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Neutrogena vs Kiehl's

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

Neutrogena and Kiehl's are American skincare brands known for their thoughtful moisturizers, sunscreens, cleansers, toners, serums, and eye products. The first brand relies on trusted ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone, suiting dry skin and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the second brand incorporates nourishing glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and combination skin best. They differ primarily in their specific targeted formulations and key ingredients designed to address varying skin needs.

Neutrogena is an American skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026.

investor.kimberly-clark.comen.wikipedia.orginvestors.kenvue.com

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Neutrogena vs Kiehl's products

People Say

NeutrogenaKiehl's
  • Deep and intense hydration Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Skin looked plumper and radiant — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Quenches dry skin instantly — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Acne-safe and gentle formulas Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin soft and balanced — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “love that it has no scent — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “calms my acne prone skin — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky residue — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “absorbs instantly — Neutrogena COLLAGEN BANK Moisturizer”
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue. — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Makeup base and compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Foundation glides right over it — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Concealer doesn't cake or get stuck in crevices — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin texture improvement and anti-aging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Skin is looking smoother — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
  • Radiant glow and brightening Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Gave me a glass-skin glow — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Price and quantity concerns Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Jar is too small for the price — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Runs out quickly — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Tube is tiny for the cost — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging and design issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Kept sliding off my face — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Eye and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “burns my eyes terribly — Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen”
  • Strong fragrance and scent issues Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “Smell is too overpowering and lingering — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which is better?

Neutrogena is the better choice for acne-prone skin and value, while Kiehl's is better suited for dry sensitive skin. Both brands offer high routine fit levels for most other skin types on this page.

What is the difference between Neutrogena and Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is best suited for dry, mature, and sensitive skin, while Kiehl's fits skin with dark spots, combination skin, and mature skin best. Both brands offer high routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, and sensitive skin, but the products on this page show that Neutrogena performs better for acne-safe and gentle formulas and lightweight textures.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Neutrogena and Kiehl's both offer a high routine fit for dry skin, with Lovi rating their targeted routines equally. Neutrogena features deeply hydrating moisturizers and lightweight, non-greasy textures, while Kiehl's provides deep hydration.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle cleansers, whereas Kiehl's is better for skin texture improvement and brightening. Both brands offer cleansers with a High Lovi fit level for various skin types on this page.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is more affordable, whereas Kiehl's faces frequent reviewer feedback regarding a high price point.

Between Neutrogena and Kiehl's, which brand has fewer issues with strong fragrances and scent?

Neutrogena has fewer issues with strong fragrances and scent than Kiehl's. The products on this page for Neutrogena list no fragrance in thirty-five out of thirty-nine items.

How do Neutrogena and Kiehl's compare for routines specifically tailored to dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin routines, Kiehl's achieves a High Lovi fit level, whereas Neutrogena reaches an Average Lovi fit level on this page. Kiehl's products on this page often feature nourishing ingredients that help support delicate skin types.

Which brand performs better for skin texture improvement and anti-aging according to review themes?

Kiehl's performs better for skin texture improvement and anti-aging according to the review themes on this page.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are great options, as Lovi rates the routine fit for oily skin as High for each brand. The products on this page help provide effective oil management and lightweight hydration without feeling heavy.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-safe and gentle moisturizers, while Kiehl's is better for skin texture improvement and anti-aging. The products on this page for both brands offer deep and intense hydration.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are a good choice for sensitive skin, as the products on this page for both brands achieve a High routine fit level. Reviewers note that Neutrogena offers better acne-safe and gentle formulas, while Kiehl's may cause more irritation.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Neutrogena and Kiehl's both offer sunscreens with strong options for various skin types on the products on this page. For example, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen and Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum both show High fit levels for mature skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Neutrogena is a better fit for acne-prone skin on this page, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Kiehl's Average. The products on this page help provide acne-safe and gentle care.

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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