🇬🇧United Kingdom

The INKEY List vs FRE

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

The INKEY List and FRE are distinct skincare lines, with the former being a British brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited that features moisturizers, serums, toners, and eye products built around glycerin, while the latter is widely loved for its targeted product types and nourishing formulas. The INKEY List fits sensitive skin and combination skin best, offering standout options like the PHA Toner for acne-prone skin, the 10 percent Azelaic Acid Serum for skin with dark spots, and the Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturizer for mature skin, whereas FRE products suit acne-prone skin best, owing to their gentle and effective compositions such as Argan Oil. These brands ultimately differ in their foundational ingredients and specific skin type focuses, as the first relies on glycerin to significantly increase hydration and restore barrier function, and both employ thoughtful formulations to gently balance and support the complexion.

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

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This page compares some of the most popular The INKEY List and FRE products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The INKEY List vs FRE products

Questions and answers

The INKEY List or FRE: which is better?

The INKEY List offers a wide selection of products on this page with strong Lovi fit levels across skin types, whereas FRE features only one product with moderate or lower fit. Reviewers often mention that The INKEY List provides affordable and lightweight moisturizers.

What is the difference between The INKEY List and FRE?

The INKEY List offers a wide variety of skincare products on this page suited for sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin, while FRE features only an argan oil product with more limited skin type fits. Both brands list no fragrance in their products.

Which is more affordable, The INKEY List or FRE?

The INKEY List offers affordable serums and moisturizers across the products on this page, whereas FRE features a limited range that lacks affordability highlights.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The INKEY List or FRE?

The products on this page for The INKEY List and FRE have no study data addressing breakouts directly, but reviewers sometimes note purging and breakouts with The INKEY List while no such reviews appear for FRE.

How do the founding years and company ownership compare between The INKEY List and FRE?

The INKEY List was founded in 2018 in the United Kingdom and is owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited, whereas FRE was founded earlier in 2016 and is independently owned.

Which brand offers more products for dry skin according to the Lovi fit levels?

The INKEY List offers more products for dry skin on this page, with several items achieving a High or Superior Lovi fit level. In contrast, FRE features only one product for dry skin, which has an Average Lovi fit level.

Do products from either The INKEY List or FRE contain fragrance in their ingredients?

The products on this page from both The INKEY List and FRE list no fragrance in their ingredients.

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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