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Kiehl's vs Clinique

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

Kiehl's and Clinique are two American skincare brands offering nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, and gentle eye products. Kiehl's is known for soothing toners relying on glycerin and squalane, suiting mature skin and sensitive skin best, while the second brand incorporates hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and caffeine to suit dry sensitive skin and oily skin. Both differ in their specific formulations, as the first brand's offerings provide barrier-supporting properties and the latter brand's products provide comforting, balancing benefits.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clinique products

People Say

Kiehl'sClinique
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “sinks in instantly — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Gentle for Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “doesn't dry out — Clinique all about clean”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “savior for dry patches — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • 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”
    • “skin feels silky smooth — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Base Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
  • Radiance and Glow Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gives a very nice radiance — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “Expensive for cleanser — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “some extremely dry skin types need a thicker balm or oil on top — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • 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 help dark circles — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “don't expect miracles overnight — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clinique: which is better?

Kiehl's is generally better on this page, offering high routine fits across dry, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and dark-spot skin types. Clinique matches this high level only for oily, mature, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin types. Both brands feature lightweight moisturizers and cleansing products, but Kiehl's is noted for better radiance and deep hydration while Clinique has completely fragrance-free products.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clinique?

Kiehl's offers a higher routine fit than Clinique for dry, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and dark-spot skin types on the products on this page. Clinique matches Kiehl's fit level for oily, mature, dry sensitive, and oily acne-prone skin.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dry skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's is the better choice on this page because its routine fit is High while Clinique's is Average. Kiehl's features products like the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, which achieves a Superior fit level for dry skin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Clinique: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers on the products on this page, Kiehl's generally achieves higher Lovi fit levels across skin types than Clinique. For instance, the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash is rated Superior for oily skin and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Clinique's all about clean receives lower ratings or warnings for several skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique does better than Kiehl's on high price point and cost.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique has more fragrance-free products on this page, as every single Clinique product lists no fragrance, whereas 26 out of 28 Kiehl's products do so.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dark spots?

When it comes to dark spots, Kiehl's generally offers a higher routine fit on this page, while Clinique's products on this page have an average fit level. Both brands offer targeted serums and moisturizers, but Kiehl's features several top-performing options like the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution and Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum.

Kiehl's or Clinique for oily skin?

Both brands are a High fit for oily skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's offers targeted oil-control cleansers like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash, while Clinique features options such as the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers on this page, Kiehl's offers a higher routine fit level for dry skin than Clinique. Kiehl's features a range of lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers that help provide deep hydration, while Clinique is widely noted for its hydrating and fast-absorbing formulas.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Clinique for sensitive skin?

When it comes to sensitive skin, Kiehl's is a strong choice, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Clinique's Average level. Additionally, reviewers note that Kiehl's offers gentle serums, while Clinique lists fragrance-free ingredients across all products on this page.

Kiehl's or Clinique for acne-prone skin?

When it comes to acne-prone skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because the products on this page achieve a High Lovi fit level for this skin type.

Kiehl's or Clinique for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are a High fit for mature skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's is noted for radiance and glow, while Clinique is recognized for being gentle for sensitive 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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