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Kiehl's vs Clarins

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

Kiehl's and Clarins are respected skincare brands that offer thoughtful arrays of moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products. The American brand is cherished for anchoring its formulations with glycerin and squalane, suiting skin with dark spots and mature skin best, whereas the French brand is loved for enriching its gentle products with shea and squalane to suit sensitive skin and dry sensitive skin best. While both utilize squalane, they differ in their heritage, secondary key ingredients, and primary skin type suitability, giving each a distinct approach to targeted relief.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

Clarins is a French skincare brand founded in 1954 and owned by Famille C (Groupe Clarins).

groupeclarins.comen.wikipedia.orghappi.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs Clarins products

People Say

Kiehl'sClarins
  • Deep hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “keeps skin moist — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Clarins Multi-Active Nuit”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy texture Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs immediately — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clarins Double Serum Light Texture”
  • No white cast and glowing skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “skin looks brighter immediately — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “Gives off the most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Skin barrier and texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “neck feels smoother — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “visibly tighter, lifted skin — Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream”
  • Makeup base and primer compatibility Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “no pilling — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “concealer glides on smoothly — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “Perfect primer for any foundation, which all glide on smoothly. — Clarins Beauty Flash Balm”
  • Rich and creamy texture Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “melting non-oily texture — Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream”
    • “Creamy texture feels luxurious upon application — Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream”
    • “feels like silk — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “feels luxurious and thick — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • High price point and poor value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “way too expensive — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “too expensive for results — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
  • Scent and fragrance complaints Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells clinical — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “faint lab smell — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “smells like perfume — Clarins Multi-Active Jour”
  • Breakouts and skin irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Clarins Double Serum”
    • “caused redness — Clarins Double Serum Eye”
    • “made my face burn — Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
  • Ineffective or slow results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “didn't see a lift — Clarins Total Eye Lift”
    • “no change in circles — Clarins Double Serum Eye”

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for dry skin

Buy Clarins routine · £170.89 · 83% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £181.95 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · £283.08 · 83% fitBuy Clarins routine · £249.57 · 74% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs Clarins routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · £285.07 · 84% fitBuy Clarins routine · £201.99 · 73% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or Clarins: which is better?

Both brands offer a High routine fit for most skin types, but Kiehl's is a better choice if you prefer fragrance-free skincare because almost all the products on this page list no fragrance, whereas almost all Clarins products contain fragrance.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and Clarins?

Kiehl's offers a high routine fit for oily and combination skin, whereas Clarins offers an average fit for those skin types. Additionally, Kiehl's features mostly fragrance-free products on the products on this page, while Clarins includes fragrance in almost all of its formulations.

Kiehl's or Clarins for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins offer a high routine fit for dry skin, though Kiehl's features a lower proportion of fragranced products on this page.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer solid options, but Kiehl's cleansing range is generally better suited for oily and acne-prone skin types according to Lovi fit levels. Clarins focuses more on gentle, hydrating formulas, whereas Kiehl's provides a wider variety of specialized cleansers that target excess oil and blemishes effectively.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins share a high price point as a common drawback, meaning neither brand is clearly more affordable.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, Kiehl's or Clarins?

Kiehl's has significantly more fragrance-free products on this page than Clarins, with 26 out of 28 products listing no fragrance compared to only 1 out of 24 for Clarins.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which performs better for oily acne-prone skin?

Kiehl's performs better for oily acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its routine fit as High compared to an Average fit for Clarins.

When comparing review themes, which brand does better for deep hydration?

When comparing review themes, Clarins does better for deep hydration.

Kiehl's or Clarins for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi finds that Kiehl's has a High routine fit while Clarins has an Average routine fit.

Kiehl's or Clarins: which moisturizer is better?

Clarins does better for deep hydration and rich textures among the moisturizer products on this page. Lovi rates both brands with high routines for dry skin, though Kiehl's lists no fragrance in nearly all its moisturizers while Clarins features many fragranced options.

Kiehl's or Clarins for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and Clarins provide a High routine fit for sensitive skin. However, Kiehl's is less likely to cause scent complaints because 26 of 28 products on this page list no fragrance, whereas almost all Clarins products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or Clarins for acne-prone skin?

Lovi rates both Kiehl's and Clarins at a High fit level for acne-prone skin. Reviewers note that Kiehl's features lightweight formulas, while Clarins is often praised for its hydrating properties.

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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