The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin
The INKEY List and Allies of Skin are British skincare brands featuring thoughtful ranges of moisturizers, serums, eye products, and more. The INKEY List relies on glycerin to suit dry and dry sensitive skin best, while Allies of Skin uses niacinamide to nurture dry, sensitive, and uneven skin types. While both offer targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin, they differ in their foundational ingredients and specific formulations.
The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.
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This page compares some of the most popular The INKEY List and Allies of Skin products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular The INKEY List vs Allies of Skin products
People Say
Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
- “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
- “nourished and hydrated — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
- “more like a spray serum — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
Skin Smoothing and Texture Improvement Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
- “Woke up looking well-rested — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
- “Absorbs instantly without sticky feeling — Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment”
- “Pores appear to be tighter — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
- “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
Gentle and Soothing Formula Often MentionedOften Mentioned
- “Safe and gentle especially for my dry, sensitive skin — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
- “calmed my menopausal redness — The INKEY List ECTOIN HYDRO-BARRIER SERUM”
- “Best retinol for sensitive skin — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
- “feels super soothing, doesn't trigger redness — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
Lightweight and Fast-Absorbing Texture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
- “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
- “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
- “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
- “sinks easily into damp skin — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
Affordable Price and Value Mostly MentionedNot noted
- “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”
Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedOften Mentioned
- “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
- “calms redness instantly — The INKEY List 10% Azelaic Acid Serum”
- “Dramatic impact on acne — Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream”
- “reduces appearance of redness — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
- “Pricey — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
Packaging and Dispensing Issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
- “pump head is fixed — Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream”
- “bad spritz mechanism — Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist”
- “Hate the pump — Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment”
- “Pump breaks easily — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
Slow or Lack of Results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
- “didn't do anything for circles — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
- “did absolutely nothing — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
- “still not impressed with the results — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
- “Have not noticed improved skin quality yet — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
Breakouts and Skin Reactions Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
- “did cause major breakouts — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
- “New formula breaks me out — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
- “Slightly irritating... when I first started — Allies of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum”
- “rashes popped up on my neck — Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum”
Questions and answers
The INKEY List or Allies of Skin: which is better?
The INKEY List is better for shoppers seeking affordable prices and lightweight, fast-absorbing textures, whereas Allies of Skin excels at skin smoothing and texture improvement.
What is the difference between The INKEY List and Allies of Skin?
The INKEY List offers a more affordable price and value for the products on this page, whereas Allies of Skin excels at skin smoothing and texture improvement. Reviewers note that The INKEY List provides a lightweight and fast-absorbing texture, while Allies of Skin features gentle, effective moisturizers.
The INKEY List or Allies of Skin: which moisturizer is better?
The INKEY List offers more affordable and lightweight moisturizers, while Allies of Skin provides gentle and effective moisturizers with higher price points.
Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or Allies of Skin?
The INKEY List is more affordable, as affordable price and value is noted as an advantage for the products on this page, while Allies of Skin has a high price point.
Which causes fewer breakouts, The INKEY List or Allies of Skin?
When it comes to breakouts and skin reactions, review themes show that both The INKEY List and Allies of Skin perform equally, with neither brand proving to be better than the other.
Between The INKEY List and Allies of Skin, which brand has better lightweight and fast-absorbing texture?
Between the two brands, The INKEY List does better for a lightweight and fast-absorbing texture.
Which brand performs better for skin smoothing and texture improvement: The INKEY List or Allies of Skin?
Allies of Skin does better for skin smoothing and texture improvement.
What are the main key ingredients found across the products of The INKEY List versus Allies of Skin?
The products on this page from The INKEY List feature glycerin as a key ingredient, whereas Allies of Skin features niacinamide across its products.
Research behind their key ingredients
The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
The moisturizing effects of glycolipid biosurfactants, mannosylerythritol lipids, on human skin
A comparative study of gluconolactone versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne
Chemical peels for acne vulgaris: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Supramolecular collagen nanoparticles for anti-wrinkle, skin whitening, and moisturizing effects
Topical Almond Oil for Prevention of Pressure Injuries: A Single-Blinded Comparison Study
The anti wrinkle efficacy of synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) in Chinese Subjects
Clinical efficacy of facial masks containing yoghurt and Opuntia humifusa Raf. (F-YOP)
Darutoside promotes skin wound healing via regulating macrophage polarization
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
Effects of a Greek Yoghurt-based Complex on the Human Facial Skin Microbiome
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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