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Estée Lauder vs SK-II

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

Estée Lauder and SK-II are renowned skincare brands offering comprehensive ranges of moisturizers, serums, and targeted treatments powered by signature ingredients like hyaluronic acid and pitera. The American brand suits acne-prone skin and mature skin best through nourishing formulas, whereas the Japanese brand tends to dry sensitive skin and combination skin best due to their balancing and soothing nature. Ultimately, the two brands differ in their foundational ingredients and specific target concerns, with the former emphasizing hydration and peptide care and the latter focusing on refining texture and clarity.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

SK-II is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1980 and owned by The Procter & Gamble Company since 1991.

en.wikipedia.orgdiscoversk-ii.wixsite.comglossy.co

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs SK-II products

People Say

Estée LauderSK-II
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “flooded my skin with moisture — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Skin texture improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels soft as butter — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “pores became miraculously invisible — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Smoother skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Radiance, glow and brightening Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives a glass skin look — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “leaves me with a red carpet glow — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “Skin looks brighter — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Lightweight feel and absorption Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “drinks right into the skin — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “Absorbs into the skin quickly. — SK-II Genoptics Ultraura Essence”
    • “Absorbs quickly — SK-II Genoptics Spot Essence”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Gentle and non-drying formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves skin soft, feels moisturized, does not dry out skin. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • Effective makeup removal and cleansing Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “removes all my makeup effortlessly — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Melts away Double Wear foundation instantly — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “Leaves my skin very clean — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Dissolves waterproof mascara, melts stubborn makeup, removes sunscreen easily. — SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil”
  • High price point and expensive cost Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “too pricey — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Very expensive for the amount — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “way too expensive — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Unpleasant scent or fragrance issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “strong scent — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “smells like dirty feet — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
    • “smells slightly like saliva — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
  • Lack of results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “didn't notice any difference — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “just expensive water — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Haven't seen the results yet. — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Eye Balm”
    • “did absolutely nothing — SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”
  • Bulky or poor packaging design Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “cotton is too thick and heavy — SK-II Facial Treatment Mask”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for dry skin

Buy SK-II routine · SAR 2,157.75 · 83% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · SAR 2,185.29 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for oily skin

Buy SK-II routine · SAR 1,935.93 · 89% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · SAR 2,358.15 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Estée Lauder vs SK-II routines for combination skin

Buy SK-II routine · SAR 2,044.94 · 90% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · SAR 2,335.63 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which is better?

Both brands are great choices depending on your specific skin goals, as Estée Lauder excels in deep hydration and gentle cleansing, while SK-II stands out for skin texture improvement and lightweight absorption. For routine fit, Estée Lauder reaches a High level for dry sensitive skin, whereas SK-II reaches a Superior level.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and SK-II?

Estée Lauder excels at deep hydration and gentle cleansers with a higher price point, while SK-II stands out for skin texture improvement, radiance, and lightweight feel. Both brands offer high routine fits for dry, oily, sensitive, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, but SK-II achieves superior routine fits for combination skin, acne-prone skin, and dry sensitive skin.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for dry skin?

For dry skin, both Estée Lauder and SK-II achieve a High routine fit level on this page. Estée Lauder features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help provide deep hydration, while SK-II relies on Pitera to support skin texture.

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

Estée Lauder or SK-II: which moisturizer is better?

Both Estée Lauder and SK-II offer moisturizers with a High routine fit for dry and oily skin types on this page. Estée Lauder products on this page often feature hyaluronic acid and glycerin for deep hydration, whereas SK-II moisturizers utilize Pitera and achieve a Superior fit for combination skin.

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

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or SK-II?

Reviewers note that both Estée Lauder and SK-II have a high price point, but Estée Lauder is frequently criticized for its high price point among the products on this page.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for oily skin?

Both Estée Lauder and SK-II achieve a High routine fit level for oily skin based on the products on this page. Estée Lauder features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while SK-II relies on Pitera across its products.

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

Estée Lauder or SK-II for sensitive skin?

Both Estée Lauder and SK-II achieve a High routine fit for sensitive skin on this page. Estée Lauder's products on this page often feature hyaluronic acid and glycerin, and 12 of 14 list no fragrance, while every product from SK-II lists no fragrance.

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

Estée Lauder or SK-II for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, both brands work well, but SK-II has a Superior routine fit while Estée Lauder has a High routine fit.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for combination skin?

For combination skin, both brands do well, but SK-II has a Superior routine fit on this page. Estée Lauder products on this page often feature hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help provide deep hydration.

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

Estée Lauder or SK-II for skin with dark spots?

SK-II does better than Estée Lauder for skin with dark spots, achieving a High Lovi fit level compared to Estée Lauder's Average fit.

Estée Lauder or SK-II for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, both brands offer products on this page with a High routine fit, but SK-II reaches a Superior fit level. Additionally, topical hyaluronic acid, a key ingredient across Estée Lauder products on this page, helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

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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