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Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's

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

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are distinct skincare brands that offer nourishing serums, moisturizers, and more. Beauty of Joseon relies on key ingredients like niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid to best suit dry and sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's depends on glycerin and squalane to best suit mature and sensitive skin. While both companies provide gentle, effective care, they differ in their formulation philosophies and heritage, with the American brand featuring products like the Ultra Facial Toner and the Korean brand offering standout options such as the Revive Eye Serum.

Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.

kbeautywiki.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.comgoodai-global.com

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

This page compares some of the most popular Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Beauty of JoseonKiehl's
  • Unique or Pleasant Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
    • “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Non-Irritating Formulation Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Radiant Skin and Glow Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “Gives me that chok-chok dewy look — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Gentle Exfoliation and Texture Smoothing Sometimes NotedSometimes 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 baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
  • Pore and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “less shiny by noon — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
    • “pores look cleaner — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask”
    • “pores look smaller — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “dealing with cystic acne — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “smells like cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both brands perform well, but Beauty of Joseon is often noted for being gentler and better at pore and oil control, while Kiehl's is particularly strong for mature skin. Reviewers find that Beauty of Joseon helps provide a radiant glow without added fragrance across the products on this page.

What is the difference between Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon offers gentle, fragrance-free formulas that help with pore and oil control, while Kiehl's provides options that help smooth skin texture and brighten dark spots. Beauty of Joseon is noted for being less expensive, whereas Kiehl's carries a higher price point and is more often reported to cause breakouts or irritation.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for dry skin. Beauty of Joseon is particularly noted for its deep hydration and gentle, non-irritating formulas across the products on this page.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer solid cleansers, but Beauty of Joseon stands out for being exceptionally gentle and non-irritating. Kiehl's is particularly well-suited for oily skin.

Which is more affordable, Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon is more affordable, as high price points are noted as a drawback for Kiehl's but not for Beauty of Joseon.

Which brand has better options for fragrance-free products, Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon has better options for fragrance-free products, as every single product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, Kiehl's includes fragrance in a couple of the products on this page.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both brands offer a high routine fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon helps with pore and oil control, while Kiehl's provides lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer solid moisturizer options with equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, and combination skin, though Beauty of Joseon is noted for being more gentle and less irritating. Kiehl's features a high fit for mature skin, while Beauty of Joseon maintains an average fit there.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's fit sensitive skin at a High level. Reviewers state that Beauty of Joseon offers gentle, non-irritating formulas.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's offer sunscreens on this page, but Beauty of Joseon stands out for being completely fragrance-free across its range, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in some products. Both brands provide high Lovi fit levels for various skin types with their sunscreens.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin, but Beauty of Joseon is noted as doing better for gentle and non-irritating formulation while Kiehl's reviewers more often mention breakouts and skin irritation.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for mature skin?

For mature skin, Kiehl's fits better than Beauty of Joseon, as Kiehl's has a High routine fit level while Beauty of Joseon has an Average fit level. Kiehl's also features active ingredients like retinol that may help stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Both brands help address pigmentation with key ingredients like Niacinamide and Vitamin C.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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