Simple vs FRE
Simple and FRE are skincare lines that offer gentle, nourishing formulas. Simple is a British brand founded in 1960 and owned by Unilever PLC since 2011, and both feature products that suit acne-prone skin best. The first brand is beloved for its moisturizers, makeup removers, cleansers, and toners with niacinamide and glycerin, while the second is widely loved for its targeted argan oil and other formulations. They differ because the first also suits mature skin and includes options like the Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner, the Micellar Cleansing Water, and the Micellar Water.
Simple is a British skincare brand founded in 1960 and owned by Unilever PLC since 2011.
en.wikipedia.orgsec.govprnewswire.comsimple.co.uk
This page compares some of the most popular Simple and FRE products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Questions and answers
Simple or FRE: which is better?
Simple is the better choice on this page because it offers a wide variety of products, including gentle makeup removers and moisturizers, whereas FRE features only a single argan oil product with lower fit levels for oily and combination skin. Simple features niacinamide and glycerin across the products on this page, which helps support skin hydration and barrier function.
What is the difference between Simple and FRE?
Simple offers a broad variety of fragrance-free products on this page, achieving a Superior Lovi fit for mature skin with its toner and High fits for sensitive skin across multiple items, while FRE lists only an argan oil product with Average and High fits for dry skin types. Simple features key ingredients like niacinamide and glycerin to help improve pigmentation and hydration.
Which is more affordable, Simple or FRE?
Simple features lightweight, value-friendly moisturizers on the products on this page, whereas FRE does not list similar budget-focused pricing details here.
Which causes fewer breakouts, Simple or FRE?
Simple offers products with average fit levels for acne-prone skin, whereas the FRE product on this page has not established a fit level for acne-prone skin. Simple reviewers sometimes note that the products on this page may cause breakouts or irritations.
Which brand offers a wider variety of product types like cleansers, moisturizers, and toners compared to the other?
Simple offers a much wider variety of product types on this page, including cleansers, makeup removers, moisturizers, and toners, whereas FRE is represented by just one product. Glycerin, found in Simple products, helps maintain skin hydration.
How do the founding years and corporate ownership of Simple and FRE compare?
Simple was founded in 1960 in the United Kingdom and has been owned by Unilever PLC since 2011, whereas FRE was founded in 2016 and is independently owned.
What are the common key ingredients found across Simple products?
Niacinamide and glycerin are the common key ingredients found across the products on this page for Simple. Glycerin helps improve skin hydration and barrier function.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Antioxidants, 2021
Research behind their key ingredients
The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer
Apigenin inhibits UVA-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and prevents signs of skin aging in vivo
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.
