🇫🇷France

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List

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

Kiehl's and The INKEY List are heritage and contemporary skincare brands offering thoughtfully formulated moisturizers, serums, toners, eye products, and more. Kiehl's is known for nourishing glycerin and squalane, while The INKEY List builds its products around glycerin. The American brand suits dark spots and combination skin best with targeted formulations, whereas the British brand fits sensitive and combination skin best. They differ primarily in their founding heritage, targeted active ingredients, and overall approach to addressing specific skin concerns.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Kiehl'sThe INKEY List
  • Lightweight Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Gentle on Skin Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Makeup Compatibility Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Melts away makeup and impurities without drying — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “no pilling under makeup — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture 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”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
  • Affordable Price Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Efficacy and 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 do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands offer great options, but The INKEY List is generally more affordable, while Kiehl's is often noted for higher prices and richer skin barrier benefits. The products on this page from The INKEY List achieve a Superior fit for sensitive skin compared to Kiehl's High fit, making them a preferred choice for budget-conscious or sensitive shoppers.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and The INKEY List?

Kiehl's offers a wide range of products with higher pricing and known packaging issues, while The INKEY List provides more affordable options. Both brands deliver equal performance in terms of texture, hydration, and gentleness.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List offer a High routine fit for dry skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's provides formulations such as the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate with a Superior fit for dry skin, while The INKEY List features options like the Polyglutamic Acid Serum and Oat Cleansing Balm also achieving a Superior fit for dry skin.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List offer cleansers that are well-rated for various skin concerns on the products on this page. For instance, the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash from Kiehl's has a Superior fit for oily and oily acne-prone skin, while The INKEY List's Salicylic Acid Cleanser has a High fit for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable, as reviewers often mention its affordable price for moisturizers and serums while noting Kiehl's high price point.

Which brand is better for skin barrier and texture, Kiehl's or The INKEY List?

For skin barrier and texture, Kiehl's is noted as doing better on the products on this page. Reviewers often mention its benefits for skin barrier and texture.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which brand has better packaging and fewer packaging issues?

The INKEY List does better with packaging issues, whereas reviewers note packaging problems as a downside for Kiehl's on the products on this page.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List fit oily skin at a High level on this page. Kiehl's routine for oily skin is backed by active ingredients like Calendula officinalis flower extract, which helps soothe the skin.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, both brands offer well-regarded options, but The INKEY List is frequently noted by reviewers for providing affordable hydration. Kiehl's moisturizers on this page feature a high price point while delivering lightweight textures and deep hydration.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

The INKEY List offers a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, while Kiehl's provides a High routine fit for sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or The INKEY List for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and The INKEY List offer a High routine fit for mature skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is better for skin barrier and texture, while The INKEY List provides more affordable options.

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