🇩🇪Germany

Kiehl's vs La Prairie

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

Kiehl's and La Prairie are distinguished skincare houses offering thoughtful moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more. Kiehl's incorporates nourishing glycerin and squalane to suit skin with dark spots and combination skin best, while the Swiss brand is celebrated for advanced formulas that provide deep comfort for mature skin and dry skin. They differ primarily in their heritage and precise active ingredients, with the American brand featuring glycerin and squalane for targeted needs.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs La Prairie products

People Say

Kiehl'sLa Prairie
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
  • Luxurious Texture and Packaging Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like liquid silk — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “softens skin noticeably — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “fancy design — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “creamy serum — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Plumping Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Lifting and Firming Effects Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Formula 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”
    • “calm the complexion — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
  • High Price and Cost 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”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Rarely NotedMostly 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”
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Slow Results or Ineffectiveness 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”
    • “just a good moisturizer — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Irritation, Stinging, and Breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused congestion — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “caused breakouts — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which is better?

La Prairie offers a Superior routine fit for mature skin, dry skin, and dry sensitive skin, while Kiehl's fits best for skin with dark spots, combination skin, and mature skin. Reviewers note that La Prairie excels in lifting, firming, and deep hydration, whereas Kiehl's is known for offering more gentle formulas and a lower price point.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and La Prairie?

La Prairie generally offers a more luxurious texture and superior lifting effects, whereas Kiehl's provides a more gentle and sensitive-friendly formula across the products on this page. While La Prairie performs exceptionally well for mature and dry skin, Kiehl's is often noted for being more budget-friendly despite containing more fragrance-free options.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for dry skin?

La Prairie offers a Superior routine fit for dry skin, whereas Kiehl's routine fit is High. Reviewers note that La Prairie provides deep hydration and smoothing, while the products on this page for Kiehl's feature lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and deep hydration.

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

La Prairie offers a superior routine fit for dry skin compared to Kiehl's. Reviewers report that La Prairie's moisturizers provide deep hydration and smoothing, though they come with exorbitant prices and strong fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or La Prairie?

Kiehl's is more affordable than La Prairie, though high price is a commonly mentioned concern for Kiehl's and exorbitant prices are mostly mentioned for La Prairie.

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

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, whereas La Prairie was founded in 1978 in Switzerland.

Which brand performs better for mature skin and skin with dark spots according to the routine fit ratings?

La Prairie fits mature skin and skin with dark spots at a Superior level, while Kiehl's fits both at a High level.

What are the differences in fragrance inclusion between Kiehl's and La Prairie products on the page?

Kiehl's has very little fragrance, as 26 of the 28 products on this page list no fragrance. In contrast, 4 of the 5 La Prairie products on this page list fragrance.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie offer a High routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page show that Kiehl's features several items specifically formulated for oily skin, such as the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream and Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

Both brands fit sensitive skin well, but Lovi rates Kiehl's as High and La Prairie as Superior. Kiehl's offers fragrance-free options across most of the products on this page, whereas La Prairie features strong fragrance.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

La Prairie fits acne-prone skin with a High routine level, whereas the products on this page for Kiehl's achieve an Average level.

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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