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Kiehl's vs NIVEA

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

Kiehl's and NIVEA are distinguished skincare brands that offer reliable daily care for diverse complexions. The American house is beloved for moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products featuring glycerin and squalane, suiting dry skin and dark spots best. Conversely, the German brand is deeply loved for versatile sunscreens, targeted serums, and nourishing moisturizers formulated with glycerin, catering ideally to sensitive and acne-prone skin. While both companies harness glycerin to improve hydration and barrier function, they ultimately differ in their key formulations and ideal skin types.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

NIVEA is a German skincare brand founded in 1911 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2004.

beiersdorf.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Kiehl's vs NIVEA products

People Say

Kiehl'sNIVEA
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “Smoothed out dry flaky scales on my cheeks overnight — NIVEA Creme”
    • “skin feels moisturized — NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Makes my face feel smooth and soft. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “skin feels squeaky clean and soft — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “skin feels smooth — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “It's lightweight on the skin and leaves a bit of subtle sheen. — NIVEA Soft”
  • Relaxing and Classic Scents Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like holiday — NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+”
    • “Smell brings me back to childhood — NIVEA Creme”
    • “smells really nice — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
    • “calming lavender smell — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Gentleness and Sensitivity Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't irritate sensitive eyes — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “doesn't dry out skin — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
  • Value for Money Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Works better than expensive luxury creams — NIVEA Creme”
    • “Best affordable vegan moisturizer. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “absolute steal for the price — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
  • High Price Point Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Greasiness and Heavy Residue Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “didn't absorb well — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “Leaves a shiny grease layer that doesn't go away — NIVEA Creme”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Clogged my pores and caused bad acne — NIVEA Creme”
    • “I noticed some acne breakouts on my chin after using this crème for a while. — NIVEA Soft”

Kiehl's vs NIVEA routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,309.98 · 84% fitBuy NIVEA routine · SAR 974.09 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs NIVEA routines for oily skin

Buy NIVEA routine · SAR 1,178.96 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,172.23 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs NIVEA routines for combination skin

Buy NIVEA routine · SAR 1,165.77 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,149.18 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high routine fit across most skin types, with Kiehl's delivering better gentleness and absorption, while NIVEA provides greater value for money and skin barrier improvement.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and NIVEA?

Kiehl's offers a wide range of fragrance-free products with key ingredients like Vitamin C and squalane, while NIVEA features versatile, often scented moisturizers centered around glycerin. For routine fit, Kiehl's is High for dry skin and NIVEA is High for acne-prone skin.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer a High routine fit for dry skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free options and is often noted for deep hydration, while NIVEA provides versatile multi-use moisturizers and intense deep hydration.

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high-performing moisturizers, with Kiehl's providing better texture and absorption and NIVEA delivering stronger skin barrier and texture improvement. Reviewers note that Kiehl's products on this page often feature lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers, while NIVEA offers versatile multi-use options.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or NIVEA?

NIVEA is more affordable than Kiehl's, as high price points are noted for Kiehl's products on this page while value for money is a recognized strength for NIVEA.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for dark spots?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer products that are well-suited for skin with dark spots, with Lovi fit levels for the skin type reaching High for select items in both ranges. Kiehl's features key ingredients like Vitamin C, while NIVEA provides targeted treatments such as its LUMINOUS630 ANTI-DARK SPOT SERUM.

Which brand has fewer products with fragrance, Kiehl's or NIVEA?

Kiehl's has fewer products with fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to 6 of the 9 NIVEA products.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Lovi notes that the products on this page for both brands feature lightweight hydration and blemish-clearing care.

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which sunscreen is better?

For sunscreens, Kiehl's better Screen UV Serum achieves a High Lovi fit level for dry sensitive, mature, and sensitive skin types among the products on this page, whereas NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+ reaches High fit levels across all skin types.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Kiehl's rates better for gentleness and sensitivity. Kiehl's also features mostly fragrance-free products on the products on this page, which may help avoid irritation.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, NIVEA has a High routine fit, whereas Kiehl's is Average. NIVEA features blemish-clearing serums on the products on this page.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for mature skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer a High Lovi routine fit for mature skin, with Kiehl's providing products like its Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation and addresses signs of skin aging.

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

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