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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 historic beauty houses offering nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and restorative eye products. Both brands utilize glycerin, while the American house features squalane and the French house integrates hyaluronic acid and adenosine. Kiehl's suits mature skin and combination skin best, whereas Lancôme is tailored for sensitive skin and mature skin. Ultimately, the brands differ through their specific formulations, key ingredients, and target 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 · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme offer great routines across various skin types, but Kiehl's is particularly well-suited for combination skin while Lancôme excels for acne-prone skin. Kiehl's also stands out for its fragrance-free formulation across most of its products, whereas Lancôme frequently includes fragrance in its range.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Lancôme?

Kiehl's and Lancôme are both owned by L'Oréal S.A., but Kiehl's was founded in the United States in 1851 with a strong focus on fragrance-free formulations, while Lancôme originates from France in 1935 and predominantly features scented products on this page.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme provide a High routine fit for dry skin. Kiehl's is mostly mentioned for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and deep hydration, while Lancôme is mostly noted for deep hydration and fast-absorbing formulas.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers, Kiehl's is the better choice because it does better for sensitive skin and skin barrier improvement. Kiehl's has a wider variety of cleansers on the products on this page tailored for different skin concerns compared to Lancôme.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Lancôme?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme are on the higher end of the price spectrum, with high price points frequently noted by reviewers for the products on this page.

Between Kiehl's and Lancôme, which brand is better for reducing dark spots?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme are great for dark spots, as Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as High for skin with dark spots. Kiehl's features dedicated brighteners like Vitamin C across many of its products, while Lancôme relies on advanced anti-aging serums.

How do Kiehl's and Lancôme compare regarding fragrance in their products?

Kiehl's has much less fragrance across the products on this page, as 26 of its 28 products list no fragrance compared to only 3 of 14 for Lancôme. Reviewers note that Lancôme's stronger fragrance is sometimes an issue, whereas Kiehl's is noted as doing better on fragrance issues.

Which brand performs better for mature skin routines, Kiehl's or Lancôme?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme perform equally well for mature skin routines, as Lovi rates both brands with a High fit level for this skin type. Reviewers note that both brands offer deep hydration and lightweight moisturizers and serums that help improve skin texture.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme are a High fit for oily skin. The products on this page for Kiehl's include dedicated oil-control cleansers and toners rated as Superior for oily skin, whereas Lancôme focuses more on general hydration and lightweight textures.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme offer products on this page that provide deep hydration and moisturization. Kiehl's is particularly well known for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers, while Lancôme is noted for deep hydration and lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizers.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's does better for sensitive skin according to reviewer themes and is largely fragrance-free on this page. Lancôme is mostly formulated with fragrance.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lancôme fits better than Kiehl's overall. Lovi rates the routine fit for Lancôme as High, while Kiehl's is Average on this page.

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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