🇮🇪Ireland

The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin

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

The INKEY List and Allies of Skin are skincare brands offering thoughtful selections of moisturizers, serums, and eye products designed to address various skin needs. The British brand is built around glycerin, suiting sensitive and combination skin best with options like its PHA Toner, Azelaic Acid Serum, and Ceramide Moisturizer. Meanwhile, the second brand focuses on potent ingredients such as niacinamide to provide rich hydration and targeted nourishment, fitting dry and mature skin best through treatments like its Probiotics Mist, Firming Daily Treatment, and Firming Eye Cream. They differ primarily in their core ingredient choices and the specific skin types their formulations prioritize.

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

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

Popular The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin products

People Say

The INKEY ListAllies of Skin
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “nourished and hydrated — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
    • “more like a spray serum — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Woke up looking well-rested — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky feeling — Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment”
    • “Pores appear to be tighter — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and Soothing Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “Best retinol for sensitive skin — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “feels super soothing, doesn't trigger redness — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Lightweight and Fast-Absorbing Texture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “sinks easily into damp skin — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
  • Affordable Price and Value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “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”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Dramatic impact on acne — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
    • “reduces appearance of redness — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Pricey — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
  • Packaging and Dispensing Issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “pump head is fixed — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
    • “bad spritz mechanism — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
    • “Hate the pump — Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Slow or Lack of Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “didn't do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “still not impressed with the results — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
    • “Have not noticed improved skin quality yet — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
  • Breakouts and Skin Reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “Slightly irritating... when I first started — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
    • “rashes popped up on my neck — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”

The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin routines for dry skin

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The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin: which is better?

The INKEY List offers better affordability and lightweight textures, while Allies of Skin provides superior anti-aging and brightening performance with higher fit levels across most skin types.

What is the difference between The INKEY List and Allies of Skin?

The INKEY List offers affordable serums and lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizers, whereas Allies of Skin focuses on gentle yet effective anti-aging and brightening formulas with a high price point. Reviewers note that the products on this page for The INKEY List tend to have packaging issues, while Allies of Skin frequently presents packaging and mechanical challenges.

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin for dry skin?

For dry skin, Allies of Skin is a better fit with a Superior routine level compared to The INKEY List which has a High routine fit level. Allies of Skin offers targeted hydration with options like Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream and Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist.

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin: which moisturizer is better?

The INKEY List and Allies of Skin both offer effective options, with The INKEY List providing affordable moisturizers and Allies of Skin featuring formulas with a Superior fit level for dry skin. Reviewers note that the products on this page for The INKEY List are lightweight and fast-absorbing, while Allies of Skin products are known for being gentle and effective.

Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or Allies of Skin?

The INKEY List offers greater affordability, as reviewers mostly mention its affordable serums and moisturizers, whereas Allies of Skin has a mostly mentioned high price point.

Between The INKEY List and Allies of Skin, which brand is better for mature skin?

Between the two brands, Allies of Skin is better suited for mature skin as it fits this skin type with a Superior routine rating compared to The INKEY List's High rating, and review themes show Allies of Skin does better for skin smoothing and texture improvement.

Which brand has fewer packaging and dispensing issues, The INKEY List or Allies of Skin?

The INKEY List does better than Allies of Skin on packaging and dispensing issues, as reviewers note packaging issues for The INKEY List while noting packaging and mechanical issues for Allies of Skin.

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin: which offers better skin smoothing and texture improvement?

Allies of Skin offers better skin smoothing and texture improvement on this page. Reviewers note that its products are gentle and effective.

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin for oily skin?

For oily skin, Allies of Skin is a better fit with a Superior routine fit level compared to The INKEY List at High. Reviewers note that Allies of Skin provides gentle, effective moisturizers and calming serums, though it comes with a high price point.

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin for sensitive skin?

Both The INKEY List and Allies of Skin fit sensitive skin at a Superior level on this page. Reviewers note that both brands offer gentle and soothing formulas.

The INKEY List or Allies of Skin for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Allies of Skin is a Superior routine fit, while The INKEY List is a High routine fit. The INKEY List offers the products on this page with affordable pricing and lightweight textures, whereas Allies of Skin provides effective anti-aging and brightening serums.

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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