🇸🇦Saudi Arabia

COSRX vs Kiehl's

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

COSRX and Kiehl's are two esteemed skincare brands offering distinct approaches to daily routines, with the Korean brand founded in 2013 and the American brand established in 1851. Enthusiasts adore the former for its thoughtfully formulated serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and masks featuring hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide, which suit acne-prone and oily acne-prone skin best, while the latter is beloved for its trusted moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products containing glycerin and squalane, which suit dry skin and skin with dark spots best. These brands differ primarily in their heritage and targeted formulations, as the first addresses specific blemishes effectively through snail mucin, propolis, and centella, whereas the second relies on moisture-retaining and brightening properties like calendula and squalane.

COSRX is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Amorepacific Group since 2024.

koreajoongangdaily.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.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 COSRX and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular COSRX vs Kiehl's products

People Say

COSRXKiehl's
  • Glow and skin texture improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “woke up with soft, supple skin — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly like water — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Gentle and non-stripping formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “No stinging or irritation — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “doesn't strip my skin — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “no stinging — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “skin drinks it up — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
  • Effective acne and pore control Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “helped to improve my acne after only 2 weeks — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “cleared up my spots — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “Melted blackheads right off — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • High price and poor value Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive for me — COSRX The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Allergic reactions and skin irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “stings really bad if it accidentally gets in the eyes — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “burns eyes when sweating — COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “stings my face and feels like burning — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
  • Dryness or insufficient moisture Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “left my face tight — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
  • No visible or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Takes a month to work — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “didn't do anything — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”

COSRX vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,309.98 · 84% fitBuy COSRX routine · SAR 690.19 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

COSRX vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy COSRX routine · SAR 843.29 · 90% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,172.23 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

COSRX vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy COSRX routine · SAR 735.92 · 89% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,149.18 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

COSRX or Kiehl's: which is better?

COSRX is better for acne-prone, oily acne-prone, oily, and sensitive skin, where Lovi rates its fit as Superior, whereas Kiehl's is better for deep hydration and moisturization according to review themes. Both brands achieve equal routine fit levels for dry, combination, mature, dark spots, and dry sensitive skin.

What is the difference between COSRX and Kiehl's?

COSRX is well-suited for acne-prone skin, oily skin, and oily acne-prone skin with a Lovi fit level of Superior, while Kiehl's best fits dry skin, skin with dark spots, and combination skin. Lovi fit for dry skin is High for both brands. COSRX helps with acne control, whereas Kiehl's is known for deep hydration.

COSRX or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both COSRX and Kiehl's are a High fit for dry skin on this page. COSRX offers products like the Advanced Snail Mucin Gel Cleanser with a Superior fit for dry skin, while Kiehl's provides options like the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate with a Superior fit for dry skin.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

COSRX is better for acne-prone skin, with cleansers like the Advanced Snail Mucin Gel Cleanser providing Superior fit levels, whereas Kiehl's cleansers fit acne-prone skin at High levels. Lovi rates the routine fit for acne-prone skin as Superior for COSRX and Average for Kiehl's.

Which is more affordable, COSRX or Kiehl's?

Kiehl's has a high price point and poor value mentioned as a negative review theme, whereas COSRX does not.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which brand is better for managing dark spots?

Both COSRX and Kiehl's offer products with a High fit level for skin with dark spots on the products on this page. COSRX helps target pigmentation with key ingredients like Niacinamide, while Kiehl's features treatments like the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

COSRX or Kiehl's: which brand offers more fragrance-free products?

COSRX offers more fragrance-free products on this page, with 37 out of 38 products listing no fragrance compared to 26 out of 28 for Kiehl's.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which brand performs better for oily acne-prone skin?

COSRX performs better for oily acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Kiehl's. Additionally, COSRX does better in effective acne and pore control.

COSRX or Kiehl's for oily skin?

For oily skin, COSRX offers a Superior routine fit while Kiehl's provides a High routine fit. COSRX helps with acne and pore control, whereas Kiehl's is known for lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

COSRX is better for oily and acne-prone skin types, where Lovi rates its moisturizers as Superior compared to Kiehl's High or Average. Kiehl's is better for deep hydration, but its moisturizers have a higher likelihood of causing breakouts and skin irritation.

COSRX or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, COSRX is better with a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Kiehl's has a High fit level. COSRX is also noted for being more gentle and non-stripping.

COSRX or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

COSRX has a Superior fit level for acne-prone skin with its Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen, whereas Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High fit level for this skin type. Lovi finds that COSRX sunscreen products generally offer high fit levels across a wide range of skin types.

COSRX or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

COSRX is the better choice for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to an Average fit for Kiehl's. Review themes on the page also note that COSRX does better for effective acne and pore control.

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