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SKIN1004 vs Kiehl's

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

SKIN1004 and Kiehl's are distinct skincare brands defined by different geographic origins, founding eras, and philosophies. SKIN1004 is a Korean brand known for toners, moisturizers, sunscreens, and masks built around centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, making it best for combination and dry skin. Kiehl's is an American brand beloved for dependable moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products that incorporate nourishing glycerin and squalane, suiting mature skin and skin with dark spots best. While both offer targeted solutions for specific needs like acne-prone skin, they differ in their heritage and key botanical formulations.

SKIN1004 is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2012 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2024.

mk.co.krpitchbook.comtracxn.comgoodai-global.com

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 SKIN1004 and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular SKIN1004 vs Kiehl's products

People Say

SKIN1004Kiehl's
  • Hydration and soothing Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “calmed my angry skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “Gives my dehydrated skin a moisture surge — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Eliminated redness on my easily irritated skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sunk in like a dream — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “Texture is on the thinner side... surprisingly lightweight. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Fast absorption and oily skin benefits Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “keeps my T-zone matte — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs practically immediately — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
  • Smoothing, firming, and anti-aging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “skin looked & felt smoother — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “skin feels super soft — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
  • Brightening and radiance Rarely 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”
    • “Gives a nice glow — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Boosting Toner”
  • Exfoliation and cleansing Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “doesn't strip my skin — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Cleansing Gel Foam”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara and sunscreen effortlessly. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “gentle enough for daily use — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner”
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Price point and cost Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Price is quite steep — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Watergel Sheet Ampoule Mask”
    • “Pricey for daily use — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pad”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Finish and texture issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “milky sweat when running — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “looked greasy by midday — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum”
    • “left my skin medium tacky — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Poremizing Light Gel Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Irritation and sensitivity Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Made my vision blurry/foggy for a while after rinsing. — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil”
    • “painful tightness — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “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”
  • Application issues and messiness Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “hard to wash off — SKIN1004 Zombie Pack”
    • “Hard to separate — SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pad”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “rolled off my face — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”

SKIN1004 vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy SKIN1004 routine · $96.70 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $382.00 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

SKIN1004 vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy SKIN1004 routine · $245.19 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $343.42 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

SKIN1004 vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy SKIN1004 routine · $232.19 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · $339.90 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's are great options, as Lovi shows them both with High routine fit across most skin types, including dry, oily, and combination skin. SKIN1004 is particularly strong for hydration and soothing, whereas Kiehl's excels in brightening, firming, and anti-aging benefits.

What is the difference between SKIN1004 and Kiehl's?

SKIN1004 is better for hydration and soothing as well as exfoliation and cleansing, whereas Kiehl's does better with fast absorption and oily skin benefits, smoothing, firming, and anti-aging, and brightening and radiance. Kiehl's also has a higher price point, while SKIN1004 has fewer finish and texture issues.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit for dry skin, making them equally good options depending on your preference. SKIN1004 focuses on hydrating and soothing ingredients like centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid, while Kiehl's relies on elements such as glycerin and squalane.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Drug Delivery, 2017

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's offer strong cleanser options on this page, with SKIN1004 better for hydration and soothing, while Kiehl's excels in fast absorption and oily skin benefits. Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as High across most skin types.

Which is more affordable, SKIN1004 or Kiehl's?

SKIN1004 does better on price point and cost compared to Kiehl's.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's: which brand has no fragrance in any of its listed products?

SKIN1004 has no fragrance listed in the ingredients for every product on its page. By contrast, Kiehl's includes fragrance in two of the products on its page.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit for oily skin, making them strong choices for this skin type. SKIN1004 products on this page list no fragrance, while Kiehl's excels in fast absorption and oily skin benefits.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's offer effective moisturizers, with SKIN1004 being well-regarded for lightweight and soothing hydration, while Kiehl's is frequently chosen for deeper hydration and anti-aging benefits. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin moisture and elasticity across formulations from both brands.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Drug Delivery, 2017

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's offer High routine fit for sensitive skin, making them equally good options. Every product on the SKIN1004 page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, which may help minimize irritation.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

When comparing sunscreens on these pages, SKIN1004 features the Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum, while Kiehl's offers the Better Screen UV Serum. Lovi rates the SKIN1004 sunscreen as Superior for acne-prone, oily acne-prone, and combination skin, and High for oily, dry, skin with dark spots, dry sensitive, and sensitive skin, compared to Kiehl's sunscreen which is rated High for skin with dark spots, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin, and Average for oily, dry, oily acne-prone, and dry sensitive skin.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

SKIN1004 is a better fit for acne-prone skin on this page, offering a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level. SKIN1004 products on this page list no fragrance, whereas Kiehl's is frequently noted by reviewers for causing breakouts and skin irritation.

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's offer a High routine fit for mature skin, but they use different key ingredients to address aging. SKIN1004 features Centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid, where sodium hyaluronate helps improve skin quality and hydration. Kiehl's relies on retinol, which may stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

SKIN1004 or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both SKIN1004 and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. SKIN1004 products on this page list no fragrance, while Kiehl's features key ingredients like Vitamin C and niacinamide, which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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

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