🇫🇷France

Kiehl's vs Clarins

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

Kiehl's and Clarins are esteemed skincare houses offering nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, delicate eye products, and refreshing toners. Kiehl's is known for incorporating glycerin and squalane to suit skin with dark spots and combination skin best, while the French brand harnesses soothing shea and replenishing squalane to favor sensitive skin and mature skin. Both differ in their specific formulations, as the American line relies on glycerin and squalane for hydration and barrier support, whereas the European house utilizes shea and squalane to reduce redness and increase collagen.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clarins products

People Say

Kiehl'sClarins
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “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”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
  • No white cast and glowing skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • 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”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Makeup base and primer compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Rich and creamy texture Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “feels luxurious and thick — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • 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”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Breakouts and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • 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 see a lift — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “no change in circles — Clarins Double Serum Eye”

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clarins: which is better?

When comparing the products on this page, Clarins tends to offer deeper hydration and richer textures, while Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free formulations and specialized routines for oily and acne-prone skin. Both brands provide high routine fit levels across most skin types, though Clarins is frequently noted for luxurious textures and strong fragrances.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's and Clarins both offer high routine fit levels across most skin types, but Kiehl's features fragrance-free formulas in most of its products on this page while Clarins relies heavily on added fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clarins for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins offer a High routine fit for dry skin on the products on this page, with Clarins excelling particularly in deep hydration. Squalane and glycerin are key ingredients across the products for both brands, helping to maintain moisture levels.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's offers cleansers with a High to Superior Lovi fit across multiple skin types on this page, whereas Clarins cleansers generally reach a High or Average fit. Kiehl's cleansers also feature fewer added fragrances across the products on this page compared to Clarins.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clarins?

The products on this page for both Kiehl's and Clarins share a high price point according to reviewers, so neither brand is more affordable.

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, which brand has fewer products containing fragrance?

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, Kiehl's has fewer products containing fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to almost all of the Clarins products.

Which brand performs better for deep hydration according to review themes?

Clarins performs better for deep hydration on the products on this page according to review themes.

What are the founding years and countries of origin for Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, while Clarins was founded in 1954 in France.

Kiehl's or Clarins for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins fit oily skin well, with equal routine levels. Reviewers mention that the products on this page from Kiehl's help provide lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers, while Clarins products may offer hydrating and glowing serums.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

Kiehl's and Clarins both offer effective moisturizers, with Kiehl's providing particularly lightweight formulas and Clarins focusing on luxurious, deeply hydrating textures. Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as High for dry, oily, and mature skin types. Selecting between them depends on whether you prefer Kiehl's mostly fragrance-free range or Clarins' heavily scented formulations.

Kiehl's or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products on this page, while Clarins formulas often include fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

Clarins fits acne-prone skin better with a High routine fit level, compared to an Average fit level for Kiehl's.

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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