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Kiehl's vs Clarins

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

Kiehl's and Clarins are two esteemed skincare brands that offer nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and gentle eye products enriched with ingredients like glycerin, squalane, and shea. Kiehl's suits dry and mature skin best with formulations designed to address moisture loss, while the French brand caters primarily to sensitive and acne-prone skin through gentle, balancing care. Ultimately, the American house relies heavily on glycerin for hydration and barrier function, whereas the European counterpart harnesses shea and squalane to reduce redness and increase collagen.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clarins products

People Say

Kiehl'sClarins
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
  • No white cast and glowing skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • 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”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Makeup base and primer compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Rich and creamy texture Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “feels luxurious and thick — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints 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 perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Breakouts and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • 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”
    • “didn't see a lift — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “no change in circles — Clarins Double Serum Eye”

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$209.58 · 92% fitBuy Clarins routine · S$247.61 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitBuy Clarins routine · S$455.72 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitBuy Clarins routine · S$455.72 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clarins: which is better?

Lovi shows that Kiehl's fits dry skin, mature skin, and oily acne-prone skin at a Superior level, whereas Clarins fits them at a High level. Kiehl's also has fewer fragrance complaints among the products on this page.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's offers a larger fragrance-free selection across the products on this page, whereas almost all Clarins products contain fragrance. For routine fit, Lovi rates Kiehl's as Superior for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, while Clarins is rated High for those same skin types.

Kiehl's or Clarins for dry skin?

For dry skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior, compared to High for Clarins.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

For cleansers, Kiehl's is the better choice because Lovi rates its cleansers as a Superior fit for oily skin, oily acne-prone skin, and oily acne-prone cleansing routines. Clarins' cleansers are mostly rated as Average fits for those same skin types.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins share a high price point as a frequently noted drawback among reviewers on the products on this page.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Kiehl's has significantly more fragrance-free products on the products on this page, with 26 out of 28 products listing no fragrance, whereas Clarins has only 1 fragrance-free product among its 24 options.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which brand is better for mature skin?

For mature skin, Kiehl's is better because Lovi rates its overall routine fit as Superior, compared to High for Clarins.

Which brand offers better deep hydration according to reviewers?

Clarins offers better deep hydration according to reviewers. Reviewers mostly mention hydrating and smoothing moisturizers and glowing serums for Clarins, and the brand is highlighted for deep hydration compared to Kiehl's.

Kiehl's or Clarins for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi finds that Kiehl's has a Superior routine fit and Clarins has a High fit level.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, Kiehl's is often preferred for its lightweight, non-greasy formulas, whereas Clarins excels in providing deep hydration and luxurious textures. Reviewers note that Kiehl's fit level for dry skin is Superior, while Clarins holds a High fit level.

Kiehl's or Clarins for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Lovi rates Kiehl's routine fit as Superior and Clarins as High. Reviewers note that Kiehl's has fewer fragrance complaints than Clarins on this page, as 26 of its 28 products list no fragrance compared to only 1 of 24 for Clarins.

Kiehl's or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi rates Kiehl's as High and Clarins as High, making both brands equal choices on this page. Kiehl's features a focused routine for acne-prone skin, while Clarins is also noted for acne-prone skin in its best-fit types.

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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