🇺🇸United States

Kiehl's vs La Prairie

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

Kiehl's and La Prairie are distinguished skincare houses offering targeted moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products designed to nurture the complexion. Kiehl's incorporates nourishing glycerin and squalane to suit mature skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the Swiss brand elevates its luxurious formulas to provide deep comfort and refinement for mature skin and dry skin. While both rely on carefully balanced preparations to support lasting skin health, the American line focuses on dependable everyday efficacy, and its European counterpart offers an elevated sensory experience.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs La Prairie products

People Say

Kiehl'sLa Prairie
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
  • Luxurious Texture and Packaging Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like liquid silk — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “softens skin noticeably — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “fancy design — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “creamy serum — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Plumping Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Lifting and Firming Effects Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “calm the complexion — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “overpriced for what it does — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Slow Results or Ineffectiveness Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “results were subtle — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “just a good moisturizer — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Irritation, Stinging, and Breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused congestion — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “caused breakouts — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

Buy La Prairie routine · $2,006.67 · 93% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy La Prairie routine · $2,182.96 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy La Prairie routine · $2,174.55 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which is better?

La Prairie is a better fit for mature skin, dry skin, and sensitive skin, while Kiehl's is better for avoiding a high price point and fragrance issues. Reviewers mention that La Prairie provides luxurious textures and firming effects, whereas Kiehl's offers lightweight moisturizers and gentle serums.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and La Prairie?

La Prairie offers superior routine fit for mature skin, dry skin, and sensitive skin compared to Kiehl's, and provides better deep hydration and lifting effects. Reviewers frequently note that Kiehl's is better for avoiding exorbitant prices and fragrance issues, as the products on this page mostly feature fragrance-free formulas.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for dry skin?

La Prairie offers a Superior routine fit for dry skin, while Kiehl's provides a High fit for the products on this page. Reviewers note that La Prairie delivers deep hydration and smoothing, whereas Kiehl's features lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

La Prairie offers a superior routine fit for dry skin compared to Kiehl's. La Prairie's Skin Caviar Luxe Cream provides deep hydration and smoothing.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or La Prairie?

Kiehl's is more affordable than La Prairie, although reviewers often mention a high price point for Kiehl's as well. La Prairie's products are known for exorbitant prices.

Which brand has more products without fragrance, Kiehl's or La Prairie?

Kiehl's has significantly more products without fragrance, as 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance, whereas only 1 of La Prairie's 5 products does.

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which is better for mature skin?

La Prairie is a better fit for mature skin, achieving a Lovi fit level of Superior compared to Kiehl's High. Reviewers note that La Prairie excels in lifting and firming effects, whereas Kiehl's products on this page are more frequently associated with high prices and irritation.

Which brand was founded earlier, Kiehl's or La Prairie?

Kiehl's was founded earlier, in 1851 in the United States, whereas La Prairie was founded in 1978 in Switzerland.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie fit oily skin at a High level. Reviewers mention that the products on this page offer lightweight, non-greasy textures for both brands.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

La Prairie has a Superior fit for sensitive skin on Lovi, whereas Kiehl's has a High fit. Kiehl's tends to do better on scent and fragrance issues, as 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance, compared to La Prairie where all 5 products on this page list fragrance.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

La Prairie is the better fit for acne-prone skin, achieving a High routine fit level compared to Kiehl's Average level. Review themes also note that La Prairie performs better in hydration, while Kiehl's is more frequently associated with irritation and breakouts.

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

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