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Estée Lauder vs SK-II

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

Estée Lauder and SK-II are established beauty houses offering thoughtfully formulated daily essentials. Estée Lauder is widely loved for its moisturizers, serums, and cleansers featuring hyaluronic acid and glycerin, suiting mature and acne-prone skin best. SK-II is cherished for its luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, toners, and restorative masks anchored by pitera, suiting dry and acne-prone skin best. While both cater to acne-prone complexions, they differ through distinct heritage origins, signature ingredients, and targeted formulations for varying skin needs.

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

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs SK-II products

People Say

Estée LauderSK-II
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Mostly MentionedOften 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”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Skin texture improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Smoother skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Radiance, glow and brightening Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “leaves me with a red carpet glow — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Skin looks brighter — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Lightweight feel and absorption Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Absorbs into the skin quickly. — SK-II Genoptics Ultraura Essence”
    • “Absorbs quickly — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Gentle and non-drying formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves skin soft, feels moisturized, does not dry out skin. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • Effective makeup removal and cleansing Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “removes all my makeup effortlessly — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Melts away Double Wear foundation instantly — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves my skin very clean — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara, melts stubborn makeup, removes sunscreen easily. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • 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 amount — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Unpleasant scent or fragrance issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “smells like dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “smells slightly like saliva — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Lack of results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “didn't notice any difference — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “just expensive water — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Haven't seen the results yet. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Bulky or poor packaging design Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “cotton is too thick and heavy — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which is better?

SK-II achieves a Superior Lovi fit across all skin types on this page, while Estée Lauder offers deep hydration with mostly fragrance-free products.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and SK-II?

Estée Lauder tends to do better for deep hydration, gentle cleansing, and makeup removal, while SK-II leads in skin texture improvement, radiance, and lightweight feel. Regarding routine fit on this page, SK-II achieves Superior ratings across dry, oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, and dark spot skin types, whereas Estée Lauder fits these skin types with High to Average levels.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for dry skin?

For dry skin, SK-II achieves a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Estée Lauder reaches an Average routine fit. SK-II does better for deep hydration and moisturization on this page.

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, Estée Lauder provides options that help with deep hydration, while SK-II offers products that may improve skin texture and radiance.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or SK-II?

Reviewers on this page frequently mention that Estée Lauder has a high price point, but neither the page facts nor the reviews provide enough cost information to determine which brand is more affordable.

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which brand offers better options without fragrance?

SK-II offers better options without fragrance because every product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Estée Lauder includes fragrance in some of its products.

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which is better for targeting skin with dark spots?

SK-II is better for targeting skin with dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine fit for skin with dark spots as Superior while Estée Lauder receives an Average fit.

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which brand provides superior routine fit for mature skin?

SK-II provides a Superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas Estée Lauder achieves a High fit on this page. Reviewers indicate that SK-II does better with skin texture improvement and radiance, glow, and brightening.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for oily skin?

SK-II does better than Estée Lauder for oily skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's Average rating. The products on this page for SK-II also offer better lightweight feel and absorption according to reviewers.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, SK-II achieves a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Estée Lauder reaches a High fit level across the products on this page.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for acne-prone skin?

SK-II achieves a Superior Lovi fit level for acne-prone skin on this page, while Estée Lauder reaches High. Reviewers note that the products on this page for both brands help address acne-prone needs, with Estée Lauder featuring key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

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

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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