🇺🇸United States

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals

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

Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are respected American skincare brands owned by L'Oréal S.A., with the former founded in 1851 and the latter established in 1994. Kiehl's is beloved for dependable moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more incorporating glycerin and squalane, suiting mature skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas SkinCeuticals is loved for advanced serums, moisturizers, cleansers, eye products, and more blending glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone, suiting dry sensitive skin and dry skin best. Both offer distinct standout solutions, such as the former's Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner for acne-prone skin, Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash for skin with dark spots, and Ultra Facial Toner for mature skin, alongside the latter's C E Ferulic for acne-prone skin, Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 for skin with dark spots, and A.G.E. Advanced Eye for mature skin. While glycerin significantly increases hydration and restores epidermal barrier function across their offerings, the brands differ through the former's use of squalane to counteract oxidative stress and stimulate fibroblast migration, and the latter's use of hyaluronic acid to lengthen wrinkle reduction and dimethicone to reduce dermatitis prevalence.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

SkinCeuticals is an American skincare brand founded in 1994 and owned by L'Oréal since 2005.

loreal.comskinceuticals-za.compitchbook.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals products

People Say

Kiehl'sSkinCeuticals
  • 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”
    • “silky and non-greasy — SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye”
    • “absorbs quickly — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “Hydrated my skin beautifully. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “Pure hydration in a bottle — SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “definitely gave me a glass skin texture — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “pores appeared less noticeable — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “My skin is softer to the touch. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care 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”
    • “Perfect starting strength — SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3”
  • Brightening and Dark Spot Fading Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “I really love this product, as my skin is brighter. — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
    • “Really fades brown spots, perfect for men and a little goes a long way! — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
  • Pore Cleansing and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “gets rid of blackheads — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
    • “reduces oil — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Too pricey for the hype — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “not worth $150 — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
  • Lack of 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”
    • “haven't noticed much change on the deeper lines — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “did nothing — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
  • Greasiness and Heavy Residue Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “feels tacky — SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier”
    • “sticky residue — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “skin went through a slight purge — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “made me break out — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “caused cystic acne — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for dry skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · $158.66 · 97% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for oily skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · $331.94 · 96% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for combination skin

Buy SkinCeuticals routine · $323.53 · 96% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which is better?

SkinCeuticals is better for specific targeted routines, achieving a Superior routine fit across nearly all skin types on this page, while Kiehl's generally offers High or Average fit levels. SkinCeuticals excels in skin barrier improvement, whereas Kiehl's often performs better for gentle and sensitive skin care.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dry skin?

SkinCeuticals is a better option for dry skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior compared to High for Kiehl's. The products on this page help deliver deep hydration with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which cleanser is better?

SkinCeuticals is better for cleansers on this page, achieving a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin compared to Kiehl's Average fit. Both brands offer products with key ingredients like glycerin and glycolic acid, but SkinCeuticals cleansers like Simply Clean Gel help provide superior results for blemish-prone and oily skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals share a high price point among the products on this page.

Between Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals, which brand is better for sensitive and gentle skin care?

Kiehl's does better for gentle and sensitive skin care on this page, and Lovi rates its routine fit for sensitive skin as High.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

SkinCeuticals has more fragrance-free products on this page than Kiehl's, with 34 out of 37 products listing no fragrance compared to Kiehl's 26 out of 28.

How do Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals compare regarding skin barrier and texture improvement?

SkinCeuticals does better than Kiehl's regarding skin barrier and texture improvement. Both brands offer products containing ingredients like retinol, which may stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for oily skin?

SkinCeuticals is Superior for oily skin, whereas the products on this page for Kiehl's offer High routine fit. Both brands share a high price point.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which moisturizer is better?

SkinCeuticals is the better brand for moisturizers on this page, as Lovi rates its routines as Superior for dry skin compared to Kiehl's High. Both brands offer hydrating and plumping moisturizers, but topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are options for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's is noted on this page as doing better for gentle and sensitive skin care. Lovi rates Kiehl's fit for sensitive skin as High, and SkinCeuticals' routine fit for sensitive skin as Superior.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which sunscreen is better?

When comparing sunscreens on the page, SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 is rated as a Superior fit for skin with dark spots, whereas Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum is rated as High.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for acne-prone skin?

SkinCeuticals is the better choice for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to Kiehl's Average fit level. Topical treatments help manage breakouts, and hyaluronic acid aids in skin healing.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

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