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Neutrogena vs Kiehl's

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

Neutrogena and Kiehl's are American skincare brands known for their nourishing moisturizers, sunscreens, cleansers, toners, serums, and eye products. The former relies on glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone to suit dry skin and mature skin best, while the latter uses glycerin and squalane to suit mature skin and sensitive skin best. Both brands differ in their corporate ownership and specific ingredient profiles, with the former emphasizing moisture-binding formulas and the latter focusing on gentle, barrier-supporting solutions.

Neutrogena is an American skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026.

investor.kimberly-clark.comen.wikipedia.orginvestors.kenvue.com

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

Popular Neutrogena vs Kiehl's products

People Say

NeutrogenaKiehl's
  • Deep and intense hydration Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Skin looked plumper and radiant — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Quenches dry skin instantly — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Acne-safe and gentle formulas Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin soft and balanced — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “love that it has no scent — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “calms my acne prone skin — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky residue — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “absorbs instantly — Neutrogena COLLAGEN BANK Moisturizer”
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue. — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Makeup base and compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Foundation glides right over it — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Concealer doesn't cake or get stuck in crevices — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Skin texture improvement and anti-aging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “skin looked & felt smoother — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “Skin is looking smoother — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
  • Radiant glow and brightening Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Gave me a glass-skin glow — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Price and quantity concerns Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Jar is too small for the price — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Runs out quickly — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Tube is tiny for the cost — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Packaging and design issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “Kept sliding off my face — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • Eye and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “stings my face and feels like burning — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “left my face bright red — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “burns my eyes terribly — Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen”
  • Strong fragrance and scent issues Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smell is overpowering — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Smell is too overpowering and lingering — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Neutrogena vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which is better?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's are great options, as both brands achieve a High routine fit across almost all skin types. Neutrogena tends to be better for acne-safe and lightweight formulas at a lower price point, while Kiehl's excels in skin texture improvement, brightening, and dry sensitive skin with a High fit level.

What is the difference between Neutrogena and Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is a US brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026, while Kiehl's is a US brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000. Reviewers note that Neutrogena offers better acne-safe and gentle formulas as well as lightweight textures, whereas Kiehl's performs better for skin texture improvement and brightening dark spots. For dry sensitive skin, Lovi rates Kiehl's as High and Neutrogena as Average.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's fit dry skin well, offering a High routine fit on this page. Kiehl's is particularly noted for deep hydration, while the products on this page from Neutrogena frequently feature deeply hydrating moisturizers.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Neutrogena and Kiehl's both offer cleansers with high Lovi fit levels for various skin types. Neutrogena is noted for having more acne-safe and gentle formulas, while Kiehl's cleansers perform well for oily skin and brightening.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or Kiehl's?

Neutrogena is more affordable, as Kiehl's is noted by reviewers for a high price point while Neutrogena faces price and quantity concerns.

Between Neutrogena and Kiehl's, which brand is better suited for dry sensitive skin?

Kiehl's is better suited for dry sensitive skin because Lovi rates its routine as High, whereas Neutrogena's routine is rated as Average.

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

Neutrogena has more fragrance-free products on this page, with 35 out of 39 products listing no fragrance compared to 26 out of 28 for Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which brand is better for mature skin and skin texture improvement?

Kiehl's does better for skin texture improvement, while both brands feature a High routine fit level for mature skin. Retinol, which is found in the products on this page, may stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Neutrogena and Kiehl's achieve a High routine fit for oily skin, making them equally suitable options on this page.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Neutrogena is often preferred for lightweight, acne-safe hydration at a lower price point, while Kiehl's is frequently chosen for targeted anti-aging and brightening benefits. Both brands offer moisturizers that help deliver deep hydration, though Neutrogena is the better fit for sensitive skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Neutrogena has a High routine fit for sensitive skin, and 35 of 39 products on this page list no fragrance. Kiehl's also has a High routine fit for sensitive skin on this page, but reviewers more often note skin irritation and strong fragrance issues with Kiehl's.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Neutrogena and Kiehl's both offer sunscreens with strong fit levels for various skin types on the products on this page, but they cater to different preferences. For instance, Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit for sensitive skin, while Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen and Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunscreen have Superior fits for sensitive and combination skin.

Neutrogena or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Neutrogena is the better option for acne-prone skin because the products on this page achieve higher fit levels across multiple cleansers and treatments. Reviewers also note that Neutrogena offers superior acne-safe and gentle formulas compared to Kiehl's.

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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