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Some By Mi vs Kiehl's

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

Some By Mi and Kiehl's are two prominent skincare brands offering diverse selections of serums, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and more. The Korean brand, founded in 2016, features niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid to best suit sensitive skin and skin with dark spots, whereas the American heritage brand, founded in 1851, utilizes glycerin and squalane to excel at nourishing dry skin and skin with dark spots. Both lines address specific concerns through targeted formulations, but they differ fundamentally in their ingredient philosophies and regional heritage.

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

kedglobal.compreqin.comtracxn.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 Some By Mi and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Some By Mi vs Kiehl's products

People Say

Some By MiKiehl's
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly 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”
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
  • Brightening and Radiance Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Fades dark spots — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “skin looks visibly brighter — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Skin Smoothing and Texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Surprisingly gentle — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Gentle Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “doesn't strip dry my skin — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot noted
    • “Reduces pimples — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “cleared my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam”
    • “flattened my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”
  • Price and Value Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “expensive — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
    • “Too expensive for 50ml — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Scents and Fragrance Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Sticky or Greasy Residue Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves face really greasy — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
    • “leaves sticky film — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · SAR 1,130.72 · 84% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,309.98 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · SAR 1,138.39 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,172.23 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Some By Mi vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Some By Mi routine · SAR 1,118.78 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · SAR 2,149.18 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which is better?

Some By Mi is a better fit for sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and skin with dark spots, while Kiehl's is often preferred for lightweight moisture and hydration. Both brands achieve high routine fit levels for dry, oily, and combination skin on the products on this page.

What is the difference between Some By Mi and Kiehl's?

Some By Mi fits sensitive skin and skin with dark spots at a Superior level, whereas Kiehl's fits them at a High level. Some By Mi also performs better for acne and blemish control, while Kiehl's offers better lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas as well as deep hydration.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both brands are a good choice for dry skin, as the routine fit level for dry skin is High for both Some By Mi and Kiehl's. Some By Mi relies on key ingredients like niacinamide and panthenol, while Kiehl's features glycerin, squalane, and shea butter to help provide deep hydration.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer strong cleansers, but Some By Mi is a better fit for acne-prone skin with products like the Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Low pH Gel Cleanser, which has a Superior Lovi fit level for acne-prone skin. Meanwhile, Kiehl's features options like the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash, which has a Superior Lovi fit level for oily skin.

Which is more affordable, Some By Mi or Kiehl's?

Some By Mi is more affordable, as price and value is an area where Some By Mi performs better than Kiehl's.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which brand is better for skin with dark spots?

Some By Mi is better for skin with dark spots, as Lovi rates its fit as Superior while Kiehl's fit is High. Topical niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which brand has a better scent profile or fragrance options?

Kiehl's does better for scents and fragrance because every product listed on the Some By Mi page contains no fragrance, whereas Kiehl's offers options with fragrance while keeping most of its range unfragranced.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which brand performs better for skin smoothing and texture?

Some By Mi performs better for skin smoothing and texture compared to Kiehl's. The products on this page help improve skin texture and smoothness.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for oily skin?

Both Some By Mi and Kiehl's are a High fit for oily skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides lightweight and fast-absorbing products, while Some By Mi offers effective acne-clearing treatments.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Some By Mi is better for dry and sensitive skin types, where its moisturizers like the Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream offer a superior Lovi fit level. Meanwhile, Kiehl's is known for its lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas like the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream, though both brands achieve a high routine fit for dry skin overall.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

Some By Mi fits sensitive skin with a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Kiehl's provides a High fit level.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's: which sunscreen is better?

Some By Mi provides the V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen, while Kiehl's offers the Better Screen UV Serum. Both sunscreens achieve a High Lovi fit level for skin with dark spots and combination skin.

Some By Mi or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Some By Mi fits acne-prone skin better, achieving a High routine fit compared to Kiehl's Average level. Reviewers often mention Some By Mi for effective acne-clearing treatments, while Kiehl's is sometimes noted for causing breakouts and skin irritation.

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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