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Kiehl's vs Avène

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

Kiehl's and Avène are two esteemed skincare brands offering thoughtful moisturizers, reliable sunscreens, targeted serums, and gentle cleansers. The American heritage brand relies on trusted ingredients like glycerin and squalane, suiting dry skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the French label utilizes nourishing glycerin to suit acne-prone and oily acne-prone skin with profound relief. While both brands improve skin hydration and restore epidermal barrier function, they differ in their standout formulations and secondary ingredient benefits such as oxidative stress reduction.

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Avène products

People Say

Kiehl'sAvène
  • Skin Barrier and Tone Improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “absorbs very quickly — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
  • Gentleness and Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “no irritation at all — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Pores and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “keeps skin matte — Avène Cleanance”
  • Soothing Irritation and Redness Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Calms angry, red skin — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Application and Texture Difficulties Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “too thick — Avène Hydrance+”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with tiny whiteheads all over — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Caused small bumps/texture — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Scents and Fragrance Rarely NotedSometimes 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”
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,309.98 · 84% fitBuy Avène routine · SAR 1,135.93 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Avène routine · SAR 1,148.69 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,172.23 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Avène routine · SAR 1,208.83 · 85% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,149.18 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Avène: which is better?

Both brands are great depending on your needs, as Avène is better for soothing irritation and sensitivity, while Kiehl's is better on scents with fewer fragranced products.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Avène?

Kiehl's and Avène offer similar routine fits for most skin types, but Avène achieves a High fit for acne-prone skin compared to Kiehl's Average fit. Kiehl's products on this page are mostly fragrance-free, whereas over half of Avène's featured products include fragrance.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a high routine fit for dry skin. Kiehl's features a high proportion of fragrance-free products on this page and emphasizes hydrating formulas like Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, while Avène is frequently noted for soothing irritation and offers products like Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm.

Kiehl's or Avène: which cleanser is better?

When comparing cleansers, Kiehl's and Avène both offer effective options, with Kiehl's being particularly noted for products like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash that fit oily and acne-prone skin well. Avène cleansers are well-regarded for providing a gentle deep clean and soothing irritation for sensitive skin types. Reviewers generally find that both brands deliver strong performance in daily cleansing.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Avène?

Avène does better for price and value compared to Kiehl's. Reviewers often mention a high price point for Kiehl's, while Avène lists price point only sometimes.

Kiehl's or Avène: which brand has fewer products containing fragrance?

Kiehl's has fewer products containing fragrance, as 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance compared to only 7 of 15 products for Avène.

Which brand is owned by L'Oréal S.A., Kiehl's or Avène?

Kiehl's is owned by L'Oréal S.A., whereas Avène is owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

Kiehl's or Avène for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Kiehl's features several products with Superior fit levels for oily skin, such as the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner and the Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser, while Avène includes the Cleanance sunscreen with a Superior fit.

Kiehl's or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer moisturizers that fit dry skin at a High level on this page. Kiehl's features lighter, mostly fragrance-free formulas, while Avène is known for soothing sensitive skin and irritation.

Kiehl's or Avène for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Avène does better for gentleness and sensitive skin. Kiehl's is less likely to have scents and fragrance because 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance.

Kiehl's or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

When it comes to sunscreens, Avène helps provide gentle and non-stripping protection, while Kiehl's sunscreen on this page offers high Lovi fit levels for sensitive skin and dark spots. Avène is often noted for soothing irritation, whereas Kiehl's products on this page list no fragrance in the majority of their formulations.

Kiehl's or Avène for acne-prone skin?

Avène is a better fit for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page offer a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry sensitive skin?

Kiehl's is a better fit for dry sensitive skin, offering a High routine fit compared to Avène's Average fit. Kiehl's also has fewer products with added fragrance, as 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance.

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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