🇬🇧United Kingdom

Kiehl's vs La Prairie

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

Kiehl's and La Prairie are two established skincare names rooted in heritage and distinct botanical or cellular philosophies. Kiehl's is cherished for its thoughtful array of moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products anchored by nourishing ingredients like glycerin and squalane, while the Swiss brand is beloved for its own eye products, moisturizers, serums, and toners crafted with refined formulas. The former suits skin with dark spots and mature skin best, whereas the latter suits mature skin and dry sensitive skin best. They differ primarily in their founding origins, parent companies, and specific active formulations designed to target distinct dermatological needs.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

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

Popular Kiehl's vs La Prairie products

People Say

Kiehl'sLa Prairie
  • Deep and Intense Hydration Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
  • Luxurious Texture and Packaging Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like liquid silk — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “softens skin noticeably — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “fancy design — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “creamy serum — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Glow, Radiance, and Plumping Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “doubles as moisturizer — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Lifting and Firming Effects Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “calm the complexion — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
  • High Price and Cost Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Very expensive product — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “overpriced for what it does — Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Scent and Fragrance Issues Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Slow Results or Ineffectiveness Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “Takes months to see — Kiehl's Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution”
    • “results were subtle — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “just a good moisturizer — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Irritation, Stinging, and Breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused congestion — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “caused breakouts — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “burned my face immediately — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

Buy La Prairie routine · £1,217.95 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £181.95 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · £283.08 · 83% fitBuy La Prairie routine · £1,303.65 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · £285.07 · 84% fitBuy La Prairie routine · £1,264.98 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie offer high or superior routine fit levels across most skin types, but Kiehl's generally provides gentler formulas with far fewer fragrance concerns, whereas La Prairie excels in lifting, firming, and deep hydration.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and La Prairie?

Kiehl's products on this page are typically more affordable and mostly fragrance-free, whereas La Prairie items often feature a strong fragrance and a higher price point. La Prairie tends to do better for lifting and firming effects and deep hydration, while Kiehl's is generally noted for gentleness on sensitive skin.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie achieve a high routine fit for dry skin, though Kiehl's offers more variety with several products such as the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate reaching a superior fit level.

Kiehl's or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie offer moisturizers that provide deep hydration and smoothing. Reviewers note that Kiehl's features lightweight, non-greasy moisturizers while La Prairie provides luxurious textures and lifting and firming effects.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or La Prairie?

Kiehl's is more affordable than La Prairie, as La Prairie products are frequently noted for exorbitant prices while Kiehl's main price critique is its high price point. Review themes note that Kiehl's does better on high price and cost compared to La Prairie.

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

Kiehl's has more fragrance-free products on this page, with 26 out of 28 listing no fragrance compared to only 1 out of 5 for La Prairie.

How do the founding years and owning companies of Kiehl's and La Prairie compare?

Kiehl's was founded in 1851 in the United States and has been owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 2000, whereas La Prairie was founded in 1978 in Switzerland and is owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Which brand performs better for mature skin routines, Kiehl's or La Prairie?

La Prairie performs better for mature skin routines, where Lovi rates its fit as Superior compared to Kiehl's High. Reviewers mostly mention lifting and firming effects for La Prairie.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie offer a high routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page show that Kiehl's features several oil-free and pore-cleansing formulas specifically tailored for this skin type.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer a strong routine fit, with Kiehl's rated High and La Prairie rated Superior on Lovi. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides a gentle and sensitive formula with fragrance omitted in 26 of 28 products, while La Prairie features fragrance across all 5 products on this page.

Kiehl's or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and La Prairie offer a high routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Kiehl's is often mentioned by reviewers for causing breakouts and skin irritation, whereas La Prairie potential irritation is sometimes noted.

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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