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Medicube vs Kiehl's

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

Medicube and Kiehl's are two esteemed skincare lines that offer nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, soothing toners, and masks. The Korean brand features niacinamide, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to best suit dry skin and oily acne-prone skin, while the American brand relies on glycerin and squalane for dry skin and mature skin. These offerings differ as the first addresses hydration, clarity, and targeted concerns like dark spots and aging signs, whereas the second focuses on moisture loss, barrier resilience, and soothing care.

Medicube is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by APR Corp..

medicubereviews.co.ukglossy.co

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 Medicube and Kiehl's products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Medicube vs Kiehl's products

People Say

MedicubeKiehl's
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels bouncier and hydrated — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “glass skin — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Miscellaneous Positive Attributes Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “dries super fast — Medicube Zero Pore Blackhead Mud Mask”
    • “active breakouts look less inflamed — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Smooth Skin Texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gives my skin a smooth, glass-like finish — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
    • “skin feels smoother — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Formula Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Did not cause any irritation — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
  • Lightweight Texture Not notedOften 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”
  • Glow and Radiance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gave me instant glass skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “woke up with glowing skin — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “healthy, dewy glow — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • High Price and Value Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “tube is tiny for the price — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “price is steep — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “price is a bit steep — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Sticky or Greasy Residue Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “hair sticks to my face — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
  • Packaging and Application Issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “messy — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “lifted around the nose/eyes — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused redness and sensitivity — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
    • “woke up with whiteheads — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”

Medicube vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$209.58 · 92% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$127.51 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Medicube vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$223.62 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Medicube vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · S$287.99 · 90% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$223.62 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Medicube or Kiehl's: which is better?

Kiehl's tends to perform better overall than Medicube, particularly offering superior routine fits for oily, combination, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, alongside better results for gentle formulas and lightweight textures. Both brands tie on hydration, smooth texture, and dry skin routines, while Medicube stands out specifically for glow and radiance.

What is the difference between Medicube and Kiehl's?

Medicube is a South Korean brand founded in 2016 and owned by APR Corp., whereas Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000. Medicube products on this page frequently feature key ingredients like Niacinamide, Collagen, and Hyaluronic acid, while Kiehl's relies on Glycerin, Vitamin C, and Squalane. Reviewers note that Medicube delivers a radiant glow better, while Kiehl's is noted as better for lightweight texture and gentle formulas.

Medicube or Kiehl's for dry skin?

Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit level for dry skin. Kiehl's features key ingredients like glycerin and squalane, while Medicube utilizes niacinamide and collagen.

Medicube or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Kiehl's offers cleansers with a Superior routine fit for oily skin and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Medicube's cleansers achieve a High fit for those skin types. Reviewers note that Kiehl's generally provides a more gentle and sensitive formula compared to Medicube.

Which is more affordable, Medicube or Kiehl's?

Medicube does better than Kiehl's for the products on this page when it comes to high price and value. Reviewers note that both brands face pricing issues, but Medicube is generally considered the more affordable option.

Medicube or Kiehl's for oily skin?

For oily skin, Kiehl's is the better choice as Lovi rates its routine as Superior, while Medicube's routine is High. Both brands offer targeted products on this page like cleansers and toners that help manage excess oil.

Medicube or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's offer effective moisturizers, with Medicube's Collagen Jelly Cream achieving a High fit for dry skin and Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate achieving a Superior fit. Reviewers note that Medicube products help provide deep hydration moisturizers, while Kiehl's formulas are often noted for a lightweight, non-greasy texture.

Medicube or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Kiehl's and Medicube both offer high or superior product fit levels across many options on this page, with Kiehl's doing better in review themes for gentle and sensitive formulas. Niacinamide helps control skin aging and pigmentation.

Antioxidants, 2021

Medicube or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's are a High fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's is noted as doing better for gentle and sensitive formulas.

Medicube or Kiehl's for mature skin?

For mature skin, Kiehl's is the better choice because its routine fit level is Superior, whereas Medicube has a High fit. Kiehl's offers targeted products like the Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, which uses retinol that helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Medicube or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots. Medicube is noted for glow and radiance, while Kiehl's offers a gentle and sensitive formula.

Medicube or Kiehl's for dry sensitive skin?

For dry sensitive skin, Medicube and Kiehl's offer equal routine fit levels, with both brands rated as High. Kiehl's is noted by reviewers for having a gentler and more sensitive formula.

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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