🇫🇷France

Kiehl's vs Bioderma

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

Kiehl's and Bioderma are well-regarded skincare brands rooted in different continents and decades. The American house is celebrated for thoughtful moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products utilizing glycerin and squalane, while the French maker is cherished for gentle moisturizers, soothing makeup removers, targeted serums, and purifying cleansers enriched with glycerin. Kiehl's suits skin with dark spots and combination skin best, whereas Bioderma suits acne-prone skin and oily acne-prone skin best. Ultimately, they differ in their foundational ingredients and specific target concerns, as both rely on glycerin to improve skin hydration and restore barrier function.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Bioderma is a French skincare brand founded in 1977 and owned by Jean-Noël Thorel Foundation since 2018.

bioderma.usnaos.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Bioderma products

People Say

Kiehl'sBioderma
  • Gentle on sensitive skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't sting my eyes — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “doesn't cause any irritation — Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Oil”
    • “mildest face wash I've tried — Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization 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”
    • “healed my dry skin — Bioderma Sébium Hydra”
    • “skin feels plump — Bioderma Atoderm Crème Ultra”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “absorbs instantly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
  • Excellent makeup base Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Foundation didn't settle into pores — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
    • “foundation sits perfectly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
  • Deep cleansing and pore care Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Probably the first cleanser that actually took all of my makeup off my face!!! — Bioderma Sébium Gel moussant”
    • “melts makeup away — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “Noticeable difference in size of pores — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Improves skin barrier and texture Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “healed my skin barrier in two weeks — Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “pricier than other brands — Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant”
    • “finished too quickly — Bioderma Hydrabio Serum”
    • “pricey for water — Bioderma Sensibio H2O”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Greasy residue and shine Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “requires a thorough follow-up — Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Oil”
    • “leaves a shine — Bioderma Sébium Hydra”
    • “leaves an oily film — Bioderma Sensibio AR”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Dryness and lack of moisture Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “some extremely dry skin types need a thicker balm or oil on top — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Skin looks like sandpaper — Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner”
  • Causes breakouts and acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “broke me out — Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume”
    • “clogged my pores — Bioderma Sensibio AR”
    • “clogged my pores — Bioderma Atoderm Crème Ultra”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”

Kiehl's vs Bioderma routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Bioderma routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Bioderma routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Bioderma: which is better?

Both brands are great depending on your skin needs, with Kiehl's offering a High routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin, while Bioderma matches this with a High routine fit for the exact same skin types plus a High fit for acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Bioderma?

Bioderma is better for sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and deep cleansing, while Kiehl's is better for a lightweight texture and improving the skin barrier. Both brands offer high routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, dark spot, and dry sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Bioderma for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Bioderma offer a High routine fit for dry skin. Kiehl's is often noted for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers, while Bioderma is recognized for soothing and barrier-repairing formulas.

Kiehl's or Bioderma: which cleanser is better?

Bioderma is better for cleansers, as the products on this page excel particularly in deep cleansing and pore care. Reviewers also note that Bioderma offers gentle and effective cleansers.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Bioderma?

Reviewers note a high price point for both Kiehl's and Bioderma, but neither brand details specific pricing on this page.

Kiehl's or Bioderma: which brand offers more fragrance-free products?

Kiehl's offers significantly more fragrance-free products on this page, with 26 out of 28 items listing no fragrance. In contrast, Bioderma features fragrance in more than half of the products on this page.

How do the founding countries and parent companies of Kiehl's and Bioderma differ?

Kiehl's was founded in the United States in 1851 and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas Bioderma was founded in France in 1977 and is owned by the Jean-Noël Thorel Foundation.

Kiehl's or Bioderma: which is better for improving skin barrier and texture?

Kiehl's does better for improving skin barrier and texture among the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Bioderma for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Bioderma fit oily skin well, with Lovi rating their routines as High. Kiehl's is often noted for a lighter, less greasy texture.

Kiehl's or Bioderma: which moisturizer is better?

Bioderma works better for soothing and barrier-repairing moisturizers, while Kiehl's offers better lightweight and non-greasy textures. Reviewers note that the products on this page for Bioderma focus on barrier-repairing care, whereas Kiehl's specializes in lightweight hydration.

Kiehl's or Bioderma for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Bioderma are a High fit for sensitive skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that Bioderma does better for being gentle on sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Bioderma for acne-prone skin?

Bioderma is better for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High while Kiehl's is Average. Bioderma also does better on deep cleansing and pore care according to reviewer feedback.

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