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Estée Lauder vs Shiseido

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

Estée Lauder and Shiseido are renowned skincare brands offering thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, cleansers, and more formulated with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The American brand suits mature skin and acne-prone skin best, featuring standout choices such as the Micro Essence Treatment Lotion, the DayWear Moisturizer, and the Futurist Peptide-Power Serum Primer. Meanwhile, the Japanese brand suits mature skin and skin with dark spots best, providing targeted formulations like the Treatment Softener, the Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream, and the Essential Energy Hydrating Cream. While both brands support barrier function and hydration through glycerin, they differ in their specific heritage, targeted concerns, and key ingredient combinations.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

Shiseido is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1872 and owned by Shiseido Company, Limited.

corp.shiseido.comen.wikipedia.orgmarketscreener.com

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs Shiseido products

People Say

Estée LauderShiseido
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Immediate sensation of comfort — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels plump, soft and nourished, eliminates dryness, bouncy feel — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
  • Smoother skin texture and anti-aging Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “silky smooth — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Helps with skin firmness and reduces the appearance of lines. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Smoothed out crow's feet — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Lightweight and fast absorbing feel Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Lightweight, silky, non-sticky, sinks in instantly. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “Airy-soft texture — Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Radiant glow and brightening effects Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter, more radiant, and "glowy." — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “faded pimple marks — Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Gel Cream”
    • “Eyes look more awake — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Luxurious texture and feel Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “silky smooth, rich but non-greasy, absorbs quickly, melts into skin — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Velvety, rich cream texture — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Velvety texture — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
    • “Has a luxurious feel and texture. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
  • Gentle cleansing and makeup removal Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Lathers well — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “removes all my makeup effortlessly — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “face feels squeaky clean — Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam”
  • High price point and expensive cost Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Very expensive for the size — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Expensive, pricey, high cost for the amount. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “overpowering scent, like a musty room — Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer”
    • “old lady smell — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Packaging issues and design Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “heavy to travel — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
    • “Heavy bottle but plastic pump, cannot see remaining product, straw too short to get last drops. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
  • Lack of results Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “No change in deep wrinkles — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “No noticeable difference, not moisturizing enough on its own. — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “no visible lifting, just a moisturizer, didn't erase deep wrinkles — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “didn't notice any difference — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”

Estée Lauder vs Shiseido routines for dry skin

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Estée Lauder vs Shiseido routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Estée Lauder vs Shiseido routines for combination skin

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Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or Shiseido: which is better?

Shiseido is often better for a radiant glow and brightening effects as well as smoother texture and anti-aging, whereas Estée Lauder stands out for gentle cleansing and makeup removal. Both brands share similar performance for deep hydration, but Shiseido offers higher routine fit levels for dry skin, oily skin, and skin with dark spots on this page.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and Shiseido?

Both brands offer effective formulas, but Estée Lauder stands out on this page for smoother skin texture and anti-aging benefits, whereas Shiseido excels in radiant glow, brightening effects, and luxurious textures. For routine fit, Shiseido reaches a High level for skin with dark spots, while Estée Lauder reaches an Average level for that skin type.

Antioxidants, 2021Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or Shiseido for dry skin?

Shiseido is a better choice for dry skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Estée Lauder's Average rating. Shiseido's products on this page help deliver deep hydration and a lightweight, fast-absorbing feel.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or Shiseido: which cleanser is better?

Estée Lauder is better for gentle cleansing, as the products on this page achieve an average to high fit for sensitive skin with fewer fragrance concerns across the cleanser range. Shiseido cleansers provide deep-cleansing and efficient formulas, though more of their cleanser options include fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or Shiseido?

Both Estée Lauder and Shiseido are comparable in affordability, as reviewers for both brands frequently mention a high price point as a primary drawback.

Estée Lauder or Shiseido: which brand has fewer fragrance complaints?

Estée Lauder has fewer fragrance complaints than Shiseido, as review themes note that Scent and fragrance complaints are more common for Shiseido on this page. Furthermore, only 2 of 14 Estée Lauder products on this page list fragrance, compared to 15 of 20 Shiseido products.

Estée Lauder or Shiseido for oily skin?

Shiseido is a better choice for oily skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Estée Lauder's Average rating. Shiseido's products on this page help deliver lightweight and effective moisturization for this skin type.

Estée Lauder or Shiseido: which moisturizer is better?

Shiseido is often better for a radiant glow and luxurious texture, while Estée Lauder excels in smoother skin texture and anti-aging among the products on this page. Reviewers report that both brands share a high price point.

Estée Lauder or Shiseido for sensitive skin?

Both Estée Lauder and Shiseido offer products on this page that fit sensitive skin well. Lovi rates the routine fit for sensitive skin as High for Estée Lauder and High for Shiseido.

Estée Lauder or Shiseido: which sunscreen is better?

Both Estée Lauder and Shiseido offer sunscreens on the products on this page, and both brands feature options with high or superior Lovi fit levels for various skin types. For instance, Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer achieves a superior fit for dry, sensitive, mature, and dry sensitive skin, while Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream also reaches a superior fit for mature, sensitive, and dry sensitive skin.

Estée Lauder or Shiseido for acne-prone skin?

Both Estée Lauder and Shiseido offer products on this page that achieve a High Lovi fit level for acne-prone skin. Estée Lauder's routine for acne-prone skin focuses heavily on gentle cleansing and deep hydration using key ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or Shiseido for mature skin?

Both Estée Lauder and Shiseido offer products on this page that are a High fit for mature skin, and reviewers note that both brands help deliver deep hydration. Estée Lauder focuses on smoother skin texture and anti-aging, while Shiseido provides firming and line-reducing moisturizers.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or Shiseido for skin with dark spots?

Shiseido is a better choice for skin with dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Average for Estée Lauder.

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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