🇬🇧United Kingdom

Kiehl's vs NIVEA

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

Kiehl's and NIVEA are established skincare brands that offer reliable moisturizers, serums, and toners formulated with nourishing ingredients like glycerin and squalane. The American house is cherished for targeted relief suited best for dark spots and mature skin, while the German brand is deeply loved for soothing and balancing elements suited best for sensitive skin and dark spots. Both lines differ primarily in their heritage, ownership, and specific formulation approaches, though they share a commitment to enhancing skin hydration and barrier function.

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

NIVEA is a German skincare brand founded in 1911 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2004.

beiersdorf.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Kiehl's vs NIVEA products

People Say

Kiehl'sNIVEA
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly 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”
    • “Smoothed out dry flaky scales on my cheeks overnight — NIVEA Creme”
    • “skin feels moisturized — NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+”
  • Skin Barrier and Texture Improvement Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Makes my face feel smooth and soft. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “skin feels squeaky clean and soft — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “skin feels smooth — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “It's lightweight on the skin and leaves a bit of subtle sheen. — NIVEA Soft”
  • Relaxing and Classic Scents Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “smells like holiday — NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+”
    • “Smell brings me back to childhood — NIVEA Creme”
    • “smells really nice — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
    • “calming lavender smell — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • Gentleness and Sensitivity Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “experienced zero irritation — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
    • “fragrance-free — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “doesn't irritate sensitive eyes — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
    • “doesn't dry out skin — NIVEA Derma Skin Clear Anti-Blemish Scrub”
  • Value for Money Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “Works better than expensive luxury creams — NIVEA Creme”
    • “Best affordable vegan moisturizer. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “absolute steal for the price — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
  • High Price Point Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Greasiness and Heavy Residue Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “didn't absorb well — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “Leaves a shiny grease layer that doesn't go away — NIVEA Creme”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Clogged my pores and caused bad acne — NIVEA Creme”
    • “I noticed some acne breakouts on my chin after using this crème for a while. — NIVEA Soft”

Kiehl's vs NIVEA routines for dry skin

Buy Kiehl's routine · £181.95 · 82% fitBuy NIVEA routine · £65.81 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Kiehl's vs NIVEA routines for oily skin

Buy NIVEA routine · £161.96 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £283.08 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Kiehl's vs NIVEA routines for combination skin

Buy NIVEA routine · £150.97 · 87% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £285.07 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which is better?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high routine fit levels across all skin types, making neither brand universally better than the other. Kiehl's features a mostly fragrance-free product range and better gentleness for sensitive skin, while NIVEA provides better value for money and skin barrier improvement.

What is the difference between Kiehl's and NIVEA?

Kiehl's and NIVEA both offer products on this page that provide high routine fit levels across all skin types, but Kiehl's is known for gentleness while NIVEA offers better value for money and skin barrier improvement. Kiehl's is mostly fragrance-free across the products on this page, whereas most NIVEA products on this page contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for dry skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high routine fit for dry skin among the products on this page, with Kiehl's favored for gentleness and sensitivity. NIVEA provides value for money, while Kiehl's offers better texture and absorption.

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which moisturizer is better?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high routine fit levels for moisturizers on this page, with Kiehl's favored for lightweight textures and NIVEA for value. The products on this page help deliver intense deep hydration using key ingredients like glycerin.

Which is more affordable, Kiehl's or NIVEA?

NIVEA is more affordable because value for money is noted as a strength for NIVEA, whereas a high price point is frequently mentioned as a drawback for the products on this page by Kiehl's reviewers.

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

Kiehl's has more fragrance-free products than NIVEA, as 26 of its 28 products on this page list no fragrance compared to only 3 of the 9 NIVEA products.

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which brand offers better results for skin texture improvement?

NIVEA does better for skin texture improvement than Kiehl's among the products on this page. Reviewers note smoother skin texture serums as a strength for NIVEA.

Between Kiehl's and NIVEA, which brand is owned by L'Oréal S.A.?

Kiehl's is owned by L'Oréal S.A., whereas NIVEA is owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for oily skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high routine fit for oily skin based on the products on this page. Reviewers note that Kiehl's provides lightweight moisturizers while NIVEA features blemish-clearing serums.

Kiehl's or NIVEA: which sunscreen is better?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer sunscreens on this page that provide a High fit for multiple skin types, such as oily and acne-prone skin. Reviewers indicate that NIVEA offers better value for money, while Kiehl's is known for its gentleness and sensitivity benefits.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for sensitive skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer a High routine fit for sensitive skin among the products on this page. Kiehl's may be better for gentleness, as almost all of its products on this page list no fragrance, whereas most NIVEA products contain fragrance.

Kiehl's or NIVEA for acne-prone skin?

Both Kiehl's and NIVEA offer high routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Reviewers report that Kiehl's helps with gentle serums, while NIVEA helps with blemish-clearing serums.

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

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