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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 prominent skincare brands owned by L'Oréal S.A., with the American label founded in 1851 and the French house established in 1935. Kiehl's is beloved for thoughtful moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more incorporating glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and combination skin best. Conversely, Lancôme is deeply loved for its thoughtful array of moisturizers, eye products, serums, toners, and more formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and adenosine, which suit sensitive skin and mature skin best. While both utilize nourishing glycerin to support the skin, they differ in their targeted active ingredients and ideal skin types.

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 · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% 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?

Kiehl's is generally better than Lancôme, as Lovi shows the products on this page have a High routine fit across almost all skin types compared to Lancôme's Average fit. Kiehl's also tends to be better for sensitive skin and skin barrier improvement, while Lancôme is often noted for a stronger fragrance.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Lancôme?

Comparing the products on this page, Kiehl's generally achieves higher routine fit levels across most skin types than Lancôme. Kiehl's is particularly noted for being gentle on sensitive skin and improving skin barrier and texture, whereas Lancôme excels in deep hydration and moisturization.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for oily skin?

For oily skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because Lovi rates its routine fit as High, whereas Lancôme's routine fit is Average.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's cleanser options are generally better suited for most skin types on the products on this page, whereas Lancôme cleanser options show poor fit levels across the board. Kiehl's routines achieve higher Lovi fit ratings for oily, combination, and sensitive skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Lancôme?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme have a high price point according to the reviews of the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which brand has more fragrance-free products?

Kiehl's has significantly more fragrance-free products on the products on this page, with 26 out of 28 options listing no fragrance compared to only 3 out of 14 for Lancôme.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which is better for brightening and fading dark spots?

Both brands perform equally for brightening and fading dark spots, but Kiehl's routine fit levels are High compared to Lancôme's Average level for this skin concern. Kiehl's also offers a wider variety of fragrance-free products on this page to help avoid potential skin irritation.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which brand is better for improving the skin barrier?

Kiehl's does better than Lancôme for skin barrier and texture improvement. Lovi fit for dry sensitive skin is High for Kiehl's and Average for Lancôme.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Kiehl's is better for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Average for Lancôme. Kiehl's also does better for sensitive skin on review themes, and the products on this page are mostly fragrance-free.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, Kiehl's is generally better than Lancôme, as the products on this page for Kiehl's achieve a High routine fit for dry, sensitive, and mature skin types compared to an Average fit for Lancôme. Kiehl's moisturizers are mostly mentioned as lightweight and non-greasy, and almost all of the brand's products on this page list no fragrance.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Kiehl's and Lancôme have an equal Lovi routine fit of Average. The products on this page for Kiehl's are less likely to contain added fragrance than Lancôme.

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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