SK-II vs A+
SK-II and A+ are distinct skincare brands founded in Japan and India, respectively, that offer luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, clarifying toners, and restorative masks. SK-II relies on its signature ingredient, pitera, to suit dry skin and acne-prone skin best through products like the Genoptics Ultraura Essence, Facial Treatment Essence, and Facial Treatment Clear Lotion, while A+ is widely beloved for its gentle moisturizers and thoughtfully calibrated formulas that suit sensitive skin best, such as the 345 Relief Cream for acne-prone skin. Ultimately, both differ as the former addresses imbalances to improve pore area, roughness, and redness, whereas the latter reliably supports daily moisture balance.
SK-II is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.
en.wikipedia.orgdiscoversk-ii.wixsite.comglossy.co
A+ is an Indian skincare brand founded in 1990.
This page compares some of the most popular SK-II and A+ products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Questions and answers
SK-II or A+: which is better?
SK-II is the better choice for the products on this page, as it earns high Lovi fit levels across a wide variety of skin types, while A+ only reaches an average fit at best. SK-II features Pitera as its key ingredient across every product without added fragrance.
What is the difference between SK-II and A+?
SK-II offers a broader range of fragrance-free products on this page featuring Pitera, with Lovi fit levels reaching High or Superior for skin types like dry, acne-prone, and oily skin. In contrast, A+ features only one moisturizer on this page with lower Lovi fit levels for combination and oily skin.
SK-II or A+: which moisturizer is better?
SK-II stands out as the better choice here, as the products on this page achieve High fits for dry and mature skin types, whereas A+ products on this page only reach Average or Low fits for those same concerns.
Which is more affordable, SK-II or A+?
The products on this page from SK-II and A+ do not include pricing information, so affordability cannot be compared here.
Which causes fewer breakouts, SK-II or A+?
SK-II is a better fit for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates several of the products on this page as having a High fit for this skin type, whereas A+ only offers an Average fit. Pitera helps condition the skin across these formulas, which are unlikely to cause irritation since every product on this page lists no fragrance.
Which brand has been around longer, SK-II or A+?
SK-II has been around longer, having been founded in Japan in 1980, whereas A+ was founded in India in 1990.
Do any products from SK-II or A+ contain fragrance?
Every product on this page from both SK-II and A+ lists no fragrance in its ingredients.
What is the key active ingredient across SK-II products?
The key active ingredient across the products on this page for SK-II is Pitera.
Research behind their key ingredients
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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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.
