🇺🇸United States

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's

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

La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's are esteemed skincare brands that offer reliable serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and eye products. The French brand relies on thermal water, niacinamide, and glycerin to suit dry and mature skin, while the American brand incorporates squalane and glycerin to favor mature skin and skin with dark spots. Both utilize glycerin to significantly increase hydration and restore barrier function, yet they differ in their heritage and foundational ingredients.

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's products

People Say

La Roche-PosayKiehl's
  • Texture Improvement and Skin Softness Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Skin Sensitivity and Irritation Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Brightening and Dark Spots Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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 looks brighter — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Tint and Makeup Compatibility Rarely NotedSometimes 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”
    • “makeup sits perfectly — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
  • Value and Pricing Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “Too expensive for the size — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Tube is tiny for the price — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Texture and Pilling Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Very sticky — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Stinging and Adverse Reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “burns my eyes — La Roche-Posay Anthelios”
    • “burned my face — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “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”
  • Packaging and Design Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · $147.63 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · $256.94 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

La Roche-Posay vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy La Roche-Posay routine · $264.40 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for almost all skin types, though La Roche-Posay is better for value and pricing while Kiehl's performs better for texture improvement and dark spots.

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's?

La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's are both owned by L'Oreal S.A., but La Roche-Posay provides a High routine fit for acne-prone skin compared to Kiehl's Average fit. Kiehl's performs better in texture improvement, skin softness, brightening, and dark spots, while La Roche-Posay is better for value and pricing.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay provides better value and pricing, while Kiehl's performs better for texture improvement and skin softness.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers that fit acne-prone and oily skin well, with La Roche-Posay leaning more toward sensitive skin and Kiehl's leaning toward pore-cleansing formulas. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay provides better value and pricing for its products compared to Kiehl's.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's?

La Roche-Posay is more affordable, as Kiehl's faces more frequent concerns regarding a high price point.

Between La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's, which brand offers more fragrance-free products?

La Roche-Posay offers 21 fragrance-free products on this page, while Kiehl's offers 26 fragrance-free products.

How do La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's compare in terms of routine fit for acne-prone skin?

La Roche-Posay has a High routine fit for acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's has an Average routine fit for acne-prone skin. Both brands offer products that help address blemishes, but La Roche-Posay's targeted range on this page is more consistently suited for this skin type.

Which brand performs better for texture improvement and skin softness according to reviewers?

According to reviewers, Kiehl's performs better for texture improvement and skin softness.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay provides gentle and effective serums, while Kiehl's features lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer moisturizers that help deliver strong results, but La Roche-Posay products on this page achieve a High routine fit for acne-prone skin compared to Kiehl's Average level. Both brands provide an equal High routine fit for dry skin, mature skin, and sensitive skin.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and Kiehl's are great options, as Lovi rates the routine fit for sensitive skin as High for both brands. Reviewers mention that both brands offer gentle serums and soothing moisturizers.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

La Roche-Posay Anthelios reaches a Superior Lovi fit level for skin with dark spots, sensitive skin, combination skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, and oily skin, while Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum achieves a High fit level for these same skin types.

La Roche-Posay or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

La Roche-Posay is a better choice for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Kiehl's Average level. Reviewers mention that La Roche-Posay offers gentle and effective serums and soothing moisturizers for this skin type.

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