🇸🇬Singapore

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List

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

Estée Lauder and The INKEY List are distinct skincare brands originating from America and Britain respectively. The American brand is beloved for its comprehensive range of moisturizers, serums, eye products, and cleansers formulated with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, while the British brand covers moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products built around glycerin. The first brand suits mature skin and oily acne-prone skin best, whereas the second fits dry skin and dry sensitive skin best. They differ primarily in their founding years, ownership, and targeted skin types.

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

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List products

People Say

Estée LauderThe INKEY List
  • 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”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
  • Lightweight feel and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Radiant glow and smooth texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gives me that glass skin look — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “silky smooth — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Affordable price and great value Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Gentle and non-drying cleansing Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Lathers well — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Makeup compatibility and base Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't pill — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “layers flawlessly under foundation — Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer”
    • “Brilliant makeup base — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “applies wonderfully under sunscreen and makeup — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
  • High price point and expensive Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Bulky and poor packaging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
    • “Please make a jar or refill that is not as big and heavy. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “Impossible to get out — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Smells like BBQ/meat — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “Smells like chemicals — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “smells plasticky — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Causes breakouts and skin irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Stings my eyes badly — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “gave me tiny red bumps — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$253.28 · 96% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · S$189.84 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$520.95 · 94% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · S$423.46 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Estée Lauder vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$411.40 · 94% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · S$319.36 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands offer great options, but The INKEY List stands out for providing more affordable serums and moisturizers, whereas Estée Lauder delivers superior deep hydration and moisturization for the products on this page.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and The INKEY List?

Estée Lauder focuses on deep hydration and a radiant glow with higher price points, whereas The INKEY List offers affordable and lightweight moisturizers. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder has bulky packaging while The INKEY List sometimes has scent complaints.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both brands offer products on this page that suit dry skin well, with The INKEY List achieving a superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's high routine fit.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers that fit Lovi skin types well, but they differ in reviews and formulation. The products on this page show that Estée Lauder has gentle and non-drying cleansers, while The INKEY List provides budget-friendly options.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Estée Lauder, as the products on this page offer affordable serums and moisturizers, whereas Estée Lauder features a high price point.

Which brand has more products containing added fragrance between Estée Lauder and The INKEY List?

Estée Lauder has more products containing added fragrance, with two products listing fragrance on this page. In contrast, every product from The INKEY List on this page lists no fragrance.

How do Estée Lauder and The INKEY List compare regarding packaging complaints from reviewers?

Reviewers note poor packaging design for Estée Lauder, while they mention packaging issues for The INKEY List.

Which brand offers better results for deep hydration and moisturization according to reviewer themes?

Estée Lauder offers better results for deep hydration and moisturization according to reviewer themes.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List are rated Superior for routine fit on oily skin on this page. Reviewers report that Estée Lauder offers deep hydration while The INKEY List provides lightweight moisturizers.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer moisturizers for different preferences, with Estée Lauder focused on deep hydration and The INKEY List known for affordability and lightweight feel. Reviewers report that Estée Lauder provides deep moisturization, while The INKEY List features lightweight, fast-absorbing, and plumping moisturizers.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List achieve a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin among the products on this page. Estée Lauder helps deliver deep hydration, while The INKEY List provides affordable moisturizers that are free of fragrance.

Estée Lauder or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both Estée Lauder and The INKEY List provide products on this page with a Superior fit level for acne-prone skin, such as the Micro Essence Treatment Lotion and the PHA Toner respectively.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play