🇺🇸United States

Kiehl's vs Shiseido

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

Kiehl's and Shiseido are heritage skincare institutions founded in the nineteenth century, with the American label and the Japanese house each offering dependable arrays of moisturizers, serums, and cleansers enriched with nourishing glycerin and squalane. While the American brand's offerings best suit mature skin and skin with dark spots through standout solutions like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash, and Ultra Facial Toner, the Japanese brand is ideally suited for sensitive and mature skin via thoughtful choices such as the Treatment Softener, Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream, and Essential Energy Hydrating Cream. Both labels utilize glycerin to significantly increase hydration and restore epidermal barrier function, yet differ as Kiehl's also incorporates squalane to counteract oxidative stress and stimulate fibroblast migration for distinct concerns.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Shiseido is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1872 and owned by Shiseido Company, Limited.

corp.shiseido.comen.wikipedia.orgmarketscreener.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Shiseido products

People Say

Kiehl'sShiseido
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Immediate sensation of comfort — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels plump, soft and nourished, eliminates dryness, bouncy feel — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Skin feels more hydrated — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Airy-soft texture — Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Velvety smooth — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
    • “makes skin baby soft — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “smoothes rough skin — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Radiance and relaxing experience Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter, more radiant, and "glowy." — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “Pleasant floral fragrance, relaxing, luxurious smell. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “spa-like scent, high-quality packaging, little goes a long way — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Luxurious texture and formula Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “silky smooth, rich but non-greasy, absorbs quickly, melts into skin — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Velvety, rich cream texture — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Velvety texture — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
  • Plumping and anti-aging Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Smoothed out crow's feet — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “tighter jawline, lifted appearance, improved elasticity, less sagging — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “wrinkles look softer — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “Skin looks noticeably more plump — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • High price and cost value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Very expensive for the size — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Expensive, pricey, high cost for the amount. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
  • Unpleasant or strong scent Rarely NotedOften 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”
    • “old lady smell — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Greasy residue and oiliness Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “Stays tacky and shiny — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “feels a bit oily — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “A little too much (too greasy) — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lack of results or effectiveness Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “No change in deep wrinkles — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “No noticeable difference, not moisturizing enough on its own. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “no visible lifting, just a moisturizer, didn't erase deep wrinkles — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitBuy Shiseido routine · $393.62 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for oily skin

Buy Shiseido routine · $581.17 · 85% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for combination skin

Buy Shiseido routine · $550.65 · 84% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which is better?

Shiseido is often better for deep hydration and luxurious textures, whereas Kiehl's excels in lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and features fragrance-free formulas across most of the products on this page.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Shiseido?

Kiehl's products on this page stand out for offering lightweight, non-greasy options with minimal added fragrance, whereas Shiseido products on this page are known for deeper hydration and luxurious textures.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for dry skin?

Kiehl's offers a High routine fit for dry skin, whereas Shiseido has an Average routine fit. Kiehl's is known for lightweight and non-greasy moisturizers, while Shiseido products on this page frequently provide deep hydration.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer products on this page with high and superior fit levels for cleansing, but Shiseido excels in deep-cleansing and efficient cleansers while providing luxurious textures. Meanwhile, the products on this page for Kiehl's feature gentle formulas that help cleanse without stripping the skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Shiseido?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido are similarly matched on price, as reviewers frequently note that the products on this page from both brands have a high price point.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which brand has more fragrance-free products?

Kiehl's has significantly more fragrance-free products on the products on this page, with 26 out of 28 products listing no fragrance compared to only 5 out of 20 for Shiseido.

Which brand performs better for anti-aging and plumping according to review themes?

Shiseido performs better for plumping and anti-aging according to review themes. Reviewers note that Shiseido offers firming and line-reducing moisturizers as well as plumping and anti-aging benefits.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page for both brands feature lightweight or deep-cleansing options that help manage oiliness.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which moisturizer is better?

Shiseido is better for deep hydration and moisturization among the products on this page, while Kiehl's is known for lightweight and non-greasy moisturizers. Shiseido features luxurious, plumping, and anti-aging moisturizers, though topical sodium hyaluronate may help improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Shiseido for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer products on this page that have a High Lovi fit level for sensitive skin. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products, while Shiseido has a high proportion of fragranced formulas.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer sunscreens with strong ratings on this page, but Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit level for sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, skin with dark spots, and combination skin. Shiseido's Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream also achieves a Superior fit level for sensitive skin and mature skin, and a High fit level for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and acne-prone skin.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Shiseido is the better choice because its routine fit is High, whereas Kiehl's routine fit is Average. Shiseido's products on this page help improve skin barrier and texture, while topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Shiseido for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for mature skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides lightweight moisturizers, while Shiseido products help deliver deep hydration and firming benefits.

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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