🇩🇪Germany

Kiehl's vs Augustinus Bader

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

Kiehl's and Augustinus Bader are established skincare brands that offer thoughtful moisturizers, serums, eye products, and more. The American brand is beloved for incorporating nourishing glycerin and squalane, while the German brand is loved for preparations built around its formulas. Both suit multiple skin types, with the former suiting skin with dark spots and combination skin best, and the latter suiting dry skin and mature skin best. Ultimately, they differ in their founding eras, national origins, and targeted ingredient profiles.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Augustinus Bader is a German skincare brand founded in 2018.

augustinusbader.combeautymatter.compitchbook.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Augustinus Bader products

People Say

Kiehl'sAugustinus Bader
  • Lightweight texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “light but nourishing — Augustinus Bader The Cream”
    • “sinks in instantly — Augustinus Bader The Serum”
    • “light gel texture — Augustinus Bader The Eye Cream”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Instantly hydrated — Augustinus Bader The Face Oil”
    • “Extremely dry skin saved — Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream”
    • “healthy glow — Augustinus Bader The Serum”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Softens fine lines — Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream”
    • “skin is smoother — Augustinus Bader The Cream”
    • “skin felt noticeably firmer — Augustinus Bader The Serum”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Brightening and dark spots Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Instant youthful glow — Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream”
  • Makeup compatibility Sometimes NotedRarely 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”
    • “concealer blends perfectly — Augustinus Bader The Eye Cream”
  • Gentle for sensitive skin Often MentionedNot noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • High price point Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “overpriced for what it does — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
  • Ineffective or slow results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “results were subtle — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “didn't see dramatic results — Augustinus Bader The Cream”
  • Packaging and dispensing issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “excessive packaging — Augustinus Bader The Serum”
  • Breakouts and acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Caused cystic acne — Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream”
    • “bumps on forehead — Augustinus Bader The Cream”

Kiehl's vs Augustinus Bader routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Augustinus Bader routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Augustinus Bader routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader: which is better?

Augustinus Bader is generally better, offering Superior routine fit across nearly all skin types and outperforming Kiehl's in deep hydration, texture improvement, and lightweight texture.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Augustinus Bader?

Augustinus Bader provides superior routine fit and does better for lightweight texture, deep hydration, and skin barrier and texture improvement, whereas Kiehl's is better for makeup compatibility and being gentle for sensitive skin, while both are equal for brightening and dark spots and for breakouts and acne. Kiehl's is founded in the United States in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A., while Augustinus Bader is founded in 2018 in Germany and is independently owned.

Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader for dry skin?

Augustinus Bader is better for dry skin because Lovi rates its routine as Superior, whereas the products on this page for Kiehl's fit dry skin with a High rating. Reviewers also note that Augustinus Bader delivers better deep hydration and texture improvement.

Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader: which moisturizer is better?

Augustinus Bader provides superior moisturizers for dry and mature skin types compared to Kiehl's, according to the products on this page. Augustinus Bader formulas like The Rich Cream offer deep hydration and texture improvement, whereas Kiehl's moisturizers are more often noted for a high price point and occasional breakouts.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader?

Kiehl's is more affordable, while Augustinus Bader is known for an extreme price. Reviewers often mention a high price point for Kiehl's products, but Augustinus Bader presents an even higher cost.

How do the country of origin and parent company differ between Kiehl's and Augustinus Bader?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas Augustinus Bader was founded in 2018 in Germany and is independently owned.

What are the key active ingredients found across Kiehl's products compared to Augustinus Bader's signature ingredient?

Kiehl's features key active ingredients across the products on this page such as glycerin, vitamin C, squalane, shea butter, and vitamin E. In contrast, Augustinus Bader focuses on its signature ingredient, TFC8. Lovi finds both brands offer effective routines, though their active formulas differ.

How do the fragrance options differ between Kiehl's and Augustinus Bader products?

Kiehl's offers mostly fragrance-free products on the products on this page while including fragrance in a couple of items, whereas Augustinus Bader lists no fragrance in every product on this page.

Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader for oily skin?

For oily skin, Augustinus Bader is rated as Superior by Lovi, while Kiehl's is rated as High. The products on this page for Augustinus Bader provide deep hydration and lightweight textures that may help balance oily skin.

Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader for sensitive skin?

Both brands offer products on this page that are well-suited for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's is noted as being gentler for sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Augustinus Bader for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Augustinus Bader offers a Superior routine fit, whereas Kiehl's routine fit is Average. Augustinus Bader delivers better texture improvement and deep hydration, while the products on this page for Kiehl's are more frequently noted by reviewers for causing breakouts and skin irritation.

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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