🇸🇬Singapore

Medicube vs The INKEY List

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

Medicube and The INKEY List are distinct skincare brands offering thoughtfully formulated moisturizers, serums, toners, masks, eye products, and more. Medicube relies on niacinamide, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to best suit dry skin and oily acne-prone skin, while the other brand centers its products around glycerin to best suit dry skin and dry sensitive skin. Both brands address targeted concerns like acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin through specialized offerings. They differ primarily in their founding origins, key ingredients, and precise skin type pairings.

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

medicubereviews.co.ukglossy.co

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 Medicube and The INKEY List products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Medicube vs The INKEY List products

People Say

MedicubeThe INKEY List
  • Affordable price point 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”
  • Smoother and improved 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”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Medicube Zero Pore Blackhead Mud Mask”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “absorbs instantly — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
  • Soothing and gentle Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “calming the skin — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
    • “Did not cause any irritation — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
    • “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “Non-irritating formula — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
  • Hydration and plumping Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “skin feels plump and bouncy — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “fine lines vanished — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “skin feels soft and bouncy — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
  • Clears acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “cleared hormonal acne — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
    • “Cleared up mask acne — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “active breakouts look less inflamed — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
  • Drying and stripping Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin feels very tight — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “skin felt very tight — Medicube Zero Pore Blackhead Mud Mask”
    • “have dry skin but this doesn't feel hydrating at all — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin a bit dry — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Sticky residue and finish Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “feeling sticky — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “sets to a tacky finish — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “feels way too sticky and tacky — Medicube DEEP VITA-C CAPSULE CREAM”
  • Packaging issues Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Package is super leaky — Medicube Deep Vita C Pad”
    • “Residue would harden around the pump — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
    • “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”

Medicube vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$253.28 · 96% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$127.51 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Medicube vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$520.95 · 94% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$223.62 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Medicube vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The INKEY List routine · S$411.40 · 94% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$223.62 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Medicube or The INKEY List: which is better?

The INKEY List tends to be better for pricing and lightweight absorption among the products on this page, while Medicube performs better for smoother skin texture and hydration.

What is the difference between Medicube and The INKEY List?

The INKEY List offers an overall better routine fit for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dark-spot, and dry sensitive skin, with reviewers also highlighting its more affordable price point and lighter feel. Medicube does better for smoother skin texture and hydration and plumping, though reviewers note it can leave a sticky residue.

Medicube or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both brands are a Superior fit for dry skin on their routine pages. Medicube stands out for deep hydration moisturizers and smoother skin texture, whereas The INKEY List is noted for affordable, lightweight, and fast-absorbing moisturizers.

Medicube or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

The INKEY List clears acne better among the products on this page, while Medicube is better for smoother and improved skin texture. Review themes also show that The INKEY List offers a more affordable price point.

Which is more affordable, Medicube or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List is more affordable than Medicube, as noted in the review themes on this page. Reviewers frequently mention The INKEY List for its affordable price point for both moisturizers and serums.

Medicube or The INKEY List: which brand has better fragrance-free options?

The INKEY List has better fragrance-free options because every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas Medicube has fragrance in a couple of its products.

Medicube or The INKEY List: which offers better results for skin texture?

Medicube offers better results for smoother and improved skin texture among the products on this page. Reviewers note that Medicube helps deliver a smoother skin texture.

Medicube or The INKEY List: which brand has fewer packaging issues?

The INKEY List has fewer packaging issues on this page. Reviewers report that packaging issues are a negative theme for Medicube, whereas The INKEY List is not noted for this drawback.

Medicube or The INKEY List for oily skin?

The INKEY List is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to Medicube's High level. The products on this page help provide lightweight and fast-absorbing moisturizers and clear acne.

Medicube or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer popular moisturizers, but reviewers note that Medicube delivers better deep hydration and plumping results while The INKEY List provides more affordable, lightweight, and fast-absorbing formulas.

Medicube or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

Both brands are a High fit for sensitive skin on Lovi. Medicube offers deep hydration and smoother skin texture, whereas The INKEY List provides lightweight and fast-absorbing moisturizers at a more affordable price point.

Medicube or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both brands provide a High routine fit for acne-prone skin. The INKEY List does better for clearing acne, while Medicube does better for smoother and improved skin texture.

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