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Kiehl's vs Avène

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

Kiehl's and Avène are two established skincare brands that offer a thoughtful approach to daily maintenance. The American label is celebrated for its expertly formulated moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products featuring glycerin and squalane, which suit combination and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the French house is beloved for its gentle moisturizers, protective sunscreens, targeted serums, and soothing cleansers formulated with glycerin, making them ideal for oily, acne-prone, and combination skin. While both brands work to increase hydration and restore epidermal barrier function, the first focuses broadly on counteracting oxidative stress and stimulating fibroblast migration, whereas the second provides specialized soothing solutions.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Avène products

People Say

Kiehl'sAvène
  • Skin Barrier and Tone Improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “absorbs very quickly — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often 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”
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
  • Gentleness and Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “no irritation at all — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Pores 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”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “keeps skin matte — Avène Cleanance”
  • Soothing Irritation and Redness Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Calms angry, red skin — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Application and Texture Difficulties Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “too thick — Avène Hydrance+”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with tiny whiteheads all over — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Caused small bumps/texture — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Scents and Fragrance Rarely NotedSometimes 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”
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Avène: which is better?

Both brands offer solid options, but Kiehl's is a better fit for dry sensitive skin while Avène is a better fit for acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Avène?

Kiehl's and Avène both offer high fit levels for many skin types, but Kiehl's does better on scents and fragrance because most of the products on this page list no fragrance. Avène does better on gentleness and sensitive skin as well as soothing irritation and redness.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry skin?

Kiehl's is a better fit for dry skin, offering High routine fit compared to Avène's Average fit. Kiehl's features specialized hydrating products like Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, which provides Superior fit for dry skin.

Kiehl's or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's offers a high to superior Lovi fit for oily and acne-prone skin with its cleansers on this page, while Avène also performs strongly in gentle cleansing. Kiehl's is less likely to feature fragrance across its products compared to Avène.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Avène?

Avène is generally more affordable than Kiehl's, as high price points are often noted by reviewers for Kiehl's compared to Avène.

Kiehl's or Avène: which brand has fewer products with fragrance?

Kiehl's has fewer products with fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to 7 of 15 products for Avène.

Kiehl's or Avène for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer products that are well-suited for oily skin, with routine fit levels rated as High for the products on this page. Kiehl's features a high proportion of fragrance-free formulas, while Avène is frequently noted for its gentle deep-cleaning cleansers.

Kiehl's or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer great moisturizers, and the right choice depends on your specific skin type and scent preferences. Kiehl's is a great option for dry skin and dry sensitive skin, where its routine fit is High, and it performs better on scents since most products on this page list no fragrance. Avène is a better choice for acne-prone skin, where its routine fit is High compared to Kiehl's Average, and it is noted for soothing irritation.

Kiehl's or Avène for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin. Avène does better for gentleness and sensitive skin, while Kiehl's has fewer products on this page containing fragrance.

Kiehl's or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

When comparing sunscreen options on this page, Avène Cleanance has a Superior Lovi fit level for oily skin, whereas Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High Lovi fit level for sensitive skin and skin with dark spots. Both brands offer sunscreen products with specific skin type advantages.

Kiehl's or Avène for acne-prone skin?

Avene is a better fit for acne-prone skin on this page, achieving a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average. Avene also does better for soothing irritation, while Kiehl's is better for scents and fragrance since most of its products on this page list no fragrance.

Kiehl's or Avène for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène provide a High routine fit for mature skin. Reviewers note that the products on this page for Kiehl's help improve skin texture and reduce dark spots, while Avène helps soothe irritation.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, Kiehl's is a better fit with a High routine fit level compared to Avène's Average fit. Kiehl's offers the products on this page with fragrance-free options across the majority of its range.

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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