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Clarins vs The INKEY List

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

Clarins and The INKEY List are distinct skincare lines, with the French house founded in 1954 offering nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, delicate eye products, and refreshing toners with soothing shea and replenishing squalane, while the British brand founded in 2018 provides similar product categories built around glycerin. Both options suit sensitive skin, though the former tends to favor mature skin with standout treatments like the Extra-Firming Day Cream and Super Restorative Night Cream, whereas the latter caters well to combination and acne-prone skin through items such as the PHA Toner. Ultimately, they differ through their foundational elements, as the first brand harnesses shea butter to reduce redness and squalane to increase collagen, while the second brand utilizes glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function.

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

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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 Clarins and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Clarins vs The INKEY List products

People Say

ClarinsThe INKEY List
  • Hydration and moisture Mostly MentionedOften 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”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
  • Affordable price and value 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”
  • Good makeup base and primer Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
    • “concealer sits better — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “Brilliant makeup base — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Texture smoothing and exfoliation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Glass skin — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “makes skin silky smooth — Clarins Hydrating Toning Lotion”
  • Acne clearing and blemish control Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Fragrance and scent issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Packaging and pump design flaws Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “dispenses too much product — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “dispenses too much — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Very difficult to squeeze out at first — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • High price point Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
  • Skin irritation and breakouts Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Clarins vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Clarins or The INKEY List: which is better?

The INKEY List may be better for affordability, lightweight textures, and acne clearing, while Clarins is often chosen for its hydrating and smoothing moisturizers, as well as its good makeup base and primer.

What is the difference between Clarins and The INKEY List?

Clarins is founded in France in 1954 and features products with fragrance, whereas The INKEY List is founded in the United Kingdom in 2018 and has every product on the page listing no fragrance. The INKEY List is better for affordability and lightweight texture, while Clarins is better for hydration and moisture.

Clarins or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List have a High routine fit for dry skin. Reviewers note that Clarins offers hydrating and smoothing moisturizers, while The INKEY List provides hydrating moisturizers at an affordable price.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser may provide better blemish control and texture smoothing, as reviewers note it is better for acne clearing, while Clarins cleansers tend to feature fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Clarins or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Clarins, as affordable price and value is a reviewer theme where The INKEY List does better while Clarins has a high price point.

How do Clarins and The INKEY List compare regarding fragrance and scent issues?

Clarins has fragrance issues, as 23 of the 24 products on its page list fragrance, whereas The INKEY List does better because every product on its page lists no fragrance.

Which brand performs better for texture smoothing and exfoliation?

The INKEY List does better for texture smoothing and exfoliation.

What are the country of origin and founding years for Clarins and The INKEY List?

Clarins was founded in France in 1954, while The INKEY List was founded in the United Kingdom in 2018.

Clarins or The INKEY List for oily skin?

The INKEY List is a better fit for oily skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Clarins's Average level. Reviewers also note that The INKEY List excels in lightweight, fast-absorbing textures and acne clearing.

Clarins or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

The INKEY List is better for lightweight and fast-absorbing moisturizers, while Clarins is better for hydration, moisture, and glowing textures. The products on this page for The INKEY List also tend to be more affordable.

Clarins or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

The INKEY List is better for sensitive skin, achieving a Superior Lovi fit compared to Clarins' High fit. The INKEY List products on this page list no fragrance, whereas 23 of 24 Clarins products contain fragrance.

Clarins or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both Clarins and The INKEY List achieve a High routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. The INKEY List is particularly noted for acne clearing and blemish control, whereas Clarins focuses more on hydration and smoothing.

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

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