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La Roche-Posay vs SK-II

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

La Roche-Posay and SK-II are renowned skincare brands offering thoughtfully formulated solutions for diverse complexions. The French line, founded in 1975, relies on nourishing ingredients like glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide in its serums, moisturizers, and cleansers to suit dry and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the Japanese house, founded in 1980, centers its luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, clarifying toners, and restorative masks around the signature ingredient pitera to suit dry and acne-prone skin best. While both cater effectively to moisture needs, they differ through distinct active compounds that target specialized concerns like hyperpigmentation, redness, and barrier repair.

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

SK-II is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.

en.wikipedia.orgdiscoversk-ii.wixsite.comglossy.co

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

Popular La Roche-Posay vs SK-II products

People Say

La Roche-PosaySK-II
  • Product Textures and Finish Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “silky texture that absorbs quickly — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “skin feels deeply hydrated, plump, and smoother — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
  • Skin Soothing and Sensitivity Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “Calmed my skin after a chemical peel — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “Great for sensitive — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
  • Skin Brightening and Radiance Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “leaves me with a red carpet glow — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Skin looks brighter — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “skin looks brighter — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
  • Texture and Tone Improvement Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin feels smoother — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “softens forehead lines — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Smoother skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
  • Versatile and Convenient Application Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Removes leftover dirt — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara, melts stubborn makeup, removes sunscreen easily. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
    • “packet is absolutely drenched — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Great for chapped lips — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+”
  • Price and Value 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”
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Fragrance and Scent Concerns Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “scent is awful — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “overwhelming floral smell — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “smells like dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “smells slightly like saliva — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Variable or Limited Results Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “didn't see any significant improvement — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “Weaker retinol product — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Did nothing for my redness — La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Breakouts and Skin Irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Triggered cystic acne — La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+”
    • “dried my skin out — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “caused tiny red bumps — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Small bumps — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”

La Roche-Posay vs SK-II routines for dry skin

Buy SK-II routine · $591.97 · 91% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · $147.63 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

La Roche-Posay vs SK-II routines for oily skin

Buy SK-II routine · $713.54 · 89% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · $256.94 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

La Roche-Posay vs SK-II routines for combination skin

Buy SK-II routine · $714.65 · 89% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · $264.40 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

La Roche-Posay or SK-II: which is better?

Both brands are great, as Lovi rates La Roche-Posay high and SK-II high or superior across most skin types. SK-II does better for product textures, finish, brightening, and radiance, while La Roche-Posay does better for price, value, and skin soothing.

What is the difference between La Roche-Posay and SK-II?

La Roche-Posay and SK-II differ in their company backgrounds, formulation features, and specific review ratings on this page. La Roche-Posay was founded in France in 1975 and offers products featuring key ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, whereas SK-II originated in Japan in 1980 and centers its line around Pitera. Reviewers note that SK-II generally does better for skin brightening and product textures, while La Roche-Posay provides better pricing and skin soothing.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

La Roche-Posay or SK-II for dry skin?

Both brands are great choices for dry skin, where Lovi rates La Roche-Posay High and SK-II Superior. Reviewers note that SK-II does better for product textures and finish, while La Roche-Posay does better for price and value.

La Roche-Posay or SK-II: which moisturizer is better?

La Roche-Posay and SK-II both offer popular moisturizers on this page, with La Roche-Posay doing better on price and value while SK-II does better on product textures and finish. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry skin as High for La Roche-Posay and Superior for SK-II.

Which is more affordable, La Roche-Posay or SK-II?

La Roche-Posay is more affordable than SK-II. Review themes on this page indicate that La Roche-Posay does better on price and value.

How do La Roche-Posay and SK-II compare regarding fragrance-free product options?

La Roche-Posay offers 21 fragrance-free products among the products on this page, while SK-II features no fragrance in every product on this page.

Which brand performs better for skin soothing and sensitivity, La Roche-Posay or SK-II?

La Roche-Posay performs better for skin soothing and sensitivity compared to SK-II. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay is superior for skin soothing and sensitivity, whereas the products on this page for La Roche-Posay frequently feature calming key ingredients like thermal water and niacinamide.

What are the key ingredients used across La Roche-Posay products versus SK-II products?

La Roche-Posay products use key ingredients such as glycerin, thermal water, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and ceramide, while SK-II products focus on Pitera.

La Roche-Posay or SK-II for oily skin?

Both La Roche-Posay and SK-II are good options for oily skin, as Lovi rates their routines as High for this skin type. Reviewers note that the products on this page help provide good textures and finish from SK-II and better price and value from La Roche-Posay.

La Roche-Posay or SK-II for sensitive skin?

La Roche-Posay and SK-II both feature a High routine fit level for sensitive skin on Lovi. La Roche-Posay does better for skin soothing and sensitivity, while every SK-II product on this page lists no fragrance.

La Roche-Posay or SK-II for acne-prone skin?

Both brands can work for acne-prone skin, but SK-II has a Superior routine fit while La Roche-Posay has a High 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?

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