🇺🇸United States

Kiehl's vs RoC

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

Kiehl's and RoC are established skincare houses recognized for thoughtful formulation and lasting appeal. Kiehl's is beloved for dependable moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more that incorporate nourishing glycerin and squalane, while RoC is fondly loved for expertly formulated serums, eye products, moisturizers, cleansers, and more, all enriched with proven ingredients like glycerin and retinol. Both brands suit mature skin best, though the American line also targets dark spots and the French brand addresses dry skin. They differ primarily in their heritage and key actives, with the former relying on squalane and the latter featuring retinol.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

RoC is a French skincare brand founded in 1957 and owned by Bridgepoint Group plc since 2024.

en.wikipedia.orgprnewswire.combeautymatter.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs RoC products

People Say

Kiehl'sRoC
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “face looked smoother — RoC Daily Resurfacing Disks”
    • “absorbs nicely — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “skin is no longer dry — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream”
    • “instant luminosity — RoC Multi Correxion Revive + Glow Daily Serum”
  • Fine Lines and Wrinkle Reduction Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “wrinkles look less deep — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
    • “Fine lines definitely softer — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “diminished my forehead lines — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
    • “plumped my smile lines — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Skin Barrier and Tone Improvement Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “skin feels silky smooth — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”
  • Skin Sensitivity and Gentleness Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't leave my skin feeling tight — RoC BARRIER RENEW® GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER”
    • “No irritation for me — RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Makeup Compatibility Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “removing all dirts and even waterproof make up — RoC BARRIER RENEW® GEL-TO-FOAM CLEANSER”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “small bottle — RoC Multi Correxion Revive + Glow Daily Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Ineffectiveness and 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”
    • “results were subtle — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “took 4 weeks to see change — RoC Derm Correxion Fill + Treat Serum”
  • Stinging and Irritation Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “burned my cheeks — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “caused redness and stinging — RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream”

Kiehl's vs RoC routines for dry skin

Buy RoC routine · $153.61 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs RoC routines for oily skin

Buy RoC routine · $329.90 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs RoC routines for combination skin

Buy RoC routine · $321.49 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or RoC: which is better?

RoC outperforms Kiehl's for fine lines and wrinkle reduction, while Kiehl's is better for makeup compatibility and skin barrier and tone improvement. Lovi rates the routine fit for mature skin as High for Kiehl's and Superior for RoC.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

What is the difference between Kiehl's and RoC?

RoC outperforms Kiehl's for fine lines and wrinkle reduction, while Kiehl's does better for skin barrier and tone improvement and makeup compatibility. RoC offers better price and value, whereas Kiehl's suffers more from ineffectiveness, slow results, stinging, and irritation.

Kiehl's or RoC for dry skin?

RoC is better for dry skin because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, while Kiehl's routine fit is High. RoC also offers better value and wrinkle reduction across the products on this page.

Kiehl's or RoC: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers, Kiehl's and RoC both offer strong options on this page, but they cater to different needs with ingredients like Calendula and gentle barrier-repair lipids. RoC is often noted for better value and less irritation, whereas Kiehl's features specialized cleansers like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or RoC?

RoC is more affordable than Kiehl's, as high price points are often noted for Kiehl's while good value is sometimes noted for RoC.

Which brand performs better for fine lines and wrinkle reduction?

RoC performs better for fine lines and wrinkle reduction among the products on this page. Topical retinol, a key ingredient in RoC products, stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Do Kiehl's or RoC products contain fragrance?

Both brands offer products with and without fragrance, as the products on this page for Kiehl's include two with fragrance and twenty-six without, while RoC features two fragranced items alongside ten fragrance-free options.

Kiehl's or RoC for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and RoC offer products for oily skin, but RoC achieves a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High level. RoC provides better price and value, while the products on this page from Kiehl's feature lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

Kiehl's or RoC: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer well-liked moisturizers, but RoC tends to do better with fine lines and wrinkle reduction while Kiehl's is noted for skin barrier and tone improvement. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry skin as High for Kiehl's and Superior for RoC.

Kiehl's or RoC for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and RoC are well suited for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates both brands as High for this skin type.

Kiehl's or RoC: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreens on the page, Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit level for skin with dark spots, combination skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and mature skin. RoC BARRIER RENEW AM MOISTURIZER SPF 30 has a High fit level for dry sensitive skin, dry skin, mature skin, sensitive skin, skin with dark spots, combination skin, oily skin, and acne-prone skin.

Kiehl's or RoC for acne-prone skin?

RoC is a better choice for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior compared to an Average fit for Kiehl's. RoC features key ingredients like retinol, which helps reduce fine lines and improve skin texture.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or RoC for mature skin?

For mature skin, both brands offer products on this page, and Lovi finds that Kiehl's has High routine fit while RoC has Superior routine fit.

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