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The INKEY List vs Elemis

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

The INKEY List and Elemis are British skincare brands offering moisturizers, serums, toners, and more. The INKEY List focuses on glycerin-built formulas that suit sensitive and combination skin best, whereas Elemis features glycerin and shea butter to condition mature and dry sensitive skin. Both brands differ primarily in their founding years, ownership, and breadth of deeply nourishing ingredients.

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

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.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 The INKEY List and Elemis products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The INKEY List vs Elemis products

People Say

The INKEY ListElemis
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “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 Fast-Absorbing Texture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Absorbs almost immediately, and my skin feels well hydrated all day. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Gentle and Soothing Formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “no stinging or redness — Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel”
  • Affordable 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”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Improvement 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 feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Skin instantly looks less oily — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Complete waste of money for me. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Fragrance and Scent Issues Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “The smell is very strong... could not handle for long. — Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream”
  • Packaging Issues Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”

The INKEY List vs Elemis routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The INKEY List vs Elemis routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The INKEY List vs Elemis routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

The INKEY List or Elemis: which is better?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis match well across all skin types, but they serve different needs and budgets. The INKEY List stands out for its budget-friendly pricing, gentle formulations, and lightweight textures, whereas Elemis focuses more on luxurious, highly rated anti-aging formulas that often feature strong fragrances.

What is the difference between The INKEY List and Elemis?

The INKEY List is known for affordable, fragrance-free products that fit sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin, while Elemis offers a more luxurious experience geared toward mature and dry sensitive skin, though it frequently includes fragrance. Reviewers note that The INKEY List excels in value and gentle formulas, whereas Elemis stands out for skin smoothing and a radiant glow.

The INKEY List or Elemis for dry skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis match dry skin at a High Lovi fit level. The INKEY List offers fragrance-free formulas with affordable hydrating moisturizers, while Elemis provides luxurious textured moisturizers that feature shea butter and fragrance.

The INKEY List or Elemis: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers, The INKEY List offers fragrance-free options like its Salicylic Acid Cleanser and Oat Cleansing Balm, whereas most Elemis cleansers contain added fragrance. Both brands feature cleansers that rate as High on Lovi for multiple skin types, such as the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash and The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or Elemis?

The INKEY List is more affordable, as reviewers mostly mention its affordable moisturizers and serums, whereas reviewers mostly note a high price point for Elemis.

Which brand has more fragrance issues, The INKEY List or Elemis?

Elemis has more fragrance issues, as reviewers sometimes note a strong fragrance and most of its products on the page list fragrance in their ingredients. In contrast, every product on The INKEY List page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, though reviewers sometimes mention scent issues.

The INKEY List or Elemis for oily skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis have an overall routine fit level of High for oily skin. The INKEY List tends to offer a lightweight and fast-absorbing texture as well as better acne and blemish control.

The INKEY List or Elemis: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, both The INKEY List and Elemis offer options that Lovi rates as High for dry skin, such as The INKEY List Omega Water Cream and Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. Reviewers often mention that The INKEY List provides affordable, hydrating moisturizers, while Elemis is noted for its luxurious, nourishing formulas.

The INKEY List or Elemis for sensitive skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis have a High fit for sensitive skin. However, The INKEY List does better for gentle and soothing formulas, and every product on its page lists no fragrance, whereas most Elemis products contain fragrance.

The INKEY List or Elemis for acne-prone skin?

Both The INKEY List and Elemis achieve a High Lovi fit level for acne-prone skin. The INKEY List is known for acne and blemish control as well as gentle and soothing formulas, while Elemis offers a wider range of fragranced products.

The INKEY List or Elemis for mature skin?

Both brands offer products for mature skin, but The INKEY List fits best for sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin, whereas Elemis focuses heavily on mature skin, dry sensitive skin, and dark spots. Reviewers note that The INKEY List provides more affordable options, while Elemis is associated with a high price point and luxurious textures.

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

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