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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 trusted moisturizers, cleansers, and toners that incorporate nourishing ingredients like glycerin. The brand founded in 1930 relies on hyaluronic acid and dimethicone, suiting dry and mature skin best, while the brand established in 1851 utilizes squalane to suit combination and mature skin. Both offer targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and aging, differing mainly in their active formulations and parent companies.

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 · 97% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% 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?

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

What is the difference between Neutrogena and Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is a United States brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026, while Kiehl's is a United States brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000. Lovi rates the products on this page for acne-prone skin as High for Neutrogena and Average for Kiehl's, and for dry sensitive skin as Average for Neutrogena and High for Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are a High fit for dry skin on their brand-focused routines. Reviewers mention that the products on this page for both brands offer deep and intense hydration.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Neutrogena is often preferred for acne-prone skin, where Lovi rates the Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser as Superior, while Kiehl's excels in deep cleansing and oil control, with Lovi rating the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner and Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash as Superior for oily skin.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is more affordable, whereas Kiehl's is noted for having a high price point across the products on this page.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which brand is better for anti-aging and skin texture?

Kiehl's does better than Neutrogena for skin texture improvement and anti-aging among the products on this page. Kiehl's features targeted products like the Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum that help stimulate collagen accumulation and improve overall skin quality.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which has fewer products with added fragrance?

Neutrogena has fewer products with added fragrance, as 35 of its 39 products on this page list no fragrance compared to 26 of 28 products for Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are a High fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that Neutrogena offers better lightweight and non-greasy textures and acne-safe formulas, while Kiehl's is often associated with skin texture improvement and brightening.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Neutrogena is often preferred for acne-safe and lightweight moisturizers, whereas Kiehl's is frequently chosen for products focused on skin texture improvement and anti-aging. Lovi rates the routine fit for moisturizers as High for both brands on dry skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Neutrogena is a High fit for sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's is an Average fit for sensitive skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Neutrogena is better for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page achieve a High fit level, whereas Kiehl's achieves a High fit level for a broader range of skin types including sensitive and combination skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Neutrogena is a better fit for acne-prone skin because Lovi rates its brand-focused routine as High for this skin type, compared to an Average fit for Kiehl's. Reviewers also note that Neutrogena offers more acne-safe and gentle formulas than Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Neutrogena fits dry skin, mature skin, and sensitive skin best, whereas Kiehl's fits combination skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots best on the products on this page. For skin with dark spots specifically, Neutrogena has a High routine fit while Kiehl's also has a High routine fit.

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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