🇩🇪Germany

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals

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

Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are heritage American skincare brands offering thoughtful moisturizers, targeted serums, and soothing eye products. Kiehl's is known for nourishing glycerin and squalane suited best to skin with dark spots and combination skin, featuring standouts like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash, and Ultra Facial Toner. Conversely, SkinCeuticals is loved for restorative glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone ideal for dry skin and dry sensitive skin, highlighted by standouts such as C E Ferulic, Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50, and A.G.E. Advanced Eye. Ultimately, both brands differ through their distinct formulations and key ingredients that address specific skin concerns and types.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

SkinCeuticals is an American skincare brand founded in 1994 and owned by L'Oréal since 2005.

loreal.comskinceuticals-za.compitchbook.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals products

People Say

Kiehl'sSkinCeuticals
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “silky and non-greasy — SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye”
    • “absorbs quickly — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “Hydrated my skin beautifully. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “Pure hydration in a bottle — SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “definitely gave me a glass skin texture — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “pores appeared less noticeable — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “My skin is softer to the touch. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care 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”
    • “Perfect starting strength — SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3”
  • Brightening and Dark Spot Fading Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “I really love this product, as my skin is brighter. — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
    • “Really fades brown spots, perfect for men and a little goes a long way! — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
  • Pore Cleansing and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “gets rid of blackheads — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
    • “reduces oil — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Too pricey for the hype — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
  • Lack of 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”
    • “haven't noticed much change on the deeper lines — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “did nothing — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
  • Greasiness and Heavy Residue Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “feels tacky — SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier”
    • “sticky residue — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “skin went through a slight purge — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “made me break out — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “caused cystic acne — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which is better?

Both brands are well regarded, but SkinCeuticals achieves superior routine fit ratings for dry, oily, and mature skin on the products on this page, whereas Kiehl's is noted for gentleness on sensitive skin. Topical retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

What is the difference between Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals?

SkinCeuticals is a US skincare brand founded in 1994, while Kiehl's is an older US skincare brand founded in 1851, and both are owned by L'Oréal S.A. Review themes indicate that Kiehl's does better for gentle and sensitive skin care, whereas SkinCeuticals does better for skin barrier and texture improvement.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dry skin?

SkinCeuticals is better for dry skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High routine fit for dry skin. Topical emollients may help enhance the skin barrier.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer strong options for cleansers, and Lovi shows their routines fit oily and acne-prone skin well with products like Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash and SkinCeuticals Simply Clean Gel. SkinCeuticals Soothing Cleanser Foam is rated Superior for dry sensitive skin, while Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash is rated Superior for oily and oily acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

Both brands are noted on the page for having a high price point.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for fading dark spots?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer products on this page that help with fading dark spots, with SkinCeuticals performing better for certain skin types. Lovi rates both brands as having a High fit for skin with dark spots overall. Niacinamide may help in reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppressing melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

SkinCeuticals has more fragrance-free products on the page, with 34 fragrance-free products compared to 26 for Kiehl's.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for oily skin?

SkinCeuticals is a superior choice for oily skin, offering a routine fit rated as Superior compared to Kiehl's High level. Both brands provide specialized products on this page that help control oil and manage blemishes.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which moisturizer is better?

SkinCeuticals is a better brand for moisturizers overall, as Lovi rates its routine fit for dry skin as Superior while Kiehl's is High. SkinCeuticals also offers products like Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 that specifically feature ceramide-dominant barrier repair lipids, which help restore moisture effectively.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are well suited for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates the routine fit for Kiehl's as High and for SkinCeuticals as High.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which sunscreen is better?

SkinCeuticals has a superior sunscreen for skin with dark spots on the products on this page, whereas Kiehl's sunscreen has a high fit for that skin type.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for acne-prone skin?

SkinCeuticals is a better fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page, achieving a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average. SkinCeuticals offers targeted acne-fighting serums such as Blemish + Age Defense, which helps control oil and breakouts.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for mature skin?

SkinCeuticals is a superior choice for mature skin compared to Kiehl's. Lovi rates SkinCeuticals as Superior for mature skin, whereas Kiehl's is rated High. Additionally, topical retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play