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Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals

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

Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals are heritage American skincare brands owned by L'Oréal S.A. Kiehl's is loved for its nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products relying on glycerin and squalane, suiting mature and sensitive skin best. SkinCeuticals is loved for its targeted serums, nourishing moisturizers, gentle cleansers, and soothing eye products formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone, suiting dry and dry sensitive skin best. While both brands offer dependable staples, they differ in their specific ingredient profiles and ideal skin types.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

SkinCeuticals is an American skincare brand founded in 1994 and owned by L'Oréal since 2005.

loreal.comskinceuticals-za.compitchbook.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals products

People Say

Kiehl'sSkinCeuticals
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “silky and non-greasy — SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye”
    • “absorbs quickly — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “Hydrated my skin beautifully. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “Pure hydration in a bottle — SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “definitely gave me a glass skin texture — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “pores appeared less noticeable — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “My skin is softer to the touch. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “Perfect starting strength — SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3”
  • Brightening and Dark Spot Fading Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “I really love this product, as my skin is brighter. — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
    • “Really fades brown spots, perfect for men and a little goes a long way! — SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF”
  • Pore Cleansing and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “gets rid of blackheads — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
    • “reduces oil — SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel”
  • High Price Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Too pricey for the hype — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
  • Lack of 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”
    • “haven't noticed much change on the deeper lines — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “did nothing — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
  • Greasiness and Heavy Residue Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “feels tacky — SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier”
    • “sticky residue — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “skin went through a slight purge — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “made me break out — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “caused cystic acne — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs SkinCeuticals routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which is better?

SkinCeuticals is a better fit overall, offering a Superior routine for dry skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots on this page, whereas Kiehl's is noted as better for gentle and sensitive skin care. Both brands feature high price points frequently mentioned by reviewers.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals?

SkinCeuticals is a Superior fit for dry skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots, whereas Kiehl's is High for those routines and is noted for being a more gentle and sensitive skin care option on this page. Both brands are owned by L'Oréal S.A. and share key ingredients like Glycerin and Vitamin C.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dry skin?

SkinCeuticals is a superior choice for dry skin compared to Kiehl's, as SkinCeuticals has a Superior routine fit for dry skin while Kiehl's routine fit for dry skin is High. SkinCeuticals features texture-improving serums and hydrating moisturizers like Emollience, whereas Kiehl's products on this page help provide deep hydration with key ingredients like glycerin and squalane.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers on these pages, both brands offer standout options with high ratings, though Kiehl's is noted as doing better for gentle and sensitive skin care. Reviewers mention that the products on this page help cleanse pores and control oil effectively for both brands.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals share a high price point among the products on this page, and Lovi indicates they are equal in this regard.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for dark spots?

SkinCeuticals has a superior routine fit for skin with dark spots compared to Kiehl's. Lovi rates the routine fit for skin with dark spots as Superior for SkinCeuticals and High for Kiehl's.

Which brand has more products containing fragrance?

SkinCeuticals has more products with fragrance, as 3 of its products on this page list fragrance compared to 2 for Kiehl's.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for oily skin?

SkinCeuticals is a superior choice for oily skin, offering targeted oil-controlling serums and a Superior routine fit for this skin type. Kiehl's also has a High routine fit for oily skin and provides effective options like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, SkinCeuticals has a Superior routine fit for dry skin, while the products on this page for Kiehl's are known for offering lightweight, non-greasy hydration.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer great options for sensitive skin, while Lovi rates Kiehl's routine fit as High and SkinCeuticals as Superior. Kiehl's is noted by reviewers for gentle and sensitive skin care, whereas SkinCeuticals products on this page include soothing items like Redness Neutralizer.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreen, Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High Lovi fit for skin with dark spots, combination, sensitive, and mature skin, while SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 has a Superior Lovi fit for skin with dark spots and a High fit for sensitive, acne-prone, dry, mature, oily, and dry sensitive skin. Both brands are owned by L'Oréal S.A., and the products on this page help protect against UV rays.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and SkinCeuticals offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's features a high fit for acne-prone skin in products like Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution and Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate, while SkinCeuticals features a high fit in products like Blemish + Age Defense and Simply Clean Gel.

Kiehl's or SkinCeuticals for mature skin?

SkinCeuticals has a superior routine fit for mature skin compared to Kiehl's. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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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