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Medik8 vs Grown Alchemist

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

Medik8 and Grown Alchemist are distinct skincare brands offering specialized products for varied complexions. Medik8, a British brand founded in 2009 and owned by L'Oréal Groupe since 2025, builds its serums, moisturizers, eye products, toners, and more around hyaluronic acid, which lengthens toxin wrinkle effect duration, suiting acne-prone, dark spot, and mature skin with items like Surface Radiance Cleanse, Oxy-R Peptides, and Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream. Grown Alchemist is loved for its cleansers, serums, and formulas, suiting sensitive, dry, and combination skin best through standouts such as the Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser, Instant Smoothing Serum, and Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser. Both brands differ in their core formulations, ingredient focus, and the specific skin types they serve most effectively.

Medik8 is a British skincare brand founded in 2009 and owned by L'Oréal Groupe since 2025.

loreal.commedik8.comtracxn.com

This page compares some of the most popular Medik8 and Grown Alchemist products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Medik8 vs Grown Alchemist products

People Say

Medik8Grown Alchemist
  • Gentle and non-irritating formula Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “zero irritation or peeling — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
    • “only Vitamin C my sensitive skin can tolerate — Medik8 C-Tetra Serum”
    • “Perfect for sensitive skin — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “calms my skin down — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Lightweight and elegant texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “silkiest cleanser — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “Very light weight — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
    • “absorbed effortlessly — Medik8 Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream”
  • Deep hydration and plumping Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Restores moisture — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “Instantly quenched the skin — Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Intense”
    • “Skin version of chugging water — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
    • “Doesn't dry tacky — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Pleasant experience and scent Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Smells amazing — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”
    • “smell is divine — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “smells like a spa — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
  • Brightening and glow Often MentionedNot noted
    • “I wake up glowing. It adds back that youthful bloom that I've lost. — Medik8 Sleep Glycolic”
    • “unlocked a serious glow — Medik8 C-Tetra Serum”
    • “pigmentation lightened slightly — Medik8 Oxy-R Peptides”
  • Improves skin texture Often MentionedNot noted
    • “smoother skin — Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse”
    • “My skin was smoother, my skin texture felt more resurfaced. — Medik8 Sleep Glycolic”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
  • High price point Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Expensive per bottle — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “very expensive for amount — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
    • “expensive for what it is — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
    • “A bit pricey — Grown Alchemist Instant Smoothing Serum”
  • Packaging issues and fragility Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Glass bottle breaks easily — Medik8 Liquid Peptides”
    • “hard to get last bit — Medik8 CRYSTAL RETINAL 3”
    • “click mechanism tricky — Medik8 Oxy-R Peptides”
    • “tube cracks easily — Grown Alchemist Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser”
  • Makeup removal issues Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Isn't going to be your makeup remover — Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser”

Questions and answers

Medik8 or Grown Alchemist: which is better?

Medik8 stands out for brightening and skin texture among the products on this page, while Grown Alchemist offers a lighter texture and a more pleasant experience. Both brands provide gentle, non-irritating formulas and deep hydration.

What is the difference between Medik8 and Grown Alchemist?

Medik8 stands out for brightening and skin texture, whereas Grown Alchemist is noted for lightweight texture and pleasant scent, with both brands offering gentle and non-irritating formulas. Reviewers frequently mention high prices for Medik8 and cleanser performance issues for Grown Alchemist.

Medik8 or Grown Alchemist: which cleanser is better?

Medik8 provides a better cleanser for acne-prone skin and skin with dark spots, where Lovi rates Surface Radiance Cleanse as Superior, whereas Grown Alchemist products on this page receive only Average or High fit ratings for those skin types.

Which is more affordable, Medik8 or Grown Alchemist?

Both brands share a high price point as a common drawback noted by reviewers, so neither stands out as more affordable based on the products on this page.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Medik8 or Grown Alchemist?

Both Medik8 and Grown Alchemist perform equally well for offering a gentle and non-irritating formula across the products on this page.

Which brand has a wider product selection including eye products and toners, Medik8 or Grown Alchemist?

Medik8 provides a wider product selection on this page, including a variety of serums, toners, and eye products, whereas Grown Alchemist only features cleansers and a single serum.

Which brand offers a serum with a Superior fit level for dry skin, Medik8 or Grown Alchemist?

Medik8 offers a serum with a Superior fit level for dry skin, specifically through its Bakuchiol Peptides and Hydr8 B5 Intense products on this page, whereas Grown Alchemist has no serums reaching that level for dry skin.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which brand has products that contain fragrance, Medik8 or Grown Alchemist?

Medik8 has products on this page containing fragrance, while every Grown Alchemist product lists no fragrance. Specifically, Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream is the only Medik8 product on this page with fragrance listed.

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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