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Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's

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

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are two celebrated skincare brands that offer distinct approaches to daily care. Beauty of Joseon is a Korean brand known for serums, masks, moisturizers, and sunscreens featuring niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, while Kiehl's is an American brand celebrated for moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products anchored by glycerin and squalane. The former suits sensitive skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the latter targets skin with dark spots and mature skin. Ultimately, they differ in their foundational ingredients and regional heritage, providing gentle herbal-infused hydration on one hand and targeted science-backed relief on the other.

Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.

kbeautywiki.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.comgoodai-global.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 Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Beauty of JoseonKiehl's
  • Unique or Pleasant Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
    • “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Gentle and Non-Irritating Formulation Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Radiant Skin and Glow Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “Gives me that chok-chok dewy look — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
  • Gentle Exfoliation and Texture Smoothing Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “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 feels baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
  • Pore and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “less shiny by noon — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
    • “pores look cleaner — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask”
    • “pores look smaller — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “dealing with cystic acne — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “smells like cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which is better?

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are both great choices, matching equally on most skin types, but Beauty of Joseon is better for sensitive and acne-prone skin, whereas Kiehl's is better for mature skin. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer, making it effective for dark spots.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

What is the difference between Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's both offer great options for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, and dark spot-prone skin, but Beauty of Joseon does better with gentleness, pore control, and fewer breakouts, while Kiehl's does better with mature skin and gentle exfoliation.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for dry skin. The products on this page help provide deep hydration and moisturization with ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's both offer high fit levels for cleansers across most skin types, but Beauty of Joseon is rated better for gentle and non-irritating formulations. Kiehl's features cleansers like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash that achieves a superior fit for oily and oily acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's?

Beauty of Joseon is more affordable, as high price point is a noted drawback for Kiehl's while Beauty of Joseon does better on pricing.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which has better fragrance options?

Beauty of Joseon offers better fragrance options for shoppers avoiding scents, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, Kiehl's includes fragrance in some of its products on the page, such as the Age Defender Moisturizer and Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment for Men.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's fit oily skin at a High routine level, but Beauty of Joseon does better for pore and oil control.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's both offer moisturizers that provide deep hydration and suit various skin types well. Beauty of Joseon stands out for being fragrance-free and gentle on sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's offers targeted formulas for mature skin.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Beauty of Joseon is a better choice for sensitive skin as its formulas are notably more gentle and non-irritating than those of Kiehl's. Additionally, every product on the Beauty of Joseon page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Kiehl's includes fragrance in some items.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Beauty of Joseon offers the Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics, which has a High fit level for dry skin, sensitive skin, and oily acne-prone skin, while Kiehl's provides the Better Screen UV Serum, which has a High fit level for skin with dark spots and sensitive skin.

Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2011

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Beauty of Joseon is a better fit for acne-prone skin on this page, achieving a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level. Beauty of Joseon formulas help control oil and pores well, and niacinamide may help improve skin appearance.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Kiehl's fits mature skin better than Beauty of Joseon, as Kiehl's achieves a High routine fit compared to Beauty of Joseon's Average level. Kiehl's also features proven anti-aging ingredients like retinol which helps stimulate collagen accumulation in aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon is gentler and more effective at pore and oil control, while Kiehl's offers better gentle exfoliation and texture smoothing.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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