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Clinique vs Lancôme

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

Clinique and Lancôme are two celebrated skincare brands that offer thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, eye products, and more, formulated with nourishing glycerin and hydrating hyaluronic acid. The American brand incorporates invigorating caffeine into its range, making it best suited for dry sensitive skin and oily skin, while the French counterpart includes adenosine to care for sensitive skin and mature skin. Both brands differ in their standout solutions and targeted active ingredients, yet they each provide reliable, balancing care.

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

Lancôme is a French skincare brand founded in 1935 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1964.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

This page compares some of the most popular Clinique and Lancôme products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Clinique vs Lancôme products

People Say

CliniqueLancôme
  • Hydration, plumping, and smoothing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives my skin an instant dewy glow — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “keeps the skin soft and hydrated — Lancôme HYDRA ZEN”
    • “The product provides deep hydration and visible rejuvenation. — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Night Cream”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “absorbs almost instantly — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “absorbs instantly — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Sensitive skin care, soothing, and gentle formula Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No strong scent — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “instantly soothed my skin — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
  • Makeup base and compatibility Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “concealer applies smoothly — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
    • “layers beautifully under makeup — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
  • Exfoliation and skin texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gentle enough for everyday — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
    • “You will see the dirt with one wipe — Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2”
    • “squeaky clean — Clinique all about clean”
    • “Skin feels cushiony soft — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Makeup and sunscreen removal Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara instantly — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
    • “removes all traces of makeup — Lancôme Crème Radiance”
    • “a little goes a long way — Lancôme Crème Radiance”
    • “Melts waterproof mascara — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
  • High price point and value Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “Expensive for cleanser — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “super expensive — Lancôme Absolue Precious Oil”
  • Insufficient hydration and dryness Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “left my face tight — Lancôme Crème Radiance”
    • “ultimately this moisturizer is a huge let down and dries out my skin — Lancôme HYDRA ZEN”
    • “Ultimately this moisturizer is a huge let down and dries out my skin. — Lancôme Hydra Zen Gel Cream”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Unpleasant, strong, or overpowering scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like old oil — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “Has a weird plastic-like smell — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “smells like plastic — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
    • “My only issue with it is the fragrance. — Lancôme Hydra Zen Gel Cream”
  • Skin breakouts and acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “Caused tiny white bumps — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “Caused swelling and breakouts. — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Night Cream”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”

Clinique vs Lancôme routines for dry skin

Buy Clinique routine · $370.23 · 74% fitBuy Lancôme routine · $370.99 · 63% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Clinique vs Lancôme routines for oily skin

Buy Clinique routine · $440.07 · 78% fitBuy Lancôme routine · $659.39 · 67% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Clinique vs Lancôme routines for combination skin

Buy Clinique routine · $440.07 · 74% fitBuy Lancôme routine · $493.87 · 66% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Clinique or Lancôme: which is better?

Clinique is better for sensitive, acne-prone, and oily skin, while Lancome is better for deep hydration and smoothing textures. Clinique features fragrance-free formulas across all the products on this page, whereas many Lancome items contain added fragrance.

What is the difference between Clinique and Lancôme?

Clinique is better suited for sensitive skin with its fragrance-free formulas, whereas Lancôme focuses on deep hydration and offers lightweight textures. Both brands contain hyaluronic acid and glycerin across their products to help maintain moisture.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Clinique or Lancôme for dry skin?

Both Clinique and Lancôme provide an average fit for dry skin on the products on this page. Clinique may offer fragrance-free hydration for sensitive or dry skin, while Lancôme helps deliver deep hydration with ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Clinique or Lancôme: which cleanser is better?

Clinique is better for cleansers, as Lovi rates its Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser at a High fit level for sensitive skin and dry skin while Lancome features the Crème Radiance cleanser which carries a Warning fit level across most skin types on this page.

Which is more affordable, Clinique or Lancôme?

Clinique is more affordable than Lancôme, although shoppers on the products on this page often mention a high price point for both brands.

Clinique or Lancôme: which brand offers fragrance-free products?

Clinique is the better choice for fragrance-free options, as every product on the Clinique page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, most products on the Lancôme page contain added fragrance.

Clinique or Lancôme: which brand is better for mature skin?

Clinique is better for mature skin, achieving a High Lovi fit level compared to Lancôme's Average fit. The products on this page for Clinique also feature hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which helps improve the look of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Clinique or Lancôme: which brand provides better makeup and sunscreen removal?

Lancôme does better for makeup and sunscreen removal. Lovi fit levels show that the products on this page help provide deep hydration and effective cleansing.

Clinique or Lancôme for oily skin?

Clinique is a better fit for oily skin, as Lovi rates the brand's routine fit for oily skin as High compared to Lancôme's Average. Furthermore, the products on this page for Clinique include oil-controlling options like Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel and for Men Oil-Free Moisturizer, and reviewers often mention its oil-controlling and smoothing moisturizers.

Clinique or Lancôme: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, Clinique is generally better for oily, sensitive, and acne-prone skin, whereas Lancôme offers deeper hydration and plumping for drier skin types. Both brands feature lightweight, fast-absorbing options, but Clinique has the advantage of offering fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page.

Clinique or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Clinique is a better fit for sensitive skin, earning a High Lovi fit level compared to Lancôme's Average rating. The products on this page for Clinique also list no fragrance in their ingredients, which helps avoid irritation.

Clinique or Lancôme for acne-prone skin?

Clinique is a better fit for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Lancôme's Average level. The products on this page for Clinique also feature salicylic acid, which helps improve skin texture.

Journal of Dermatological Science, 2017

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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