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The INKEY List vs Elemis

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

The INKEY List and Elemis are British skincare brands offering specialized preparations built around glycerin and shea. The 2018-founded brand focuses on moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products that suit sensitive and combination skin best, while the 1989-founded brand is celebrated for nourishing serums, rich moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and refining toners that cater best to dry and mature skin. These offerings differ as the first relies solely on glycerin to significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function, whereas both use glycerin and the latter additionally incorporates shea butter to reduce inflammation and relieve skin pruritus.

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

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

Elemis is a British skincare brand founded in 1989 and owned by L'Occitane Group since 2019.

elemis.comau.elemis.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular The INKEY List vs Elemis products

People Say

The INKEY ListElemis
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “The cream really hydrates and my face looks amazing. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
    • “Quenches thirsty skin... immediate improvement. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Lightweight and Fast-Absorbing Texture Mostly MentionedOften 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 almost immediately, and my skin feels well hydrated all day. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Gentle and Soothing Formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “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”
    • “no stinging or redness — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
  • 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”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “baby soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “skin feels baby-soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “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”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Complete waste of money for me. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Fragrance and Scent Issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “The smell is very strong... could not handle for long. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Packaging Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “jar looks half empty — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “tube feels half empty — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “pump broke quickly — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”

The INKEY List vs Elemis routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The INKEY List vs Elemis routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The INKEY List vs Elemis routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The INKEY List or Elemis: which is better?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis are great options, as they offer equal routine fit levels across all skin types on this page. Reviewers report that The INKEY List helps provide a more affordable price and value with lightweight and fast-absorbing textures, while Elemis may help deliver smoother skin texture and a radiant glow.

What is the difference between The INKEY List and Elemis?

The INKEY List offers more affordable prices and fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page, whereas Elemis features luxurious textures with many scented options. Reviewers note that The INKEY List performs better for lightweight textures, gentle formulas, and acne control, while Elemis excels at smoothing skin texture.

The INKEY List or Elemis for dry skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis achieve a High routine fit for dry skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that both brands offer hydrating moisturizers.

The INKEY List or Elemis: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that both The INKEY List and Elemis offer cleansers with high fit levels for acne-prone, oily, and sensitive skin. Reviewers note that The INKEY List provides better value for affordable serums and moisturizers, while Elemis is known for smoothing skin texture.

Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or Elemis?

The INKEY List is more affordable, as reviewers on the products on this page frequently mention its affordable moisturizers and serums, whereas Elemis reviewers mostly note a high price point.

Between The INKEY List and Elemis, which brand offers better options for acne and blemish control?

The INKEY List does better for acne and blemish control on the products on this page. Reviewers note that the brand helps with acne and blemishes, while Elemis products on this page frequently list fragrance, which is sometimes noted to cause skin irritation.

How do the fragrance ingredients compare across The INKEY List and Elemis products?

The INKEY List lists no fragrance in the ingredients for every product on this page, whereas Elemis includes fragrance in 18 out of its 22 products. Reviewers sometimes note strong fragrance and skin irritation as issues for Elemis, while The INKEY List is favored for having fewer fragrance and scent issues.

Which brand is better suited for skin smoothing and texture improvement?

Elemis is better suited for skin smoothing and texture improvement. Review themes on the products on this page indicate that Elemis does better than The INKEY List for skin smoothing and texture improvement.

The INKEY List or Elemis for oily skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis achieve a High routine fit level for oily skin. The products on this page show that The INKEY List focuses on sensitive, combination, and oily acne-prone skin, while Elemis centers its routines on dry, mature, and dry sensitive skin.

The INKEY List or Elemis: which moisturizer is better?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis offer hydrating moisturizers on this page. Reviewers report that the products on this page for The INKEY List are affordable, lightweight, and fast-absorbing, while Elemis products on this page are noted for their luxurious texture and higher price point.

The INKEY List or Elemis for sensitive skin?

The INKEY List is a better fit than Elemis for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its sensitive skin routine as Superior compared to Elemis at High. Additionally, every product on The INKEY List page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas most Elemis products on this page contain fragrance.

The INKEY List or Elemis for acne-prone skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis fit acne-prone skin well at a High level. Review themes show that The INKEY List does better for acne and blemish control, while reviewers often note a high price point for Elemis.

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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