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Kiehl's vs Lancôme

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

Kiehl's and Lancôme are two historic skincare brands owned by L'Oréal S.A., with the American brand founded in 1851 and the French house established in 1935. Kiehl's is beloved for expertly formulated moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products featuring glycerin and squalane that best suit combination and mature skin. Conversely, Lancôme is deeply loved for its thoughtful array of moisturizers, eye products, serums, and toners carefully formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and adenosine to best suit sensitive and mature skin. While both brands offer targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and aging concerns through ingredients that increase hydration and restore barrier function, they differ in their foundational formulations and regional heritage.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Lancôme is a French skincare brand founded in 1935 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1964.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Lancôme products

People Say

Kiehl'sLancôme
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives my skin an instant dewy glow — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “keeps the skin soft and hydrated — Lancôme HYDRA ZEN”
    • “The product provides deep hydration and visible rejuvenation. — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Night Cream”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “absorbs almost instantly — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
  • Gentle for sensitive skin Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't irritate sensitive eyes — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Doesn't sting my eyes — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement 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”
    • “Skin feels cushiony soft — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Makeup compatibility and primer benefits Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer applies smoothly — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
    • “layers beautifully under makeup — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
  • Brightening and fading dark spots Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks lit from within — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “eyes look rested — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “super expensive — Lancôme Absolue Precious Oil”
    • “expensive as hell — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
  • Ineffective or slow 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 notice much change in wrinkles — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Unpleasant or strong fragrance issues 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”
    • “My only issue with it is the fragrance. — Lancôme Hydra Zen Gel Cream”

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme are great brands, with Kiehl's being particularly notable for being fragrance-free in most of its products on this page and Lancôme excelling in deep hydration.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Lancôme?

Kiehl's and Lancôme both offer high routine fit levels across most skin types, but they differ in formulation focus and fragrance inclusion. The products on this page from Kiehl's are largely fragrance-free, whereas most Lancôme products contain added fragrance. Additionally, Kiehl's performs better for soothing sensitive skin, while Lancôme is noted for providing deeper hydration.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products on the products on this page, whereas almost all Lancôme options include fragrance.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's offers cleansers with higher Lovi fit levels across multiple skin types compared to the Crême Radiance on this page. Kiehl's cleansers also feature virtually no added fragrance, whereas the Lancôme cleanser lists fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Lancôme?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme have a high price point among the products on this page, making them equal in affordability.

Between Kiehl's and Lancôme, which brand has more fragrance-free products?

Kiehl's has more fragrance-free products than LancBme on the products on this page. Specifically, 26 of Kiehl's 28 products list no fragrance, while only 3 of LancBme's 14 products do.

Which brand performs better for brightening and fading dark spots according to reviewers?

Reviewers note that both Kiehl's and Lancôme perform equally well for brightening and fading dark spots. Additionally, the products on this page from both brands offer high Lovi fit levels for skin with dark spots.

How do the founding years and parent companies of Kiehl's and Lancôme compare?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, while Lancôme was founded in 1935 in France. Both brands are owned by L'Oréal S.A., with Lancôme acquired in 1964 and Kiehl's in 2000.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme offer a High routine fit for oily skin based on the products on this page. Kiehl's features several cleansers and toners rated as Superior for oily skin, whereas Lancôme focuses more on lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, Lancôme is better for deep hydration and moisturization among the products on this page, while Kiehl's is better for being gentle on sensitive skin and improving the skin barrier. Both brands are equal when it comes to a high price point and poor value.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme have a High routine fit for sensitive skin, though Kiehl's is noted on this page for being gentler for sensitive skin. The products on this page for Kiehl's also tend to feature far less added fragrance compared to Lancôme.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lancôme fits better overall because its routine achieves a High level compared to Kiehl's Average level. Both brands provide lightweight and non-greasy textures across the products on this page.

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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