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Neutrogena vs Kiehl's

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

Neutrogena and Kiehl's are enduring American skincare brands that offer reliable moisturizers, sunscreens, cleansers, and toners formulated with nourishing ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and squalane. The former brand suits mature skin and combination skin best through formulas featuring dimethicone to decrease water loss, while the latter brand suits mature skin and sensitive skin best using squalane to counteract oxidative stress. Ultimately, both brands differ through their distinct heritage, corporate ownership, and specialized ingredient profiles designed to support skin health.

Neutrogena is an American skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026.

investor.kimberly-clark.comen.wikipedia.orginvestors.kenvue.com

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

Popular Neutrogena vs Kiehl's products

People Say

NeutrogenaKiehl's
  • Deep and intense hydration Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Skin looked plumper and radiant — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Quenches dry skin instantly — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Acne-safe and gentle formulas Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin soft and balanced — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “love that it has no scent — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “calms my acne prone skin — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky residue — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “absorbs instantly — Neutrogena COLLAGEN BANK Moisturizer”
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue. — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Makeup base and compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Foundation glides right over it — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Concealer doesn't cake or get stuck in crevices — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin texture improvement and anti-aging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Skin is looking smoother — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
  • Radiant glow and brightening Rarely 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”
    • “Gave me a glass-skin glow — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Price and quantity concerns Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Jar is too small for the price — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Runs out quickly — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Tube is tiny for the cost — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging and design issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Kept sliding off my face — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Eye and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “left my face bright red — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “burns my eyes terribly — Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen”
  • Strong fragrance and scent issues Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smell is overpowering — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Smell is too overpowering and lingering — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · CA$95.37 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitBuy Neutrogena routine · CA$269.33 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Neutrogena routine · CA$222.43 · 81% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both brands are great choices depending on your specific skin needs, as the products on this page show high routine fits across most skin types. Neutrogena tends to be better for acne-safe and lightweight formulas, while Kiehl's often performs better for brightening and improving skin texture.

What is the difference between Neutrogena and Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle formulas as well as lightweight textures, whereas Kiehl's is better for skin texture improvement, anti-aging, radiant glow, and brightening. For Lovi fit levels, Neutrogena has a High fit for acne-prone skin and an Average fit for sensitive skin, while Kiehl's has a High fit for sensitive skin and an Average fit for acne-prone skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are good options for dry skin, as the products on this page for both brands offer a High routine fit for this skin type. Reviewers note that both brands provide deep and intense hydration. Neutrogena offers a lower price point and more acne-safe and gentle formulas, while Kiehl's focuses more on skin texture improvement and anti-aging.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle cleansers, while Kiehl's is better for price and value. Reviewers note that Neutrogena cleansers have a high Lovi fit for sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is more affordable, whereas Kiehl's is noted for a high price point. Reviewers mention price and quantity concerns for Neutrogena and high price for Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which brand has fewer fragrance issues?

Neutrogena has fewer fragrance issues on this page. While only a few products from either brand contain added fragrance, reviewers more often note strong fragrance and scent issues for Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's fit oily skin well, with Lovi rating each brand's routine as High. Neutrogena offers more acne-safe and gentle formulas, while Kiehl's stands out for skin texture improvement and brightening.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle moisturizers as well as lightweight textures, whereas Kiehl's is better for skin texture improvement and anti-aging. Both brands offer equally deep and intense hydration across the products on this page.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Kiehl's is better for sensitive skin, where Lovi rates its fit as High, compared to an Average fit for Neutrogena. Reviewers note that Kiehl's offers gentle serums, while also mentioning skin irritation issues for some users.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Neutrogena and Kiehl's both offer sunscreens with strong options for various skin types on this page. Neutrogena features sunscreens like Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen with Superior fit levels for combination and sensitive skin, while Kiehl's provides options like Better Screen UV Serum with High fit levels for sensitive and mature skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Neutrogena is better for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as High compared to an Average fit for Kiehl's. Reviewers also mention that the products on this page by Neutrogena are more acne-safe and gentle.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's fit mature skin at a High level on Lovi. Reviewers say Neutrogena offers deeply hydrating moisturizers, while Kiehl's is known for improving skin texture and brightening dark spots.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Reviewers mention that Neutrogena does better on acne-safe and gentle formulas, while Kiehl's does better on radiant glow and brightening.

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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