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Kiehl's vs Clinique

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

Kiehl's and Clinique are both American skincare brands offering thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, eye products, and more. Kiehl's is known for glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and mature skin best, whereas Clinique is loved for hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and caffeine, suiting dry sensitive skin and oily skin best. Ultimately, they differ through their distinct targeted formulations and key ingredients designed to address specific skincare concerns.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clinique products

People Say

Kiehl'sClinique
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “sinks in instantly — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Gentle for Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No stinging eyes — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “doesn't dry out — Clinique all about clean”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “savior for dry patches — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedSometimes 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 feels silky smooth — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “leaves face porcelain smooth — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
  • Makeup Compatibility and Base Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
  • Radiance and Glow Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gives a very nice radiance — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “quite pricey — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
    • “Expensive for cleanser — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Insufficient Hydration or Dryness Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin felt tight after an hour — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “some extremely dry skin types need a thicker balm or oil on top — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Causes Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with whiteheads on my chin — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “gave me tiny bumps — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Ineffective or Slow 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”
    • “didn't help dark circles — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “don't expect miracles overnight — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs Clinique routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clinique: which is better?

Kiehl's is generally better on this page, offering High routine fits for dry, combination, sensitive skin, and dark spots compared to Clinique's Average ratings for those types. Both brands feature High routine fits for oily skin, mature skin, dry sensitive skin, and oily acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clinique?

Kiehl's offers more products on this page with fragrance-free options mostly available, while Clinique lists no fragrance across all its products on this page. Reviewers note that Clinique does better for sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's is noted for deep hydration and radiance.

Kiehl's or Clinique for dry skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because the products on this page achieve a high routine fit compared to Clinique's average fit. Kiehl's is also noted for providing deep hydration and moisture.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's cleanser products on this page tend to offer a higher Lovi fit across various skin types, such as the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash which achieves a Superior level for oily and oily acne-prone skin, compared to Clinique where cleansers like all about clean receive lower fit warnings.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clinique?

Clinique does better than Kiehl's for affordability, as high price points are noted as a drawback for both brands but Clinique is specifically highlighted for having a more favorable price and cost comparison.

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

Clinique has more fragrance-free products on this page, as every single item lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas 26 of 28 Kiehl's products are fragrance-free.

Kiehl's or Clinique for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are a High fit for oily skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's offers specific options like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner which has a Superior fit for oily skin.

Kiehl's or Clinique: which moisturizer is better?

Kiehl's offers a higher routine fit for dry and combination skin types compared to Clinique on these pages. Clinique products on this page list no fragrance, whereas certain Kiehl's moisturizers contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clinique for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are suitable options, but Lovi rates Kiehl's as having a High routine fit for sensitive skin, while Clinique's routine fit is Average. Every product on the Clinique page lists no fragrance, whereas two Kiehl's products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clinique for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique provide average routine fit levels for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Reviewers report that both brands may cause breakouts.

Kiehl's or Clinique for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clinique are well-suited for mature skin, with the products on this page achieving a high routine fit level for this skin type. Kiehl's features key ingredients like retinol, which may help stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Kiehl's or Clinique for skin with dark spots?

Kiehl's is better suited for skin with dark spots, offering high routine fit compared to Clinique's average fit on the products on this page. Ingredients like niacinamide help suppress pigmentation and improve tone.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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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