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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 heritage skincare brands designed to address diverse complexions through thoughtful, science-backed formulations. The American brand is loved for its nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products utilizing glycerin and squalane, making it suit dry and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the French brand is known for its gentle moisturizers, protective sunscreens, targeted serums, and soothing cleansers formulated with glycerin to suit oily, acne-prone, and combination skin best. While both brands rely on glycerin to improve hydration and restore barrier function, they differ primarily in their heritage, specific ingredient profiles, 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

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 · S$209.58 · 92% fitBuy Avène routine · S$285.32 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitBuy Avène routine · S$455.29 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitBuy Avène routine · S$410.57 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Avène: which is better?

Kiehl's has a Superior routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, and mature skin types, while Avène has a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin. Reviewers find that Avène does better for gentleness, sensitive skin, and soothing irritation and redness, whereas Kiehl's does better for scents and fragrance.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Avène?

Avène does better for soothing irritation and redness, while Kiehl's does better for scents and fragrance because 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance compared to 7 of 15 for Avène. Avène also has a better price and value, whereas Kiehl's offers a Superior routine fit for dry, oily, sensitive, and mature skin types on this page.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's is a better match because the routine fit is Superior while Avène is High. Kiehl's offers products like Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate which has a Superior fit for dry skin, and 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance, making it a good choice for sensitive skin types as well.

Kiehl's or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's and Avène both offer cleansers with strong fit levels for oily and acne-prone skin, such as the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash and Cleanance Cleansing Gel. Reviewers note that Avène is particularly praised for its gentle deep clean, while Kiehl's provides a wider variety of specialized cleansers like the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Avène?

Avène tends to be more affordable than Kiehl's, as high price points are often noted by reviewers for Kiehl's products, while the price point is only sometimes noted for Avène.

Between Kiehl's and Avène, which brand has fewer products with fragrance?

Kiehl's has fewer products with fragrance, as only 2 of its 28 products on this page list fragrance compared to 7 of 15 products for Avène.

How do the founding years and corporate owners of Kiehl's and Avène compare?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas Avène was founded in 1990 in France and is owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

Which brand performs better for soothing irritation and redness according to reviewers?

Avène performs better for soothing irritation and redness according to reviewers. The products on this page help calm the skin with gentle ingredients.

Kiehl's or Avène for oily skin?

For oily skin, Kiehl's is a better choice as it achieves a Superior routine fit compared to Avène's High fit. The products on this page for Kiehl's feature high ratings for oily skin, such as the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash and Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner.

Kiehl's or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, Kiehl's offers a better routine fit for dry skin with a Superior rating, whereas Avène reaches a High fit level for dry skin. For the products on this page, Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free choices, while Avène includes fragrance in several of its moisturizers.

Kiehl's or Avène for sensitive skin?

Kiehl's has a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, whereas Avène has a High routine fit. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is better for scents and fragrance, while Avène is better for gentleness and sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer sunscreens on this page, but Avène features Cleanance which achieves a Superior Lovi fit level for oily skin. Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum has a High Lovi fit level for skin with dark spots and sensitive skin, while Avène has several sunscreens that list fragrance compared to fewer fragranced products from Kiehl's.

Kiehl's or Avène for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Avène is a better choice as the brand has a Superior routine fit compared to Kiehl's High fit level. The products on this page for Avène are also noted for providing a gentle deep clean and effective oil control.

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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