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The Ordinary vs Kiehl's

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

The Ordinary and Kiehl's are distinct skincare brands that offer varied formulations for modern routines. The Canadian brand centers its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to suit dry and sensitive skin, whereas the American brand is beloved for thoughtful moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products that incorporate nourishing glycerin and squalane for skin with dark spots and combination skin. While both share key hydrating ingredients, the former provides targeted treatments like niacinamide and lactic acid, while the latter relies on calendula extracts and targeted formulations.

The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

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 The Ordinary and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The Ordinary vs Kiehl's products

People Say

The OrdinaryKiehl's
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “savior for dry patches — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Value and Pricing Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “extremely affordable — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Brightening and Dark Spots Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Dark spots have faded noticeably — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “helped lighten post-acne scars — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Sticky or Heavy Finish Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • High Price Point Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin Irritation and Stinging Sometimes NotedRarely 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”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Pilling and Makeup Compatibility Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “rolled off my face — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “pills under my makeup — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

The Ordinary vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which is better?

The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's across all skin types, including dry, oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, and skin with dark spots. Reviewers highlight The Ordinary for better value and pricing, texture and pores, and acne and blemish control.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Kiehl's?

The Ordinary offers superior routine fit and better value across the products on this page, while Kiehl's is frequently noted for lightweight hydration and gentle serums. Lovi rates The Ordinary as having a Superior routine fit for all nine skin types compared to Kiehl's.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for dry skin, offering a Superior routine compared to Kiehl's High fit. The products on this page help moisturize the skin barrier effectively.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary is a better fit for acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's and The Ordinary have equal fit levels for other skin types. Reviewers note that The Ordinary offers better value and pricing, whereas Kiehl's is often praised for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and deep hydration.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Kiehl's?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers better value and pricing than Kiehl's. Reviewers often mention The Ordinary for having affordable and great value serums, whereas high price points are frequently noted as a drawback for Kiehl's.

Which brand performs better for texture and pores between The Ordinary and Kiehl's?

The Ordinary performs better for texture and pores compared to Kiehl's. Reviewers often note that the products on this page offer great value for texture-smoothing serums and acne-clearing treatments.

How do the routine fit ratings compare between The Ordinary and Kiehl's for mature skin?

For mature skin, Lovi's routine fit is Superior for The Ordinary and High for Kiehl's. Review themes show The Ordinary does better for texture and pores while Kiehl's is noted for lightweight moisturizers.

What are the main fragrance differences in products between The Ordinary and Kiehl's?

The products on this page from The Ordinary list no fragrance across their entire range. In contrast, Kiehl's includes fragrance in a couple of items on the page, such as the Age Defender Moisturizer and the Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment for Men, while the rest of their products list no fragrance.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for oily skin?

The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit for oily skin, whereas Kiehl's provides a high fit. The Ordinary features fragrance-free formulas with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalane.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

The Ordinary fits dry skin better as a moisturizer range, because Lovi rates its overall routine fit for dry skin as Superior compared to Kiehl's High. Lovi also shows that The Ordinary has more top-tier moisturizing options like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands work well, but Lovi rates The Ordinary as Superior and Kiehl's as High. The Ordinary products on this page list no fragrance, whereas two Kiehl's products contain fragrance, and reviewers note that Kiehl's may cause skin irritation and stinging more often.

The Ordinary or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi rates The Ordinary as Superior and Kiehl's as Average. The Ordinary helps with blemish control and offers products on this page that are affordable, whereas Kiehl's may cause breakouts and skin irritation according to reviewers.

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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