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The Ordinary vs Kiehl's

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

The Ordinary and Kiehl's are distinct skincare brands offering serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more. The Canadian brand features hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to suit dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, while the American brand relies on glycerin and squalane to suit mature skin and sensitive skin best. Both brands differ in their founding eras and targeted concerns, yet each utilizes science-backed ingredients to support skin health.

The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Kiehl's products

People Say

The OrdinaryKiehl's
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly 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”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Value and Pricing Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “extremely affordable — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Sometimes NotedOften 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”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Brightening and Dark Spots Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Dark spots have faded noticeably — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “helped lighten post-acne scars — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Sticky or Heavy Finish Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • High Price Point Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin Irritation and Stinging Sometimes NotedRarely 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”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Pilling and Makeup Compatibility Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “rolled off my face — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “pills under my makeup — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

The Ordinary vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · CA$155.67 · 97% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$413.99 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · CA$198.33 · 92% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$370.40 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · CA$187.44 · 93% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · CA$373.49 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which is better?

The Ordinary offers better value and superior routine fit levels across all listed skin types, making it the stronger choice for targeted treatments. Kiehl's focuses on lightweight hydration and specialized care, but the products on this page come with a significantly higher price point.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Kiehl's?

The Ordinary offers a more affordable range focused on texture, pores, and acne control, whereas Kiehl's specializes in lightweight hydration and moisture. The Ordinary products on this page achieve a superior routine fit for dry, combination, sensitive, mature, and dry sensitive skin types.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for dry skin, offering a superior routine compared to Kiehl's high fit. The products on this page help provide deep moisture with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalane.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary generally offers better value and blemish control with cleansers like the Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, while Kiehl's features options like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash with targeted skin type benefits.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Kiehl's?

The Ordinary is more affordable than Kiehl's, as affordability and great value are among its frequently mentioned benefits, whereas a high price point is a common complaint for Kiehl's on this page.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which brand is better for managing texture and pores?

The Ordinary does better for managing texture and pores among the products on this page. Reviewers note that the brand helps with texture-smoothing and acne-clearing serums.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which brand is better for hydration and moisture?

Kiehl's does better for hydration and moisture, offering lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and deep hydration across the products on this page. Hyaluronic acid helps bind moisture within the skin, providing effective hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which brand performs better for brightening and dark spots, The Ordinary or Kiehl's?

Both The Ordinary and Kiehl's perform equally well for brightening and dark spots according to the review themes on this page. For targeting dark spots, niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, The Ordinary fits better with a Superior routine level compared to Kiehl's High level. The products on this page help provide gentle care, and niacinamide helps soothe the skin while reducing pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and Kiehl's offer effective moisturizers, with The Ordinary rated as superior for dry skin and dry sensitive skin on this page, while Kiehl's is frequently praised for deep hydration. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average fit. The products on this page help with acne-clearing serums and blemish control.

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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