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Kiehl's vs Lancôme

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

Kiehl's and Lancôme are renowned beauty brands owned by L'Oréal S.A., offering thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products. The American label is cherished for nourishing ingredients like glycerin and squalane, suiting mature skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the French house is beloved for formulas featuring glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and adenosine that cater best to sensitive and acne-prone skin. Both differ in their targeted relief, as the former relies on squalane to counteract oxidative stress while the latter utilizes hyaluronic acid to lengthen the effect of wrinkle reduction.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Lancôme is a French skincare brand founded in 1935 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1964.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Lancôme products

People Say

Kiehl'sLancôme
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives my skin an instant dewy glow — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “keeps the skin soft and hydrated — Lancôme HYDRA ZEN”
    • “The product provides deep hydration and visible rejuvenation. — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Night Cream”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs quickly — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “absorbs almost instantly — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
  • Gentle for sensitive skin Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't irritate sensitive eyes — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “Doesn't sting my eyes — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
  • 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 looked & felt smoother — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “Skin feels cushiony soft — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Makeup compatibility and primer benefits Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer applies smoothly — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
    • “layers beautifully under makeup — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
  • Brightening and fading dark spots Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks radiant — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Skin looks lit from within — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “eyes look rested — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “super expensive — Lancôme Absolue Precious Oil”
    • “expensive as hell — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
  • 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 notice much change in wrinkles — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
  • Unpleasant or strong fragrance issues Rarely NotedSometimes 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”
    • “My only issue with it is the fragrance. — Lancôme Hydra Zen Gel Cream”

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Kiehl's vs Lancôme routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which is better?

Both brands are great depending on your skin needs, with Kiehl's offering higher fragrance-free options and Lancôme excelling in deep hydration and sensory experience. Lovi shows both brands achieve High routine fit levels for dry, sensitive, mature, and dark spot skin types on the products on this page.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Lancôme?

Kiehl's and Lancôme are both beauty brands owned by L'Oréal S.A., with Kiehl's offering a higher proportion of fragrance-free products on this page while Lancôme features a pleasant scent in most of its items. Kiehl's is often noted for being gentle on sensitive skin, whereas Lancôme is frequently chosen for its deep hydration and soothing properties.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme are great options for dry skin, offering an equal High routine fit for this skin type. Kiehl's features a high proportion of fragrance-free products on this page and key ingredients like squalane and glycerin, whereas Lancôme focuses on formulations rich in glycerin and hyaluronic acid.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which cleanser is better?

When it comes to cleansers, Kiehl's may be the better choice because the products on this page offer higher overall fit ratings, such as Superior and High, for multiple skin types. Lancôme has fewer cleansers on this page, and one key cleanser receives a Warning fit level across all skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Lancôme?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme share a high price point among the products on this page. Reviewers frequently note high prices and poor value for both brands.

Which brand has more fragrance-free product options between Kiehl's and Lancôme?

Kiehl's offers more fragrance-free product options than Lancome, since 26 of 28 products on the Kiehl's page list no fragrance compared to only 3 of 14 products on the Lancome page.

How do the founding years and corporate ownership compare between Kiehl's and Lancôme?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, whereas Lancôme was founded in 1935 in France. Both brands are owned by L'Oréal S.A., with Lancôme acquired in 1964 and Kiehl's in 2000.

Which brand performs better for skin barrier and texture improvement?

Kiehl's performs better for skin barrier and texture improvement. The products on this page help improve skin texture and strengthen the skin barrier with key ingredients like retinol, which stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

Kiehl's or Lancôme for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Kiehl's and Lancôme provide a High routine fit on the products on this page. Kiehl's is often considered gentler for sensitive skin and features more fragrance-free options across its collection.

Kiehl's or Lancôme: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Lancôme offer effective moisturizers, with Kiehl's having significantly more fragrance-free options among the products on this page. Topical hyaluronic acid, found in Lancôme formulas, helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Kiehl's or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Kiehl's and Lancôme both offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's does better for gentle sensitive care on this page. Kiehl's is less prone to strong fragrance issues than Lancôme.

Kiehl's or Lancôme for acne-prone skin?

Lancôme is the better choice for acne-prone skin on this page, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to Kiehl's Average. Reviewers also note that the products on this page help soothe sensitive skin, and Lancôme features hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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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