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Kiehl's vs Shiseido

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

Kiehl's and Shiseido are heritage beauty houses, with the American brand founded in 1851 and the Japanese counterpart established in 1872. Kiehl's is beloved for moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products featuring glycerin and squalane, which suit combination skin and dark spots best. Conversely, Shiseido is known for cleansers, sunscreens, and moisturizers with glycerin that cater ideally to sensitive and mature skin. Ultimately, the two differ in their targeted botanical formulations and distinct regional origins.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Shiseido is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1872 and owned by Shiseido Company, Limited.

corp.shiseido.comen.wikipedia.orgmarketscreener.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Shiseido products

People Say

Kiehl'sShiseido
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Immediate sensation of comfort — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels plump, soft and nourished, eliminates dryness, bouncy feel — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Skin feels more hydrated — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Airy-soft texture — Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Velvety smooth — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
    • “makes skin baby soft — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “smoothes rough skin — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Radiance and relaxing experience Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter, more radiant, and "glowy." — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “Pleasant floral fragrance, relaxing, luxurious smell. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “spa-like scent, high-quality packaging, little goes a long way — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Luxurious texture and formula Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “silky smooth, rich but non-greasy, absorbs quickly, melts into skin — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Velvety, rich cream texture — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Velvety texture — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
  • Plumping and anti-aging Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Smoothed out crow's feet — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “tighter jawline, lifted appearance, improved elasticity, less sagging — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “wrinkles look softer — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “Skin looks noticeably more plump — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • High price and cost value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Very expensive for the size — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Expensive, pricey, high cost for the amount. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
  • Unpleasant or strong scent Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “old lady smell — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Greasy residue and oiliness Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “Stays tacky and shiny — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “feels a bit oily — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched”
    • “A little too much (too greasy) — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lack of results or effectiveness Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “No change in deep wrinkles — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “No noticeable difference, not moisturizing enough on its own. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “no visible lifting, just a moisturizer, didn't erase deep wrinkles — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Shiseido routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido are great brands, but Kiehl's is often preferred for lightweight, non-greasy textures and fragrance-free options, while Shiseido excels in deep hydration and luxurious formulations.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Shiseido?

Kiehl's products on this page tend to offer a more lightweight and non-greasy texture, whereas Shiseido products on this page are often noted for deeper hydration and a more luxurious formula. Both brands feature high price points, but Kiehl's uses fragrance in very few products on this page compared to Shiseido.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for dry skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's is a better fit with a High routine level compared to Shiseido's Average level. The products on this page for Kiehl's help provide deep hydration, with key ingredients like glycerin and squalane.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which cleanser is better?

Shiseido is better for deep-cleansing and efficient cleansers among the products on this page, while Kiehl's cleansers have a Lovi fit level that varies by skin type. Shiseido's cleansers feature a deep-cleansing and efficient formulation supported by reviews.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Shiseido?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido are similar in that the products on this page have a high price point.

How do the fragrance levels and scent concerns compare between Kiehl's and Shiseido products?

Kiehl's offers far fewer fragranced options, as the products on this page list no fragrance in 26 out of 28 items, whereas Shiseido includes fragrance in 15 out of 20 products. Reviewers note strong fragrance as a frequent drawback for Shiseido, while Kiehl's encounters scent concerns linked to an unpleasant or strong smell.

Which brand performs better for deep hydration and moisturization according to reviewer themes?

According to the reviewer themes on this page, Shiseido performs better than Kiehl's for deep hydration and moisturization.

What are the differences in founding history, parent companies, and origins between Kiehl's and Shiseido?

Kiehl's was founded in 1872 in Japan and is owned by Shiseido Company, Limited, while Shiseido was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page help provide oil control while maintaining a lightweight feel.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer moisturizers with great benefits, but Shiseido does better for deep hydration and moisturization according to reviewers. Kiehl's products on this page are generally fragrance-free, whereas most Shiseido products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but they differ in formulation and user feedback. Kiehl's features fragrance-free options for almost all of its products on this page, whereas Shiseido frequently includes fragrance.

Kiehl's or Shiseido: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and Shiseido offer sunscreens with strong options for the products on this page, but Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum achieves High Lovi fit levels across skin with dark spots, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin. Shiseido's Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream also reaches High or Superior levels for these skin types, but Shiseido products more frequently list fragrance.

Kiehl's or Shiseido for acne-prone skin?

Shiseido is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level. Shiseido's products on this page help provide deep cleansing and efficient care, though users should note that strong fragrance is often mentioned.

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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