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Kiehl's vs Clarins

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

Kiehl's and Clarins are two respected skincare houses, with the former founded in America in 1851 and the latter established in France in 1954. Kiehl's is known for nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products relying on glycerin and squalane, whereas the French brand is loved for luxurious moisturizers, potent serums, soothing eye products, and gentle toners enriched with shea and squalane. Both suit sensitive skin best, while the American label also suits mature skin and the European house also suits dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, they differ in their specific botanical highlights, ownership backgrounds, and targeted formulations for concerns like acne, dark spots, and aging.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clarins products

People Say

Kiehl'sClarins
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
  • No white cast and glowing skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Makeup base and primer compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Rich and creamy texture Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “feels luxurious and thick — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Breakouts and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Ineffective or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “didn't see a lift — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “no change in circles — Clarins Double Serum Eye”

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for dry skin

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Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for combination skin

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Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clarins: which is better?

Both brands are equal choices overall, as Lovi rates them both high for dry, sensitive, mature, and dark-spot skin types. Kiehl's may work better for oily and acne-prone skin routines, while Clarins tends to offer richer textures with more frequent fragrance ingredients across its products.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's and Clarins both offer high routine fits for dry, sensitive, mature, and dark-spot-prone skin, but Kiehl's performs better for oily and acne-prone skin types. Clarins tends to offer more luxurious and rich textures with stronger fragrances across the products on this page, whereas Kiehl's keeps most formulas fragrance-free.

Kiehl's or Clarins for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins offer a High routine fit for dry skin on this page, providing options like the Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate and the Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream. Reviewers note that Clarins offers rich and creamy textures, while Kiehl's provides deep hydration.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer effective cleansers, but Kiehl's is better suited for oily and acne-prone skin types on this page. Lovi rates the routine fit for oily and acne-prone skin as High for Kiehl's and Average for Clarins.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins share an equal level for high price point and poor value according to reviewers on the products on this page.

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, which brand has fewer products containing added fragrance?

Between Kiehl's and Clarins, Kiehl's has fewer products containing added fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to almost all of Clarins' products.

How do the founding years and countries of origin differ between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, whereas Clarins was founded later, in 1954, in France.

Which brand performs better specifically for deep hydration according to reviewer themes?

Clarins performs better specifically for deep hydration according to reviewer themes, offering hydrating and smoothing moisturizers as well as luxurious textures. The products on this page help deliver deep moisture, though users should note that almost all Clarins products list fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clarins for oily skin?

Kiehl's is a better fit for oily skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Clarins' Average level. Kiehl's features specialized products like the Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque and Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream, which help manage excess oil.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

Clarins does better than Kiehl's for deep hydration and rich, creamy textures across their moisturizers on this page. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free moisturizers, whereas almost all Clarins moisturizers contain fragrance. Both brands achieve an equal High level of routine fit for dry skin.

Kiehl's or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin on this page. Kiehl's is unlikely to cause scent complaints because 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance, whereas almost all Clarins products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

Kiehl's is better suited for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Clarins' Average. Kiehl's offers products like the Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque and Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream that help manage oily and acne-prone skin.

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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