Kiehl's vs Trilogy
Kiehl's and Trilogy are prominent skincare brands offering dependable moisturizers, gentle cleansers, serums, toners, and eye products. The American brand suits mature skin and skin with dark spots best with its nourishing glycerin and squalane, while Trilogy suits dry, balanced, and sensitive skin types best with its high-performing formulas. Ultimately, the two lines differ in their ingredient approaches and targeted skin compatibility.
Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.
This page compares some of the most popular Kiehl's and Trilogy products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular Kiehl's vs Trilogy products
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Ultra Facial Cream
$39.00
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Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
$40.00
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Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution
$35.00
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Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque
$47.00
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Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum
$95.00
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Midnight Recovery Concentrate
$139.00
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Better Screen UV Serum
$45.00
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Super Multi-Corrective Cream
$76.00
People Say
Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Keeps skin moisturized — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
- “Leaves skin thoroughly moisturised — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
- “Feels moisturizing — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
- “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
Texture and Weight Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
- “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
- “Silky cream consistency — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
- “Not greasy — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
Skin Barrier and Tone Improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
- “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
- “Wake to a glowing complexion — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
- “Noticeable difference — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
Gentle on Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
- “Nothing irritated my skin — Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream”
- “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
High Price Point Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
- “Price to be high relative to performance — Trilogy Rosehip Cream Cleanser”
- “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
Too Rich or Heavy Not notedOften Mentioned
- “A little bit too thick — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
Greasiness and Residue Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
- “Does leave that kind of residue — Trilogy Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream”
- “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
Questions and answers
Kiehl's or Trilogy: which is better?
Kiehl's and Trilogy both offer effective options, but Kiehl's provides a much larger range of products with High and Superior Lovi fits for various skin types. Trilogy tends to be gentler on skin and better for hydration, whereas Kiehl's offers lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.
What is the difference between Kiehl's and Trilogy?
Kiehl's offers a much larger variety of products on this page compared to Trilogy, covering extensive categories like cleansers, toners, and serums with key ingredients such as glycerin, vitamin C, and squalane. Reviewers note that Trilogy performs better for hydration and gentleness, whereas Kiehl's is often noted for causing breakouts and skin irritation despite its targeted routines for mature skin and dark spots.
Kiehl's or Trilogy: which cleanser is better?
Kiehl's offers a much wider selection of cleansers with high fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin on this page, while Trilogy features only one cream cleanser geared toward sensitive and dry skin types.
Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Trilogy?
Trilogy has a high price point according to reviewers, while Kiehl's also faces frequent complaints about its high prices.
Which causes fewer breakouts, Kiehl's or Trilogy?
Trilogy is generally gentler on skin, whereas reviewer complaints for Kiehl's often note that it causes breakouts and skin irritation.
Between Kiehl's and Trilogy, which brand offers better options for sensitive skin?
Trilogy is rated as better on skin that is sensitive. Review themes note that Trilogy is more gentle on skin.
How do the fragrance options differ between Kiehl's and Trilogy products?
Kiehl's products on this page are mostly fragrance-free, with only 2 out of 28 listing fragrance. In contrast, 2 out of 3 Trilogy products on this page include fragrance.
Which brand has been established longer, Kiehl's or Trilogy?
Kiehl's has been established longer, having been founded in 1851 compared to Trilogy, which was founded in 2002.
Kiehl's or Trilogy: which moisturizer is better?
When comparing moisturizers, the products on this page show that Kiehl's offers a wide variety with specialized fits like a High fit for dry skin in the Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream, while Trilogy provides options such as a High fit for mature skin with its Vitamin C Ceramide Night Cream. Reviewers note that Kiehl's features lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers, whereas Trilogy focuses on hydrating and brightening moisturizers.
Research behind their key ingredients
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Topical menthol--a human model for cold pain by activation and sensitization of C nociceptors
Effects of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) on Skin Health: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence
The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Psychophysical study of the effects of topical application of menthol in healthy volunteers
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Apigenin inhibits UVA-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and prevents signs of skin aging in vivo
Panax ginseng induces human Type I collagen synthesis through activation of Smad signaling
Vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate promotes epidermal thickening and collagen production in human skin
Calendula extract: effects on mechanical parameters of human skin
A comparative study of gluconolactone versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne
Natural Arctium lappa fruit extract improves the clinical signs of aging skin
Preparation and evaluation of anti-wrinkle cream containing saffron extract and avocado oil
In vitro and in vivo anti-allergic effects of Arctium lappa L
The evaluation of aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion for photodamage
Skin barrier changes induced by aluminum oxide and sodium chloride microdermabrasion
Topical Almond Oil for Prevention of Pressure Injuries: A Single-Blinded Comparison Study
Nanocomplex of quaternized cyclodextrin grafted chitosan and hyaluronic acid for a skin delivery
Histometric assessment of the age-related skin response to 2-hydroxy-5-octanoyl benzoic acid
Clinical and histologic changes determine optimal treatment regimens for microdermabrasion
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Clinical Assessment of a Novel Jasmonate Cosmeceutical, LR2412-Cx, for the Treatment of Skin Aging
Retrospective Review of Dermal Safety Studies of Organic Sunscreens
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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