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The INKEY List vs SK-II

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

The INKEY List and SK-II are distinct skincare lines tailored to different routines, with the British brand focusing on targeted hydration and the Japanese house celebrating luxurious botanical refinement. The former relies on glycerin to support dry and sensitive skin through moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products, offering specialized standouts like its PHA Toner, Azelaic Acid Serum, and Ceramide Moisturizer. Meanwhile, the latter cherishes pitera across moisturizers, serums, toners, and masks to suit dry and acne-prone skin with options such as the Genoptics Ultraura Essence, Facial Treatment Essence, and Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. While both address moisture needs, they differ through formulations designed either for barrier restoration or for improving pore area, roughness, and redness.

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

SK-II is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.

en.wikipedia.orgdiscoversk-ii.wixsite.comglossy.co

This page compares some of the most popular The INKEY List and SK-II products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The INKEY List vs SK-II products

People Say

The INKEY ListSK-II
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “skin feels deeply hydrated, plump, and smoother — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Skin Tone Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “gives a glass skin look — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “leaves me with a red carpet glow — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • General Effectiveness and Results Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “skin looks fresh and plump — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “reducing the appearance of fine lines — SK-II Skinpower Advanced Cream”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Removal Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Melts away makeup and impurities without drying — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “no pilling under makeup — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “Removes leftover dirt — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara, melts stubborn makeup, removes sunscreen easily. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • High Price Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Lack of Results or Performance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “didn't do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “No visible difference — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
  • Scent and Fragrance Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells like dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “smells slightly like saliva — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Packaging Issues Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “cotton is too thick and heavy — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”

The INKEY List vs SK-II routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The INKEY List vs SK-II routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The INKEY List vs SK-II routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The INKEY List or SK-II: which is better?

Both The INKEY List and SK-II achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for dry skin, sensitive skin, dry sensitive skin, and combination skin. The INKEY List does better on price and value and general effectiveness and results, while SK-II does better on glow, radiance, and skin tone.

What is the difference between The INKEY List and SK-II?

The INKEY List offers more affordable prices and strong general effectiveness with key ingredients like glycerin, while SK-II delivers better glow, radiance, and skin tone results using pitera across the products on this page. For routine fit, SK-II achieves a Superior level for oily skin and acne-prone skin, whereas The INKEY List reaches a High level for those skin types.

The INKEY List or SK-II for dry skin?

Both The INKEY List and SK-II achieve a Superior fit for dry skin through their brand-focused routines. Reviewers find that The INKEY List delivers better price and value, while SK-II does better with glow, radiance, and skin tone.

The INKEY List or SK-II: which moisturizer is better?

Both The INKEY List and SK-II offer highly rated moisturizers on the products on this page, but they cater to different preferences and budgets. The INKEY List is noted for affordable moisturizers, while SK-II does better for glow, radiance, and skin tone.

Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or SK-II?

The INKEY List offers better price and value among the products on this page compared to SK-II.

Between The INKEY List and SK-II, which brand performs better for mature skin?

For mature skin, SK-II performs better according to the review themes on this page. Lovi rates the routine fit for mature skin as High for The INKEY List and Superior for SK-II.

How do the founding years and owning companies of The INKEY List and SK-II compare?

The INKEY List was founded in the United Kingdom in 2018 and is owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited, whereas SK-II was founded in Japan in 1980 and has been owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.

Which brand has better packaging according to reviewer themes, The INKEY List or SK-II?

According to the reviewer themes on this page, The INKEY List does better regarding packaging issues because SK-II is noted for having packaging problems.

The INKEY List or SK-II for oily skin?

For oily skin, SK-II achieves a Superior Lovi routine fit, while The INKEY List reaches a High fit on this page.

The INKEY List or SK-II for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both The INKEY List and SK-II achieve a Superior routine fit according to Lovi. Reviewers note that The INKEY List offers more affordable prices and serums, while SK-II does better for glow, radiance, and skin tone.

The INKEY List or SK-II for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, SK-II achieves a Superior routine fit level while The INKEY List reaches a High fit level.

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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