🇬🇧United Kingdom

Kiehl's vs Avène

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

Kiehl's and Avène are heritage skincare brands, with the former cherished for its thoughtful array of moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products, and the latter universally loved for its versatile moisturizers, reliable sunscreens, targeted serums, and gentle cleansers. Both brands utilize nourishing glycerin, while the American brand also anchors its formulations in squalane to counteract oxidative stress and stimulate fibroblast migration. Kiehl's suits skin with dark spots and mature skin best, whereas Avène suits acne-prone skin and oily acne-prone skin best by offering profound relief without heaviness. Ultimately, they differ in their origins, founding eras, and targeted skin concerns.

Kiehl's is an American skincare brand founded in 1851 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Avène is a French skincare brand founded in 1990 and owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

pierre-fabre.comavene.co.ukaveneusa.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Avène products

People Say

Kiehl'sAvène
  • Skin Barrier and Tone Improvement Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Acne marks are gone — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “Saves my skin in winter — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “immediate radiance boost — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Thick but absorbs well eventually — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “absorbs very quickly — Avène Vitamin Activ Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
    • “Restores moisture barrier — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
  • Gentleness and Sensitive Skin Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “leaves face clean but not dry — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Perfect cleanser for sensitive skin. — Avène Milk Cleanser”
    • “no irritation at all — Avène Hydrance+”
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Pores and Oil Control Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “sucked the gunk out of my pores — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “keeps my oils at bay — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “Keeps me matte for hours — Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel”
    • “keeps skin matte — Avène Cleanance”
  • Soothing Irritation and Redness Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Calmed my angry red skin overnight — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Nothing has ever worked to soothe or heal my skin like these before. — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “Calms angry, red skin — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Price and Value Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Its a bit pricey but so worth it!! — Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm”
    • “a bit pricey — Avène Cleanance”
    • “Tiny tube for the money — Avène Cold Cream”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Application and Texture Difficulties Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Tube squirted water everywhere — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “too thick — Avène Hydrance+”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Woke up with tiny whiteheads all over — Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream”
    • “Caused small bumps/texture — Avène Soothing Radiance Mask”
  • Scents and Fragrance Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smell is overpowering — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “The fragrance is very present. — Avène Milk Cleanser”

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · £181.95 · 82% fitBuy Avène routine · £93.03 · 77% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for oily skin

Buy Avène routine · £170.97 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £283.08 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Avène routines for combination skin

Buy Avène routine · £195.53 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £285.07 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Avène: which is better?

Both brands are equally effective overall, but Avène does better for gentleness, sensitive skin, and soothing irritation and redness. Kiehl's is better for scents and fragrance, as 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance compared to only 7 of 15 for Avène.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Avène?

Kiehl's offers a higher Lovi fit level for dry sensitive skin than Avène, while Avène does better with gentleness and sensitive skin. Kiehl's also has fewer fragranced products on the products on this page.

Kiehl's or Avène for dry skin?

Kiehl's and Avène both offer a high routine fit level for dry skin. Kiehl's is less likely to have fragrance in the products on this page, while Avène is noted for soothing irritation.

Kiehl's or Avène: which cleanser is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer cleansers that fit oily skin and oily acne-prone skin at a Superior level. Kiehl's has more fragrance-free options on this page, while Avène does better with gentleness and sensitive skin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Avène?

Avène does better than Kiehl's on price and value, while Kiehl's often has a high price point.

Between Kiehl's and Avène, which brand has fewer products containing fragrance?

Kiehl's has fewer fragranced products on the page, with only two out of twenty-eight listing fragrance compared to Avène where over half of the products contain fragrance.

Which brand performs better for soothing irritation and redness according to review themes?

Avène performs better for soothing irritation and redness according to review themes. Lovi indicates that both brands have High routine fit levels for sensitive skin.

How do the founding years and corporate owners of Kiehl's and Avène compare?

Kiehl's was founded in the United States in 1851 and is owned by L'Oréal S.A., while Avène was founded in France in 1990 and is owned by Fondation Pierre Fabre.

Kiehl's or Avène for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for oily skin. Kiehl's features products like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner which has a Superior fit level for oily skin.

Kiehl's or Avène: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer moisturizers with a high Lovi fit level for dry skin. Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products on this page, while Avène is noted for soothing irritation.

Kiehl's or Avène for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin, but Avène does better for gentleness and sensitive skin. Reviewers note that Avène soothes irritation, and most of the products on this page for Kiehl's list no fragrance while over half of Avène's list it.

Kiehl's or Avène: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer sunscreens that perform well, such as Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum and Avène's Cleanance sunscreen, which both achieve a High fit level for acne-prone skin on this page. Kiehl's better screen UV serum also achieves a High fit level for sensitive skin, mature skin, and combination skin, while Avène is generally noted by reviewers for gentle and non-stripping sunscreens.

Kiehl's or Avène for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and Avène offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin. Reviewers note that the products on this page help provide effective oil control for Avène and gentle serums for Kiehl's.

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