🇬🇧United Kingdom

Medicube vs Kiehl's

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

Medicube and Kiehl's are two esteemed skincare lines that offer thoughtful assortments of moisturizers, serums, toners, and masks. The Korean brand relies on niacinamide, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to best support dry skin and oily acne-prone skin, while the American label anchors its formulations in glycerin and squalane to best suit skin with dark spots and mature skin. These offerings diverge through their distinct regional heritages and targeted ingredient profiles, allowing both lines to address specific dermatological needs.

Medicube is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by APR Corp..

medicubereviews.co.ukglossy.co

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

loreal.comen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Medicube vs Kiehl's products

People Say

MedicubeKiehl's
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels bouncier and hydrated — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “glass skin — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “Keeps skin moisturized for 24+ hours — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “Feels like a drink of water — Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate”
  • Miscellaneous Positive Attributes Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “dries super fast — Medicube Zero Pore Blackhead Mud Mask”
    • “active breakouts look less inflamed — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
    • “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards — Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque”
    • “perfect for retinol newbies — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Smooth Skin Texture Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gives my skin a smooth, glass-like finish — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
    • “skin feels smoother — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “leaves skin feeling silky — Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate”
    • “skin feels smoother — Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Formula Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Did not cause any irritation — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
  • Lightweight Texture Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like nothing — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “works on dark skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly without residue — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
  • Glow and Radiance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gave me instant glass skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “woke up with glowing skin — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “healthy, dewy glow — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “woke up glowing — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
  • High Price and Value Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “tube is tiny for the price — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “price is steep — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “price is a bit steep — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
    • “pricy daily staple — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
  • Sticky or Greasy Residue Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “oil slick in summer — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “too radiant for oily skin — Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum”
    • “leaves a tacky film — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream”
    • “hair sticks to my face — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
  • Packaging and Application Issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “messy — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “lifted around the nose/eyes — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “dipping fingers is unsanitary — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”
    • “hard to spread — Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado”
  • Breakouts and Acne Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “caused redness and sensitivity — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
    • “woke up with whiteheads — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “caused cystic acne — Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate”
    • “cystic acne for some — Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream”

Medicube vs Kiehl's routines for dry skin

Buy Medicube routine · £104.78 · 91% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £181.95 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Medicube vs Kiehl's routines for oily skin

Buy Medicube routine · £116.80 · 88% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £283.08 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Medicube vs Kiehl's routines for combination skin

Buy Medicube routine · £112.43 · 86% fitBuy Kiehl's routine · £285.07 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Medicube or Kiehl's: which is better?

Medicube is a better fit for dry skin, where Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to Kiehl's High. Both brands offer equal fit levels across all other skin types, including oily, sensitive, and mature skin.

What is the difference between Medicube and Kiehl's?

Medicube offers superior fit for dry skin routines on this page and is noted for providing glow and radiance, whereas Kiehl's does better for gentle and sensitive formulas and lightweight textures. Both brands feature extensive routines for various skin types, but Medicube focuses on ingredients like niacinamide and collagen, while Kiehl's emphasizes glycerin and squalane.

Medicube or Kiehl's for dry skin?

For dry skin, Medicube has a Superior routine fit while Kiehl's has a High fit level. Medicube's products on this page help deliver deep hydration, and niacinamide helps improve skin tone.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Medicube or Kiehl's: which cleanser is better?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's offer highly effective cleansers, with several options achieving a Superior fit level for specific skin types on the products on this page. Reviewers note that Medicube focuses on deep hydration and soothing benefits, while Kiehl's cleansers are frequently praised for being lightweight and gentle.

Which is more affordable, Medicube or Kiehl's?

When it comes to affordability, Medicube may offer better value since high price and value is a noted drawback for Medicube, whereas Kiehl's reviewers similarly cite a high price point.

Medicube or Kiehl's for a glowing complexion?

Medicube does better for a glowing complexion, as review themes on this page show it excels in glow and radiance compared to Kiehl's. Its products on this page help deliver a radiant glow and feature key ingredients like niacinamide, which helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Medicube or Kiehl's for oily skin?

For oily skin, both Medicube and Kiehl's are a High fit on this page. Medicube features products like the Zero Foam Cleanser and Zero Pore Pad that target excess oil, while Kiehl's offers options like the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner.

Medicube or Kiehl's: which moisturizer is better?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's offer moisturizers that provide deep hydration, though Medicube is rated Superior for dry skin routines while Kiehl's routines achieve a High fit.

Medicube or Kiehl's for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Medicube has a High routine fit and Kiehl's has a High routine fit, making both brands equal choices. Reviewers note that Kiehl's is better for gentle and sensitive formulas.

Medicube or Kiehl's for acne-prone skin?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's offer products on this page that fit acne-prone skin well, with Lovi fit levels reaching High for both brands. Medicube focuses its routines best on dry skin, oily acne-prone skin, and oily skin, while Kiehl's focuses best on skin with dark spots, mature skin, and combination skin.

Medicube or Kiehl's for mature skin?

Medicube offers a Superior fit for mature skin with products like the Collagen Jelly Cream and Deep Lifting Peptide Eye Cream, while Kiehl's routine fit is High. Both brands feature effective anti-aging ingredients, such as retinol, which helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Medicube or Kiehl's for skin with dark spots?

Both Medicube and Kiehl's are a High fit for skin with dark spots on the products on this page. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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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