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Neutrogena vs Elemis

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

Neutrogena and Elemis are two distinct skincare lines established in 1930 and 1989, respectively, catering to diverse complexions through specialized formulations. The American brand is celebrated for its reliable moisturizers, sunscreens, cleansers, toners, and more, which are thoughtfully formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone to suit oily acne-prone skin and acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, skincare enthusiasts love the British brand for its thoughtfully formulated serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more, which harness nourishing ingredients like glycerin and shea to suit mature skin and dry sensitive skin best. While both utilize glycerin to increase hydration and restore barrier function, they ultimately differ in their secondary active components and targeted skin types.

Neutrogena is an American skincare brand founded in 1930 and owned by Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2026.

investor.kimberly-clark.comen.wikipedia.orginvestors.kenvue.com

Elemis is a British skincare brand founded in 1989 and owned by L'Occitane Group since 2019.

elemis.comau.elemis.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Neutrogena vs Elemis products

People Say

NeutrogenaElemis
  • Deep Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Skin looked plumper and radiant — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “It also hydrates my skin. This cream has been so easy to add to my routine. — Neutrogena Retinol Regenerating Cream”
    • “The cream really hydrates and my face looks amazing. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream”
    • “Quenches thirsty skin... immediate improvement. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs instantly without sticky residue — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “absorbs instantly — Neutrogena COLLAGEN BANK Moisturizer”
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue. — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “Absorbs almost immediately, and my skin feels well hydrated all day. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Friendly Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin soft and balanced — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “love that it has no scent — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “calms my acne prone skin — Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser”
    • “no stinging or redness — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
  • Skin Texture and Anti-Aging Benefits Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “baby soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “skin feels baby-soft — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “Skin is looking smoother — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
  • Luxurious Spa-Like Scents and Textures Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “whipped silk feel — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “smells like a spa — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
    • “smells like a holiday — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
  • Radiant Glow and Soft Skin Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “healthy glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads”
    • “instantly fresh glow — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “Once I started using Elemis Superfood facial oil... my skin began to glow. — Elemis Superfood Facial Oil”
    • “Face felt baby soft afterwards — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”
  • High Price Point and Value Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Jar is too small for the price — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Runs out quickly — Neutrogena HYDRO BOOST WATER CREAM”
    • “Complete waste of money for me. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Strong Fragrance and Scents Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smell is too overpowering and lingering — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel”
    • “Scent is so off-putting — Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream”
    • “The smell is very strong... could not handle for long. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
    • “smell is too strong — Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm”
  • Packaging and Design Issues Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “jar looks half empty — Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial”
    • “tube feels half empty — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
    • “pump broke quickly — Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash”
    • “Eye holes are too small — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Mask”

Neutrogena vs Elemis routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Neutrogena vs Elemis routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Neutrogena vs Elemis routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

Neutrogena or Elemis: which is better?

Both Neutrogena and Elemis are great options, as they offer an equal level of routine fit across nearly all skin types. Neutrogena is better for budget-friendly hydration and sensitive skin, whereas Elemis stands out for luxurious textures, anti-aging benefits, and a radiant glow.

What is the difference between Neutrogena and Elemis?

Neutrogena and Elemis both offer high routine fit across most skin types, but Neutrogena features more fragrance-free options and is often noted for being lightweight and gentle, while Elemis is recognized for luxurious textures and anti-aging benefits. For dry sensitive skin, Elemis provides a High fit level compared to Neutrogena's Average fit level.

Neutrogena or Elemis for dry skin?

Neutrogena and Elemis are both a High fit for dry skin on the products on this page. Neutrogena helps deliver deep hydration with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which supports moisture retention in the skin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Neutrogena or Elemis: which cleanser is better?

Neutrogena is better for sensitive skin, offering superior fit levels across several cleansers, whereas Elemis cleansers are more frequently formulated with fragrance.

Which is more affordable, Neutrogena or Elemis?

Neutrogena is more affordable, whereas high price point is a mostly mentioned drawback for Elemis products on this page.

Which brand has a higher percentage of fragrance-free products?

Neutrogena has a much higher percentage of fragrance-free products, as 35 of the 39 products on this page list no fragrance. In contrast, most Elemis products on this page contain fragrance.

Neutrogena or Elemis for oily skin?

Both Neutrogena and Elemis fit oily skin well, as the products on this page achieve a High routine fit for this skin type. Neutrogena tends to be preferred for lightweight and non-greasy options, whereas Elemis offers luxurious textures and a radiant glow.

Neutrogena or Elemis: which moisturizer is better?

Both Neutrogena and Elemis offer moisturizers that provide deep hydration and help improve skin quality, with Neutrogena relying on ingredients like hyaluronic acid and retinol and Elemis focusing on anti-aging and smoothing benefits. Lovi rates their routines as having equal fit levels across most skin types, though Neutrogena is better for budget and lightweight feel while Elemis offers a more luxurious texture.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Neutrogena or Elemis for sensitive skin?

Both Neutrogena and Elemis have an equal High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Neutrogena does better on the products on this page for being gentle and sensitive skin friendly.

Neutrogena or Elemis for acne-prone skin?

Both Neutrogena and Elemis fit acne-prone skin well, as the products on this page achieve a High routine fit for this skin type. Neutrogena tends to be gentler and more sensitive-skin friendly, whereas Elemis focuses more on skin texture and anti-aging benefits.

Neutrogena or Elemis for mature skin?

Both Neutrogena and Elemis fit mature skin at a High routine level, with Neutrogena being better for lightweight products and Elemis for skin texture and anti-aging benefits. Neutrogena features retinol, which helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Neutrogena or Elemis for dry sensitive skin?

Elemis is a better fit for dry sensitive skin, as the products on this page achieve a High Lovi fit level compared to Neutrogena's Average level. Elemis also offers specialized routines focusing on dry sensitive skin, while Neutrogena leans best toward oily acne-prone skin, acne-prone skin, and mature skin.

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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