🇬🇧United Kingdom

Estée Lauder vs Simple

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

Estée Lauder and Simple are established skincare brands offering distinct approaches to daily care, with the American label founded in 1946 and the British one in 1960. The former is beloved for comprehensive moisturizers, serums, eye products, and cleansers formulated with hydrating hyaluronic acid and glycerin, suiting acne-prone and mature skin best. Conversely, the latter is treasured for gentle moisturizers, makeup removers, cleansers, and toners crafted with niacinamide and glycerin to care for acne-prone skin and skin with dark spots. Ultimately, both differ through their unique ingredient profiles and target skin types, providing specialized options like the Micro Essence Treatment Lotion and the Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner.

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

Simple is a British skincare brand founded in 1960 and owned by Unilever PLC since 2011.

en.wikipedia.orgsec.govprnewswire.comsimple.co.uk

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

Popular Estée Lauder vs Simple products

People Say

Estée LauderSimple
  • Calms redness and irritation Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Does not cause any form of irritation on the skin which I love. — Simple Micellar Cleansing Water”
    • “The only cleanser that doesn't turn my face red. — Simple Micellar Water”
    • “no artificial perfume — Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser”
    • “doesn't strip the skin — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”
  • Deep hydration and moisturization Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “banished dryness within days — Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser”
  • Non-drying formula Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Instantly boosts skin's hydration... face doesn't feel dry and tight. — Simple Micellar Cleansing Water”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft, not tight. — Simple Micellar Water”
    • “Skin feels soft not dry — Simple Refreshing Facial Wash”
    • “Doesn't strip my skin — Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser”
  • Lightweight feel Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “watery — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “sinks in instantly — Simple Water Boost Hydrating Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs very quickly — Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser”
  • Affordable value Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “great value for money — Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner”
    • “super affordable — Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser”
    • “Can't beat the price for the quality. — Simple Micellar Water”
  • Makeup compatibility and base Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “makeup lays well — Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser”
    • “works well under foundation — Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser”
    • “foundation sits beautifully on top — Simple Water Boost Hydrating Gel Cream”
    • “doesn't pill — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
  • High price point and expense Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Strong fragrance and scent complaints Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Smells like chemicals — Simple Refreshing Facial Wash”
    • “Scent is too overpowering — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
  • Bulky or poor packaging Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “Worried about the snap top bottle leaking when travelling. — Simple Micellar Cleansing Water”
    • “The cap broke off immediately. — Simple Micellar Water”
    • “hard to get last bit out — Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser”
    • “lid is hard to open — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée”

Estée Lauder vs Simple routines for dry skin

Buy Simple routine · £136.73 · 83% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · £132.10 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Estée Lauder vs Simple routines for oily skin

Buy Simple routine · £221.50 · 87% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · £242.09 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Estée Lauder vs Simple routines for combination skin

Buy Simple routine · £185.60 · 85% fitBuy Estée Lauder routine · £204.59 · 75% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Estée Lauder or Simple: which is better?

Both Estée Lauder and Simple are good, depending on what you need. Estée Lauder provides deep hydration and moisturization, whereas Simple offers affordable value and calms redness and irritation.

What is the difference between Estée Lauder and Simple?

Estée Lauder delivers deep hydration and features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, whereas Simple focuses on affordability and niacinamide. Estée Lauder's products on this page often come with a high price point, while Simple is known for sensitive-skin-friendly makeup removers.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Estée Lauder or Simple for dry skin?

Simple is the better choice for dry skin, offering a high routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's average fit on this page. Reviewers note that Simple provides lightweight, value-friendly moisturizers.

Estée Lauder or Simple: which cleanser is better?

For cleansers on this page, Estée Lauder features options like the Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée with a High fit for acne-prone, mature, combination, and oily acne-prone skin types. Simple offers the Refreshing Facial Wash, which has an Average fit for acne-prone skin and a Low fit for dry skin types.

Which is more affordable, Estée Lauder or Simple?

Simple is more affordable, as reviewers on the page mostly mention its affordable value and low price point, whereas Estée Lauder has a high price point that is a frequently mentioned negative.

Estée Lauder or Simple: which brand has products with added fragrance?

Estée Lauder has added fragrance in some of the products on this page, while Simple lists no fragrance in any of its products on this page. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder has strong fragrance in certain items.

Estée Lauder or Simple: which brand has better options for mature skin?

Estée Lauder has better options for mature skin, as the products on this page achieve higher Lovi fit levels for that skin type overall compared to Simple. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder provides deep hydration and moisturization, which helps mature skin.

Estée Lauder or Simple: which brand uses Niacinamide as a key ingredient?

Simple uses Niacinamide as a key ingredient across the products on this page.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Estée Lauder or Simple for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Estée Lauder and Simple achieve a High routine fit level on this page. Estée Lauder features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, whereas Simple highlights niacinamide and glycerin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Estée Lauder or Simple: which moisturizer is better?

Simple offers lightweight, value-friendly moisturizers with key ingredients like glycerin and niacinamide, whereas Estée Lauder features options like Revitalizing Supreme+ for mature or dry skin and utilizes ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. Reviewers note that Simple provides better affordability, while Estée Lauder excels in deep hydration and moisturization.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or Simple for sensitive skin?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin. Estée Lauder features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid to help provide deep hydration, while every product on the Simple page lists no fragrance.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Estée Lauder or Simple for acne-prone skin?

Both brands fit acne-prone skin well, with Lovi rating the routine fit for acne-prone skin as High for Estée Lauder and High for Simple. Reviewers note that Estée Lauder provides deep hydration while Simple offers gentle, sensitive-skin-friendly makeup removers.

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