🇨🇦Canada

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's

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

Some By Mi and Kiehl's are distinct skincare brands with dedicated followings, where the former is a Korean line known for serums, cleansers, toners, and moisturizers featuring niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid, while the latter is an American label loved for nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products relying on glycerin and squalane. The Korean brand fits dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, whereas the American brand suits mature skin and sensitive skin best because of gentle formulations and barrier-supporting properties. Both brands differ in their founding origins, parent companies, and primary formulations, yet they each offer targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin.

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.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 Some By Mi and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Some By Mi vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Some By MiKiehl's
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “savior for dry patches — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
  • Brightening and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Fades dark spots — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “skin looks visibly brighter — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Surprisingly gentle — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “doesn't strip dry my skin — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Reduces pimples — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “cleared my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam”
    • “flattened my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”
  • Price and Value Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “Too expensive for 50ml — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Scents and Fragrance Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Sticky or Greasy Residue Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves face really greasy — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
    • “leaves sticky film — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · CA$333.73 · 96% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · CA$315.33 · 89% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · CA$300.34 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which is better?

Some By Mi is better for acne-prone skin, combination skin, mature skin, and dark spots, while both brands offer equal levels of gentleness and brightening. Some By Mi utilizes key ingredients like niacinamide to help suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between Some By Mi and Kiehl's?

Some By Mi generally outperforms Kiehl's for acne and blemish control and skin smoothing textures, while Kiehl's does better for lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas and deep hydration. For routine fit, Some By Mi achieves a superior level for dry, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spot, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin types, compared to a high fit for Kiehl's across those same categories.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for dry skin, as the products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit compared to the High fit of Kiehl's. Niacinamide helps improve skin quality and hydration.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Some By Mi is better for acne-prone skin and pore care, while Kiehl's is better for general deep cleansing and balancing oily skin. The products on this page help deliver deep pore cleansing and effective acne-clearing treatments.

Which is more affordable, Some By Mi or Kiehl's?

Some By Mi is more affordable than Kiehl's, as price and value is an area where Some By Mi performs better.

Between Some By Mi and Kiehl's, which brand performs better for mature skin?

Some By Mi performs better for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High fit level on this page. Reviewers often mention Some By Mi for effective skin smoothing textures, while its products help target aging with key ingredients like niacinamide.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do the fragrance options and ingredients differ between Some By Mi and Kiehl's products?

Some By Mi products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients and rely on key ingredients like niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid. In contrast, most Kiehl's products also list no fragrance while two do, and their key ingredients include glycerin, vitamin c, squalane, shea butter, and vitamin e.

Which brand offers better results for skin with dark spots: Some By Mi or Kiehl's?

Some By Mi offers better results for skin with dark spots, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High fit level. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer, making it a key ingredient across the products on this page.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for oily skin?

For oily skin, Some By Mi achieves a High fit level and Kiehl's achieves a High fit level, meaning both brands fit this skin type equally well on the products on this page.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Some By Mi is better suited for dry and sensitive skin types with a superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's high fit, and the products on this page help deliver deep moisture.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Some By Mi is the better choice for sensitive skin, as the products on this page achieve a Superior Lovi fit level compared to Kiehl's High fit level. The brand features gentle and lightweight serums and contains key ingredients like Niacinamide, which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

When comparing sunscreens on the products on this page, both Some By Mi and Kiehl's are good options that may suit various needs. The V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen from Some By Mi has a high fit for dry skin, while Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a high fit for combination skin.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Some By Mi fits acne-prone skin better, offering a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average fit on the products on this page.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play