🇩🇪Germany

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List

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

Kiehl's and The INKEY List are heritage and contemporary skincare brands offering thoughtfully formulated moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more. Kiehl's is known for nourishing glycerin and squalane, while The INKEY List builds its products around glycerin. The American brand suits dark spots and combination skin best with targeted formulations, whereas the British brand fits sensitive and combination skin best. They differ primarily in their founding heritage, targeted active ingredients, and overall approach to addressing specific skin concerns.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Kiehl'sThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid 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”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Gentle on Skin Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Makeup Compatibility Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Melts away makeup and impurities without drying — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “no pilling under makeup — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture 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”
    • “skin looked & felt smoother — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
  • Affordable Price Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Efficacy and 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 do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands offer great options, but The INKEY List is more affordable while Kiehl's is often noted for skin barrier and texture benefits. Lovi rates both brands as having an equal high routine fit for dry, oily, combination, mature, dark spot, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin types.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and The INKEY List?

Kiehl's focuses on skin barrier and texture while The INKEY List offers a more affordable price point. Both brands provide equal fit levels for dry, oily, combination, mature, and dark spot-prone skin types.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List fit dry skin well, offering a High routine fit level on the products on this page. Kiehl's brings deep hydration and a High fit for dry skin through targeted moisturizers like the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, while The INKEY List provides affordable hydration with products like the Oat Cleansing Balm and Polyglutamic Acid Serum.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer strong cleansers, but The INKEY List stands out for acne-prone skin while Kiehl's provides options that are well-suited for multiple skin types. Lovi rates the cleansing routines and specific cleansers like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash and Salicylic Acid Cleanser as High for many skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Kiehl's. Reviewers often mention a high price point as a negative for Kiehl's, while highlighting the affordable price of the moisturizers and serums from The INKEY List.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which brand is better for skin barrier and texture?

Kiehl's does better than The INKEY List for skin barrier and texture. Emollients and ceramides help support the skin barrier, while ingredients like retinol stimulate collagen accumulation to improve texture.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which brand has fewer packaging issues?

The INKEY List does better than Kiehl's regarding packaging issues, as packaging problems are a noted negative theme for Kiehl's on the products on this page.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which brand is better for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List fit mature skin at a High level. Kiehl's features high fit products such as the Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, which helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List provide a High routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page for both brands help offer lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and effective cleansers.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List offer moisturizers that help deliver deep hydration, with Kiehl's leaning toward richer treatments and The INKEY List focusing on lightweight, affordable options. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is often associated with a higher price point, while The INKEY List is frequently praised for its affordability.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, The INKEY List has a Superior routine fit, whereas Kiehl's routine fit is High. Reviewers note that both brands offer gentle options, but The INKEY List lists no fragrance across all products on this page, while two Kiehl's products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, The INKEY List is a better option, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High while Kiehl's is Average. The INKEY List products on this page also help manage blemishes with ingredients like salicylic acid and azelaic acid.

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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