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Kiehl's vs Grown Alchemist

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

Kiehl's and Grown Alchemist are trusted skincare brands offering distinct approaches to daily wellness. Kiehl's is known for its nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products featuring dependable ingredients like glycerin and squalane, which suit mature and sensitive skin best by supporting the epidermal barrier. Meanwhile, Grown Alchemist is loved for its cleansers and serums, offering formulas that suit sensitive, dry, and combination skin. While both share a commitment to gentle care, they differ in their specific botanical and scientific foundations as well as their targeted skin type preferences.

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 Kiehl's and Grown Alchemist products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Kiehl's vs Grown Alchemist products

People Say

Kiehl'sGrown Alchemist
  • Gentle for sensitive skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Perfect for sensitive skin — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “calms my skin down — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “Skin version of chugging water — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Lightweight 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 quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very light weight — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Non-stripping and gentle cleansing Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Doesn't dry out my skin — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “doesn't strip at all — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Relaxing and pleasant scent Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Smells amazing — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “smell is divine — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “calming lavender smell — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Cleanses and controls oil Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Gets everything nice and clean — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High price Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “expensive for what it is — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “A bit pricey — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging and application issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Dropper doesn't reach bottom — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “tube cracks easily — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Makeup removal and compatibility issues Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Isn't going to be your makeup remover — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Grown Alchemist: which is better?

Kiehl's tends to fit mature skin, sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots well, while Grown Alchemist offers products where Lovi fit is average across most skin types on this page. Kiehl's features a wider variety of products like lightweight moisturizers and gentle serums, whereas Grown Alchemist focuses on gentle cleansers.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Grown Alchemist?

Grown Alchemist provides gentler cleansing for sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's is better for lightweight textures across the products on this page. Kiehl's is a larger, older brand founded in the United States in 1851, while Grown Alchemist is an independent brand founded in 2008.

Kiehl's or Grown Alchemist: which cleanser is better?

Grown Alchemist does better for non-stripping and gentle cleansing among the products on this page, while Kiehl's cleansers feature a wider variety of specialized formulas. Lovi rates the cleansers for both brands from Average to Superior depending on the specific skin type.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Grown Alchemist?

Grown Alchemist is more expensive according to reviewers on this page. Kiehl's also faces reviews noting a high price point.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Kiehl's or Grown Alchemist?

Grown Alchemist is generally better for sensitive skin, while review themes note that Kiehl's may sometimes cause breakouts and skin irritation. The products on this page from Grown Alchemist have an average fit level for acne-prone skin, whereas Kiehl's offers various products with high, average, or caution fit levels for acne-prone skin.

Which brand has more fragrance-free options between Kiehl's and Grown Alchemist?

Grown Alchemist provides fragrance-free options across all the products on this page, whereas Kiehl's has 26 of 28 products that list no fragrance. This means both brands offer extensive fragrance-free choices, though Grown Alchemist reaches a 100 percent rate for the products on this page.

How do the founding years and corporate ownership of Kiehl's and Grown Alchemist compare?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas Grown Alchemist was founded in 2008 and became independently owned in 2024.

What are the main pros and cons reported by reviewers for Kiehl's skincare products?

Reviewers note that Kiehl's products provide lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers and gentle serums with deep hydration. On the downside, reviewers often mention a high price point and that products may cause breakouts and skin irritation or are not rich or effective enough.

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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