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The INKEY List vs Grown Alchemist

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

The INKEY List and Grown Alchemist are distinct skincare lines, with the former being a British brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited. The INKEY List offers moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products built around glycerin, which significantly increases skin hydration and restores barrier function, suiting combination and sensitive skin best. Meanwhile, Grown Alchemist is loved for its cleansers, serums, and formulas that suit sensitive, dry, and combination skin. While both cater to similar skin types, they differ in their specific product lineups and targeted formulations for concerns like acne, dark spots, and aging.

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

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This page compares some of the most popular The INKEY List and Grown Alchemist products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The INKEY List vs Grown Alchemist products

People Say

The INKEY ListGrown Alchemist
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Skin version of chugging water — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
    • “doesn't strip at all — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Gentle on Skin and Soothing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Doesn't dry out my skin — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “Perfect for sensitive skin — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “calms my skin down — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Lightweight Texture and Fast Absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Very light weight — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Affordable Value and Pricing Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Removal Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Melts away makeup and impurities without drying — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “no pilling under makeup — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “Gets everything nice and clean — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Packaging and Bottle Size Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “tube cracks easily — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “Only 25ml — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Unpleasant Scent or Fragrance Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “Too perfumy notes — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “smells medicinal — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • High Price Point Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “expensive for what it is — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”

Questions and answers

The INKEY List or Grown Alchemist: which is better?

The INKEY List tends to be better for shoppers seeking affordable value and lightweight textures, while Grown Alchemist excels in providing deeper hydration and gentle soothing care based on the products on this page.

What is the difference between The INKEY List and Grown Alchemist?

The INKEY List offers a wide range of affordable serums, toners, and moisturizers that feature lightweight textures, while Grown Alchemist focuses on gentle and hydrating cleansers. Reviewers note that The INKEY List provides better acne and blemish control as well as high value, whereas Grown Alchemist excels in skin soothing and moisture.

The INKEY List or Grown Alchemist: which cleanser is better?

The INKEY List offers a wider variety of cleansers on this page with High to Superior Lovi fit levels for several skin types like combination, acne-prone, and oily skin, whereas Grown Alchemist provides gentler cream and gel cleansers that achieve average to High fit levels. Reviewers note that Grown Alchemist delivers better hydration and soothing benefits for cleansers, while The INKEY List excels in affordability and acne control.

Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or Grown Alchemist?

The INKEY List is more affordable, as the products on this page offer affordable value and pricing.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The INKEY List or Grown Alchemist?

The INKEY List does better for acne and blemish control among the products on this page, while Grown Alchemist sometimes sees cleanser performance and packaging issues noted by reviewers. The INKEY List features specific products like the Salicylic Acid Cleanser which has a High fit level for acne-prone skin.

Between The INKEY List and Grown Alchemist, which brand offers better hydration and moisture?

Grown Alchemist does better than The INKEY List for hydration and moisture. Reviewers note that Grown Alchemist offers hydrating, gentle and pleasant cleansers.

How do the skin types best fitted by The INKEY List compare to those of Grown Alchemist based on their brand-focused routines?

The products on this page for The INKEY List show best fit levels for combination skin, sensitive skin, and oily acne-prone skin. In comparison, Grown Alchemist does not list any specific skin types that its brand-focused routines fit best.

Which brand performs better when it comes to gentle and soothing skincare?

When it comes to gentle and soothing skincare, Grown Alchemist does better according to the review themes on the page.

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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