The INKEY List fit oily skin well, with high routine fit levels for the products on this page. Reviewers note that The INKEY List offers affordable serums and lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizers, while La Roche-Posay provides a wide range of targeted options.

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

La Roche-Posay is better for dry skin moisturization, as the products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit compared to The INKEY List's High fit level. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of skin aging.

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

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both brands offer solid options for sensitive skin, but The INKEY List is rated as a Superior fit for this skin type overall compared to La Roche-Posay's High fit level, and every product on The INKEY List page lists no fragrance.

La Roche-Posay or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and The INKEY List fit acne-prone skin well at a High level. La Roche-Posay also stands out on this page for offering fragrance-free and gentle formulas, while every product from The INKEY List lists no fragrance.

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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