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Kiehl's vs Clarins

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

Kiehl's and Clarins are two celebrated skincare brands that offer nourishing moisturizers, potent serums, soothing eye products, and gentle toners. The American brand incorporates glycerin and squalane to suit skin with dark spots and combination skin best, while the French brand uses shea and squalane to suit sensitive skin and dry sensitive skin best. While both utilize squalane to promote skin health, they differ in their origin, founding eras, and targeted formulations for specific complexions.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clarins products

People Say

Kiehl'sClarins
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
  • No white cast and glowing skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Makeup base and primer compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Rich and creamy texture Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “feels luxurious and thick — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Breakouts and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Ineffective or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “didn't see a lift — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “no change in circles — Clarins Double Serum Eye”

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clarins: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins are strong options, with Lovi finding that Kiehl's is better suited for oily and combination skin, while Clarins is better for acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's and Clarins both fit dry sensitive skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots at an equal level on Lovi. However, Kiehl's generally features fragrance-free formulas for almost all the products on this page, whereas Clarins incorporates fragrance in most of its products.

Kiehl's or Clarins for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins offer a High routine fit for dry skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's is mostly mentioned for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers, while Clarins is mostly noted for hydrating and smoothing moisturizers.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

When it comes to cleansers on this page, Kiehl's is a better fit for oily and oily acne-prone skin, while both brands offer a High fit for dry and sensitive skin. Lovi rates the cleansing products on this page as having a superior fit for oily and acne-prone skin types under Kiehl's compared to Clarins.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins share an equal level for high price point and poor value among the products on this page.

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, which brand has a higher percentage of fragrance-free products?

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, Kiehl's has a higher percentage of fragrance-free products, since 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance while almost all Clarins products contain fragrance.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, whereas Clarins was founded in 1954 in France.

Which brand performs better for oily acne-prone skin according to their routine fit levels?

For oily acne-prone skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because Lovi rates its routine fit at a High level, while Clarins achieves an Average level.

Kiehl's or Clarins for oily skin?

Kiehl's may fit oily skin better than Clarins, as Lovi rates Kiehl's routine fit for oily skin as High while Clarins achieves an Average level. Review themes also note that Kiehl's does better with scent and fragrance complaints for oily skin types.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, Clarins is better at providing deep hydration and luxurious textures on this page, whereas Kiehl's is better known for lightweight, non-greasy options. Lovi finds that both brands offer high fit levels for dry and mature skin.

Kiehl's or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins provide a High routine fit for sensitive skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's is less likely to cause fragrance complaints since nearly all of its products are fragrance-free, unlike Clarins.

Kiehl's or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi finds that Clarins has a High routine fit level while Kiehl's has an Average fit level. Reviewers note that Clarins helps provide deep hydration, whereas Kiehl's is more prone to 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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