Kiehl's vs Aēsop
Kiehl's and Aēsop are two beloved skincare brands offering thoughtful moisturizers, cleansers, serums, toners, and eye products. The American brand is known for incorporating nourishing glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and combination skin best, whereas the botanical-driven maker suits balanced, combination, and sensitive skin. While the former relies on targeted formulations, both create harmonious compositions that support overall skin health.
Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.
This page compares some of the most popular Kiehl's and Aēsop products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular Kiehl's vs Aēsop products
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Ultra Facial Cream
€45.45
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Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
€41.45
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Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution
€52.44
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Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque
€20.70
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Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum
€47.44
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Midnight Recovery Concentrate
€64.40
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Better Screen UV Serum
€18.90
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Super Multi-Corrective Cream
€78.00
People Say
Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
- “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
- “woke up with baby-soft skin — Aēsop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment”
- “Savior of my winter-fueled dry skin. — Aēsop B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel”
Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
- “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”
- “absorbs well into the skin — Aēsop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment”
Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care Often MentionedSometimes Noted
- “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
- “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
- “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
- “Leaves my face feeling soft after cleansing. — Aēsop Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser”
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”
- “I used to have severe flaking... but after using this product, it's disappeared. — Aēsop Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser”
Scent and Fragrance Experience Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
- “smells divine — Aēsop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment”
- “Soft herbal scent that feels fresh and floral. — Aēsop Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser”
- “calming lavender smell — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
Skin Rescue and Soothing Not notedOften Mentioned
- “saved my skin — Aēsop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment”
- “Reduces inflammation overnight. — Aēsop B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel”
- “my small blemishes noticeably diminished — Aēsop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum”
High Price and Poor Value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
- “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
- “overpriced for what it does — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
- “quantity is too small — Aēsop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment”
Sticky Finish and Pilling Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
- “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
- “rolled off my face — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
- “pills under my makeup — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
- “Thick, almost honey-like, and needs a moment to melt in. — Aēsop B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel”
Packaging and Design Flaws Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
- “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”
- “The downside is the pump. — Aēsop Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser”
Insufficient Moisture or Ineffectiveness Often MentionedNot noted
- “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
Questions and answers
Kiehl's or Aēsop: which is better?
Kiehl's does better than Aēsop for lightweight textures, gentle sensitive skin care, and skin barrier and texture improvement. Aēsop offers a more luxurious scent and fragrance experience along with skin rescue and soothing, while both brands tie for hydration and moisture.
What is the difference between Kiehl's and Aēsop?
Kiehl's offers a much larger variety of products with high Lovi fit levels across skin types, whereas Aēsop features just a few selective formulations. Reviewers note that Kiehl's excels in lightweight textures and gentle care, while Aēsop stands out for its luxurious and refreshing scents.
Kiehl's or Aēsop: which cleanser is better?
Kiehl's offers a much broader selection of cleansers with high Lovi fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin types, whereas Aēsop features only a single facial cleanser on this page. Reviewers frequently note that Kiehl's cleansers provide targeted benefits, though Aēsop is praised for its luxurious and refreshing scents.
Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Aēsop?
Both brands face frequent reviewer complaints about their high price points. Review themes show that high price and poor value is a notable drawback specifically associated with Kiehl's.
Which causes fewer breakouts, Kiehl's or Aēsop?
Kiehl's products on this page list high fit levels for acne-prone skin in several cleansers and treatments, whereas Aēsop has fewer options on the page and reviewers note that Kiehl's generally does better for texture and barrier care.
Between Kiehl's and Aēsop, which brand offers better options for dry skin hydration?
Kiehl's offers better options for dry skin hydration, featuring products on this page like the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate which achieves a Superior fit level for dry skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides deep hydration with lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.
How do the fragrance profiles of Kiehl's and Aēsop products compare based on ingredient lists?
Based on ingredient lists on the products on this page, Aēsop features no fragrance in every product, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in only two of its twenty-eight products.
Which brand has a wider variety of products tailored for acne-prone skin?
Kiehl's offers a much wider variety of products on this page tailored for acne-prone skin compared to Aësop, featuring numerous cleansers, toners, masks, and serums rated with High fit levels for acne-prone skin.
Kiehl's or Aēsop: which moisturizer is better?
Kiehl's offers a much wider selection of moisturizers that achieve High or Superior Lovi fit levels for specific skin types, whereas Aēsop has very few facial hydration products on this page.
Research behind their key ingredients
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Topical menthol--a human model for cold pain by activation and sensitization of C nociceptors
Effects of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) on Skin Health: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence
The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Psychophysical study of the effects of topical application of menthol in healthy volunteers
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Apigenin inhibits UVA-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and prevents signs of skin aging in vivo
Panax ginseng induces human Type I collagen synthesis through activation of Smad signaling
Vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate promotes epidermal thickening and collagen production in human skin
Effect of Camellia japonica oil on human type I procollagen production and skin barrier function
Calendula extract: effects on mechanical parameters of human skin
A comparative study of gluconolactone versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne
Natural Arctium lappa fruit extract improves the clinical signs of aging skin
Preparation and evaluation of anti-wrinkle cream containing saffron extract and avocado oil
In vitro and in vivo anti-allergic effects of Arctium lappa L
Design and in vivo evaluation of emulgel formulations including green tea extract and rose oil
The evaluation of aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion for photodamage
Skin barrier changes induced by aluminum oxide and sodium chloride microdermabrasion
Highly efficient and compatible shampoo for use after hair transplant
Nanocomplex of quaternized cyclodextrin grafted chitosan and hyaluronic acid for a skin delivery
Histometric assessment of the age-related skin response to 2-hydroxy-5-octanoyl benzoic acid
Clinical and histologic changes determine optimal treatment regimens for microdermabrasion
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Clinical Assessment of a Novel Jasmonate Cosmeceutical, LR2412-Cx, for the Treatment of Skin Aging
Evolution of lipid composition in skin treated with blackcurrant seed oil
Retrospective Review of Dermal Safety Studies of Organic Sunscreens
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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