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Kiehl's vs MAC

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

Kiehl's and MAC are distinct beauty brands with dedicated followers, where the American house founded in 1851 is celebrated for its targeted moisturizers and serums featuring glycerin and squalane, while the Canadian counterpart established in 1984 focuses on daily maintenance with reliable makeup removers and balanced formulas. The former suits dry skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the latter is ideally suited for balanced skin. Ultimately, they differ because the former relies on barrier-restoring ingredients like squalane to address specific concerns, while both offer thoughtful options for various skincare needs.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

MAC is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 1984 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 1994.

elcompanies.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Kiehl's vs MAC products

People Say

Kiehl'sMAC
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
    • “Absorbs in a snap — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
    • “Emulsifies beautifully and rinses off without a greasy film. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
  • Makeup Base and Primer Compatibility Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “foundation glides on — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
    • “Sits beautifully under makeup — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
    • “Reduces appearance of pores — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • Brightening and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “lit-from-within look — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Friendly Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Does not cause breakouts — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
    • “Doesn't sting my eyes or blur my vision. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “petal-soft skin — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Often MentionedNot noted
    • “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”
  • High Price Point Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “too expensive — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
    • “A bit expensive — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “caused acne — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”
    • “Breaks me out, I got pimples from this. — MAC Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil”
  • Ineffective or Slow Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Don't expect miracles — MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion”
  • Unpleasant Scent and Fragrance Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like hot dog water — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “scent is overpowering — MAC Hyper Real Serumizer”

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or MAC: which is better?

Kiehl's is better for brightening and deep hydration, while MAC is better for lightweight textures and makeup base compatibility, according to the products on this page.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and MAC?

Kiehl's offers a much larger selection of skincare products on this page and tends to do better for deep hydration, skin barrier improvement, and brightening, whereas MAC focuses on a smaller range that excels in makeup base and primer compatibility. Reviewers note that the products on this page for both brands share a high price point, but MAC's items all contain fragrance while almost all Kiehl's products are fragrance-free.

Kiehl's or MAC: which moisturizer is better?

Kiehl's offers better moisturizer options on this page, with Lovi fit levels reaching High for dry skin and dry sensitive skin compared to MAC's average rating for those skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or MAC?

Both Kiehl's and MAC share a high price point as a common drawback noted by reviewers on the products on this page. Lovi fit levels and review themes do not highlight one brand as more affordable than the other.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Kiehl's or MAC?

Kiehl's and MAC perform equally regarding breakouts on the products on this page. Reviewers note that both brands may occasionally cause breakouts and skin irritation.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between Kiehl's and MAC?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States, while MAC was founded in 1984 in Canada. Both brands are currently owned by larger parent companies, with Kiehl's under L'Oréal S.A. and MAC under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Which brand offers more products with no fragrance listed in their formulations?

Kiehl's offers significantly more products with no fragrance listed in their formulations, as 26 of their 28 products on this page contain no fragrance, whereas none of the MAC products are listed without it.

How does the Lovi fit level for the Hyper Real Serumizer compare across skin types for MAC?

Lovi rates the Hyper Real Serumizer as a High fit for dry sensitive skin, and an Average fit for all other skin types on this page.

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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