🇪🇸Spain

Clarins vs The INKEY List

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

Clarins and The INKEY List are distinct skincare lines, with the French house founded in 1954 offering nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, delicate eye products, and refreshing toners with soothing shea and replenishing squalane, while the British brand founded in 2018 provides similar product categories built around glycerin. Both options suit sensitive skin, though the former tends to favor mature skin with standout treatments like the Extra-Firming Day Cream and Super Restorative Night Cream, whereas the latter caters well to combination and acne-prone skin through items such as the PHA Toner. Ultimately, they differ through their foundational elements, as the first brand harnesses shea butter to reduce redness and squalane to increase collagen, while the second brand utilizes glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function.

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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 Clarins and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Clarins vs The INKEY List products

People Say

ClarinsThe INKEY List
  • Hydration and moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Affordable price and value 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”
  • Good makeup base and primer Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “concealer sits better — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “Brilliant makeup base — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Texture smoothing and exfoliation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Glass skin — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “makes skin silky smooth — Clarins Hydrating Toning Lotion”
  • Acne clearing and blemish control Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Fragrance and scent issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump design flaws Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “dispenses too much — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price point Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
  • Skin irritation and breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Clarins or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List perform well, but they suit different needs and skin types. Clarins tends to fit sensitive and mature skin best, while The INKEY List is a strong option for sensitive, combination, and oily acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Clarins and The INKEY List?

Clarins tends to be a better match for shoppers looking for rich hydration and luxury textures, while The INKEY List focuses more on affordable options with lightweight formulas.

Clarins or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List fit dry skin well, as the routine fit for dry skin is High for each brand. Topical hyaluronic acid, which is featured in key ingredients across the products, helps improve skin hydration and signs of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Clarins or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List feature effective cleansers, with The INKEY List offering strong options like the Salicylic Acid Cleanser for oily and acne-prone skin, while Clarins provides nourishing choices such as the Hydrating Gentle Foaming Cleanser for dry skin. Topical treatments using ingredients like hyaluronic acid help support skin hydration.

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

Which is more affordable, Clarins or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Clarins, as high price point is a widely noted drawback for Clarins while affordability is a key advantage for The INKEY List.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Clarins and The INKEY List?

Clarins was founded in 1954 in France, whereas The INKEY List was founded later in 2018 in the United Kingdom.

Which brand performs better for texture smoothing and exfoliation according to reviewer themes?

According to reviewer themes, The INKEY List performs better for texture smoothing and exfoliation.

Do products from Clarins or The INKEY List contain fragrance?

Clarins includes fragrance in almost all the products on this page, whereas The INKEY List features no fragrance across its entire range.

Clarins or The INKEY List for oily skin?

The INKEY List is a better fit for oily skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Clarins and its Average level. The products on this page help provide lightweight and fast-absorbing hydration without feeling heavy.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List offer good moisturizers, with routine fits ranging from High to Superior depending on your skin type. Clarins focuses on luxurious hydrating and smoothing moisturizers, while The INKEY List provides affordable, lightweight, and fast-absorbing options.

Clarins or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

The INKEY List is a superior fit for sensitive skin compared to Clarins, which has a high fit. The INKEY List features fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page.

Clarins or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List fit acne-prone skin well, with Lovi fit levels of High for the products on this page. The INKEY List stands out for acne clearing and blemish control.

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