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Kiehl's vs L'Oreal Paris

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

Kiehl's and L'Oreal Paris are skincare brands owned by L'Oréal S.A., with the American brand founded in 1851 and the French brand in 1909. Kiehl's is beloved for thoughtful moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more that incorporate nourishing glycerin and squalane, while the latter is beloved for its thoughtful range of serums, moisturizers, masks, and eye products, which frequently incorporate hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The former suits skin with dark spots and combination skin best, whereas the latter suits oily skin and combination skin best due to their balanced formulations. They differ in their specific targeted formulations and signature active ingredients, where the former features squalane to counteract oxidative stress and the latter features hyaluronic acid to lengthen the duration of wrinkle reduction.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

L'Oreal Paris is a French skincare brand founded in 1909 and owned by L'Oréal S.A..

en.wikipedia.orgloreal.comloreal-paris.co.ukcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs L'Oreal Paris products

People Say

Kiehl'sL'Oreal Paris
  • Deep hydration and moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “wake up with soft skin — L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream”
    • “Leaves my face feeling plump and dewy all day. — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Absorbs fast — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Night Cream”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvements Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin is a lot smoother — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum”
    • “My skin feels silky and soft to the touch. — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift”
    • “Smooth and creamy texture that spreads very nicely. — L'Oreal Paris Pure-Clay Mask”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Dark spot fading and brightening Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin looks luminous — L'Oreal Paris Glycolic Bright”
    • “significant reduction in the appearance of dark spots — L'Oreal Paris Bright Reveal 12% Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum”
    • “skin looks glowing — L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Gentle formula and suitability for sensitive skin Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “very gentle, didn't irritate my skin — L'Oreal Paris Bright Reveal 12% Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum”
  • Plumping and fine line reduction Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “diminished fine lines, under-eye discoloration as well Crow's feet — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Pressed Night Cream”
    • “fine lines around eyes less noticeable — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum”
    • “reduces puffiness under the eyes — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Eye Cream”
    • “Skin looks noticeably more plump — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • High price and poor value Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “a little bit pricy — L'Oreal Paris Glycolic Bright”
    • “taken aback by the price — L'Oreal Paris Bright Reveal 12% Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Burning, stinging, and irritation Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “left my face bright red — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “slight tingling the first few times — L'Oreal Paris Dark Spot Exfoliant Peel”
  • Unpleasant scent or strong fragrance Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smell is overpowering — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “The perfume smell is overwhelming and lingers. — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift”

Kiehl's vs L'Oreal Paris routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs L'Oreal Paris routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs L'Oreal Paris routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris: which is better?

L'Oreal Paris offers superior routine fit levels across almost all skin types compared to Kiehl's on the products on this page. L'Oreal Paris provides better results for skin barrier improvements and dark spot fading, while Kiehl's is often noted for lighter textures and gentler formulas for sensitive skin.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and L'Oreal Paris?

Kiehl's offers mostly fragrance-free products that feature vitamin C and squalane, whereas L'Oreal Paris relies heavily on hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides a lighter texture and gentler formulas for sensitive skin, while L'Oreal Paris often delivers better results for dark spots and fine lines.

Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris for dry skin?

For dry skin, both brands work well, with Lovi rating Kiehl's routine as High and L'Oreal Paris as Superior. Reviewers note that L'Oreal Paris provides deep hydration and moisturization, while Kiehl's offers lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and deep hydration.

Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, both brands offer options with deep hydration, but L'Oreal Paris achieves a Superior routine fit for dry skin compared to Kiehl's High fit. The products on this page for L'Oreal Paris provide luxurious textures and anti-aging benefits, while Kiehl's moisturizers are mostly mentioned as lightweight and non-greasy.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris?

L'Oreal Paris offers better value and affordability among the products on this page, whereas reviewers often mention Kiehl's has a high price point.

Between Kiehl's and L'Oreal Paris, which brand has more fragrance-free products?

Kiehl's has more fragrance-free products, as 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance, compared to only 5 of 10 products for L'Oreal Paris.

How do Kiehl's and L'Oreal Paris compare in performance for fading dark spots and brightening?

For fading dark spots and brightening, L'Oreal Paris does better than Kiehl's overall, although the products on this page for Kiehl's also provide high or average fit levels for skin with dark spots. Lovi rates L'Oreal Paris as having a superior routine fit for skin with dark spots compared to Kiehl's high fit level.

Which brand performs better for mature skin according to the routine fit levels?

For mature skin, L'Oreal Paris performs better because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, while Kiehl's routine fit is High.

Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi rates Kiehl's as High and L'Oreal Paris as Superior. Reviewers note that the products on this page for Kiehl's help provide lightweight and non-greasy textures.

Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Kiehl's is a great choice because the products on this page are mostly fragrance-free and offer a High routine fit. L'Oreal Paris also achieves a High routine fit for sensitive skin on this page, though many of its items contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or L'Oreal Paris for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi rates Kiehl's routine as Average and L'Oreal Paris as Superior. The products on this page for Kiehl's are mostly fragrance-free, whereas L'Oreal Paris offers strong value and affordability.

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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