🇺🇸United States

Kiehl's vs Elemis

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

Kiehl's and Elemis are esteemed skincare houses offering dependable moisturizers, nourishing serums, gentle cleansers, and refining toners. The American brand is celebrated for glycerin and squalane formulations that suit mature skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the British brand is known for glycerin and shea preparations that suit dry skin and mature skin best. While both brands feature standout solutions addressing acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin, they differ in their foundational ingredients and regional origins.

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Elemis is a British skincare brand founded in 1989 and owned by L'Occitane Group since 2019.

elemis.comau.elemis.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Elemis products

People Say

Kiehl'sElemis
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “The cream really hydrates and my face looks amazing. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
    • “Quenches thirsty skin... immediate improvement. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Brightening and radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “healthy glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “instantly fresh glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
  • Lightweight texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Absorbs almost immediately, and my skin feels well hydrated all day. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “weightless serum — Elemis Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “baby soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
  • Relaxing or spa-like scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like a spa — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
    • “smells like a holiday — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “smells like a tropical cocktail — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “calming lavender smell — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Gentle for sensitive skin Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't irritate sensitive eyes — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no stinging or redness — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
  • High price Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Complete waste of money for me. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “very expensive — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
  • Burning, stinging, and irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes 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”
    • “blurry vision — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
    • “Developed milia and closed comedones. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Ineffective or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “didn't see a difference — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “didn't see difference — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”

Kiehl's vs Elemis routines for dry skin

Buy Elemis routine · $557.99 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Elemis routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitBuy Elemis routine · $535.50 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Elemis routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitBuy Elemis routine · $524.50 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Elemis: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis are strong skincare brands, with Kiehl's offering better gentleness for sensitive skin and Elemis providing a more relaxing, spa-like scent. For acne-prone skin, Elemis achieves a High routine fit while Kiehl's reaches an Average fit.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Elemis?

Kiehl's and Elemis both offer high routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin, while Elemis rates higher for acne-prone skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is gentler for sensitive skin, whereas Elemis provides a more relaxing, spa-like scent.

Kiehl's or Elemis for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis have an equal High routine fit level for dry skin. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products and is often noted as gentle for sensitive skin, whereas Elemis focuses heavily on rich, luxurious hydrating formulas.

Kiehl's or Elemis: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis offer high-performing cleansers on this page, but Kiehl's is generally noted as more gentle for sensitive skin. Reviewers highlight that the products on this page help deliver deep hydration and smoother skin texture for both brands.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Elemis?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis share a high price point among the products on this page, making neither brand more affordable than the other.

How do the founding years and corporate ownership of Kiehl's and Elemis compare?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas Elemis was founded in 1989 in the United Kingdom and is owned by the L'Occitane Group since 2019.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products between Kiehl's and Elemis?

Kiehl's has significantly more fragrance-free options, as 26 of the 28 products on this page list no fragrance, whereas only 4 of the 22 Elemis products do.

Which brand performs better for sensitive skin according to reviewer themes?

According to reviewer themes, Kiehl's performs better for sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Elemis for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that the products on this page for both brands provide lightweight moisturizers.

Kiehl's or Elemis: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis offer a range of moisturizers with equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, and dark spot-prone skin. Reviewers note that both brands provide hydrating and lightweight moisturizers. However, Kiehl's is noted as being more gentle for sensitive skin, while Elemis is noted for its spa-like scents and luxurious textures.

Kiehl's or Elemis for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Elemis offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, though review themes indicate that Kiehl's is often considered gentler for sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Elemis for acne-prone skin?

Elemis fits acne-prone skin better than Kiehl's, as Lovi rates Elemis high for this skin type compared to Kiehl's average.

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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