🇸🇦Saudi Arabia

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 respected skincare brands offering thoughtfully formulated products for daily routines. Beauty of Joseon is a Korean brand known for serums, masks, moisturizers, and sunscreens featuring niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, while the American brand Kiehl's is recognized for its moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products containing glycerin and squalane. The former suits sensitive skin and dry sensitive skin best, whereas the latter suits dry skin and skin with dark spots best. While both increase hydration and support barrier function, they differ in their specific active ingredients and heritage.

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

Buy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,309.98 · 84% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · SAR 432.98 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Beauty of Joseon routine · SAR 484.14 · 80% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,172.23 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Beauty of Joseon vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,149.18 · 83% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · SAR 470.18 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

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

Both brands offer solid routines across skin types, but Beauty of Joseon is gentler and better for sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's is better for mature skin and offers specialized exfoliation. Niacinamide in Beauty of Joseon helps reduce pigmentation, while retinol in Kiehl's stimulates collagen accumulation in aged skin.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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

Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's both offer high routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, and dry sensitive skin, but Beauty of Joseon stands out for its fragrance-free formulas and better performance on sensitive skin, whereas Kiehl's is frequently noted for higher prices and occasional irritation.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for dry skin, with Beauty of Joseon leaning on ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid while Kiehl's features glycerin and squalane. Reviewers note that both brands deliver deep hydration, though Beauty of Joseon is frequently praised for gentle, non-irritating formulas.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's offer effective cleansers, but Beauty of Joseon is noted for better pore and oil control, whereas Kiehl's excels in gentle exfoliation and texture smoothing.

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

Beauty of Joseon is more affordable, as high price points are noted as a common drawback for Kiehl's while Beauty of Joseon fares better in this review theme.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for dark spots?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Reviewers note that both brands help with brightening and fading dark spots.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's: which brand is better for sensitive skin formulations?

Beauty of Joseon is better for sensitive skin formulations because the products on this page list no fragrance and review themes show the brand does better with gentle and non-irritating formulations.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's are a High fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that Beauty of Joseon is better for pore and oil control, while Kiehl's features a wider range of products like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner that are well-suited for oilier complexions.

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

Both Beauty of Joseon and Kiehl's offer moisturizers that fit dry skin at a High level, though Beauty of Joseon focuses on gentle, fragrance-free formulas while Kiehl's features advanced concentrates and barrier creams. Depending on your preference for ingredients like niacinamide or squalane, both brands provide effective options for deep hydration.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Beauty of Joseon is a better choice for sensitive skin as the products on this page are completely fragrance-free and the brand scores better for gentle and non-irritating formulation. Lovi rates the routine fit for sensitive skin as High for Beauty of Joseon.

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

When comparing sunscreens on this page, both Beauty of Joseon with Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics and Kiehl's with Better Screen UV Serum show High Lovi fit levels for skin with dark spots and sensitive skin.

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

Beauty of Joseon fits acne-prone skin better, achieving a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level. Additionally, reviewers report that Beauty of Joseon helps provide gentle formulations, whereas Kiehl's is more frequently associated with breakouts.

Beauty of Joseon or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Kiehl's is a better fit for mature skin, achieving a High routine fit compared to an Average fit for Beauty of Joseon. Kiehl's features targeted options like the Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, and retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play