On paper, there’s a lot of like about Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream and a majority of the promises made by the brand are fulfilled. This cream really does leave the skin feeling hydrated and plump.
Over the course of our six-week Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review, our wrinkles and redness improved significantly. As did the roughness and texture of our skin, and the appearance of dark circles.
In order to achieve such benefits, though, we had to put up with some flaws. Four weeks into the trial, our skin suddenly exploded with breakouts, oiliness, and spots. They were all over our chin, cheeks, and forehead.
We managed to clear these breakouts and keep them under control, by taking more time during cleansing and making sure we chemically exfoliated at least once a week, but it was both embarrassing and disappointing.
This makes it a difficult cream to recommend. If you have dry, dehydrated, or mature skin and you’re not prone to spots, the pros will vastly outweigh the cons. If you can afford it, of course.
However, if you have oily, acne-prone skin we recommend you give this cream a wide berth.
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| Kiehl's | £32 |
| Lookfantastic | £32 |
| Sephora | £32 |
In our Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review, we put the costly moisturiser to the test for six weeks to see how well it really works
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How we tested Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream
How to use the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Before and After
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Review: Video
UPDATE: If you’re a Kiehl’s fan or are looking to try the Ultra Facial Cream alongside some of the brand’s other bestsellers, we highly recommend the Kiehl’s Advent Calendar 2023.
The waitlist for the calendar is open now and it’s due to go on sale on 6 September.
Inside are 24 Kiehl’s essentials including eye serums, masks, cleansers, and the Ultra Facial Cream reviewed below.
What’s more, a large number of these 24 items are full-sized.
The calendar costs £109 but is worth much more. Discover the full list of what’s inside the Kiehl’s Advent Calendar 2023 here and sign up for the waitlist using the button below.
Or keep reading for our Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review.
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Original Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review continues below
Kiehl’s is a skincare OG. The brand has been around since the mid-1800s and in that time it’s become known for high-quality, science-backed skincare.
The problem is, to get this high-quality, scientific approach, you need to pay a pretty penny because Kiehl’s range doesn’t come cheap.
This means it can be a bit of a gamble buying any of its products without knowing, for definite, that they’re going to work and they’re not going to cause breakouts, irritation, or similar.
With this in mind, we’ve spent six weeks putting one of the brand’s bestselling products – the Ultra Facial Cream – to the test.
This includes testing its hydration using a moisture meter, and checking our skin before and after the review using our HiMirror Skin Analyser to hopefully make this buying decision a little easier, or less scary.
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The Ultra Facial Cream falls within Kiehl’s wider Ultra Facial range and of all of Kiehl’s products, this range has the widest reach.
This is because it’s all about increasing hydration, soothing the skin, and protecting the skin barrier. All Ultra Facial products are formulated with ingredients such as squalane, glacial glycoprotein, and Antarcticine, and with their use of natural, skin-identical ingredients, the range is also said to be suitable for sensitive skin.
The original Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream is one of the thickest products in the range and this makes it great for dry and dehydrated skin, as well as mature skin. You can buy it with SPF, or without.
The Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream can be used by the same skin types as the original but is also well suited to oily skin. Not just because it’s oil-free, but because its lightweight, gel texture doesn’t feel too heavy.
For warmer Spring and Summer months, or if you have a Normal skin type, you may prefer Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturiser. It contains most of the same ingredients as the original but is much thinner and lighter in consistency.
And if you’ve damaged your skin barrier, or your skin is in need of a bit of extra love, there is Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Advanced Repair Barrier Cream.
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mamabella | mamabella The Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream is £32 and is best for dry and dehydrated, as well as mature skin. Acne-prone people may want to give it a miss though due to its high comedogenic rating
What is Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream? Kiehl’s calls its Ultra Facial Cream an “ultra-hydrator” that’s designed to hydrate and nourish the skin while helping to protect it from environmental factors. The use of squalane, glycerin, and an ingredient called Glacial Glycoprotein is said to provide long-lasting hydration and improve the skin’s texture and appearance with continuous use.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream price: £32 (50ml); £53 (125ml); £53 (150ml refill)
How to use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream: Massage a coin-sized amount of Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream into the skin on your face and neck after cleansing and toning, morning and night.
When to use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream: It can be used AM, and PM.
Who should use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream? Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive, but it’s particularly good for dry and dehydrated skin.
Where to buy: Kiehl’s | Lookfantastic | Sephora
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream alternatives: Cetaphil Moisturising Cream (£16); Bioderma Atoderm Ultra-Soothing Cream (£14.50)
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For our Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review, we used it as our main moisturiser every morning and evening for six weeks. You can read more about why it’s so important to test skincare for longer than a week or two in our guide: How we test skincare to see if it lives up to its claims.
We applied it after cleansing and toning, as Kiehl’s advises, and in the morning we followed it with SPF. We didn’t change anything else in our skincare routine or diet over that six-week period so we could see the difference the Ultra Facial Cream made in its own right.
At the start of the six-week period, we scanned our face using the Skin Analyser on our HiMirror Smart Mirror. We then repeated this scan at the end of the six weeks.
FURTHER READING: How we test skincare to see if it lives up to its claims
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Kiehl’s claims its Ultra Facial Cream works and absorbs so well because of three key ingredients – squalene, glycerin, and an ingredient known as Glacial Glycoprotein.
Both squalene and glycerin are known as “skin-identical ingredients” because they’re found naturally in our skin. This not only means they’re super effective when used in skincare products, but it also means they’re less likely to cause irritation or problems.
They both hydrate the skin but perform different roles. Squalene is an emollient, and emollients help form a protective layer on the skin’s surface. It restores the skin’s natural barrier function, prevents moisture loss, and helps fill in the gaps between skin cells.
mamabella | mamabella Kiehl’s claims its Ultra Facial Cream works and absorbs so well because of three key ingredients – squalene, glycerin, and an ingredient known as Glacial Glycoprotein
This is great for helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Glycerin is a humectant that helps to attract and retain moisture in the skin. It draws water from the air or deeper layers of the skin and holds it in the uppermost layer of the skin.
This can help to keep the skin hydrated, plump, and youthful-looking. This is why humectants are especially useful for those with dehydrated or mature skin.
Then there’s Glacial Glycoprotein. As its name suggests, it derives from glaciers and is rich in minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. All of which help to nourish and strengthen the skin.
The fact it’s a natural ingredient means it’s also generally well-tolerated by all skin types, making it a popular choice for those with sensitive or dry skin.
According to the INCI Decoder website, there aren’t any so-called “icky” ingredients such as fragrances or perfumes in Kiehl’s Ultra Facial cream. However, there are a handful of ingredients that come with irritation and comedogenic warnings. The most significant being Myristyl Myristate.
Myristyl Myristate is a waxy emollient that gives the Ultra Facial Cream its silky, almost velvet texture. This has been shown to clog pores and has the highest possible comedogenic rating of 5 out of 5. In fact, the majority of ingredients in this cream have medium-high comedogenic ratings.
These ratings should be used as a guide only, but if you’re prone to spots you may want to give this cream a miss. You can read more about this in the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Review Performance section below.
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After cleansing and toning, warm up a coin-sized amount of cream on your fingertips and massage it over your entire face and neck.
It’s gentle enough to be used morning and night and can be used with serums, just make sure it’s the last step in your skincare routine (other than SPF) to lock in all the goodness of any toners and serums you’re using.
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In our hydration test, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream increased the hydration levels of our skin by 3.2 percentage points after five minutes, and a total of 4.4 points after an hour. This equates to a total hydration increase of 13.5%. Slightly above average.
Despite having the thickest consistency of all Kiehl’s Ultra Facial products – with the exception of the Advanced Repair Cream – the cream doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin. In fact, it feels silky and smooth, largely thanks to the inclusion of an ingredient called Myristyl Myristate.
This texture means it glides on easily and, as a result, you only need a small amount to cover your entire face and neck. It also absorbs quickly without any greasiness.
mamabella | mamabella Despite having one of the thickest consistencies of all Kiehl’s Ultra Facial products, the cream doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin
Throughout our Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review period, the cream didn’t once pill when applying SPF or any other products over the top. This is rare for us. You can read more about skin pilling here.
Upon first use, our skin definitely looked plumper. After a few days, we noticed it looked and felt more hydrated and softer. Our wrinkles and fine lines didn’t look as noticeable. Neither did our pores.
As the review went on, our skin also looked calmer and less irritated and we didn’t have anywhere near as much redness as before.
A major downside, however, is that we got breakouts by week four and these proceeded to get worse as the trial went on. By week six the breakouts had calmed down, but only when we increased how long we cleansed our face. We also had to remember to exfoliate at least once a week to keep them under control.
One thing to note is that although the cream doesn’t contain fragrance, it does have a slight chemical smell to it, which is a little off-putting.
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mamabella | mamabella Over the course of our six-week Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review, our skin saw vast improvements in a number of places, according to our smart mirror tests (pictured)
Over the course of our six-week Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review, our skin saw vast improvements in a number of places, according to our smart mirror tests.
Each skin feature on the skin analyser is given a score out of 100. The higher the number, and the closer to 100, the better. As you can see in the before and after images above, our wrinkles saw the biggest improvement, rising from a score of 72 (Could be Improved) to 87 (Very Good). A staggering 15-point increase.
Next up, the appearance of red spots was greatly reduced. As demonstrated by the fact the score increased by 12 points from 64 (Focus Attention) to 76 (Good).
Roughness improved, dark circles were less noticeable and our fine lines remained the same.
It’s not all positive, though. Our dark spots appear to have got worse, as did the appearance of our pores. Plus the breakouts and spots we’re sure to have been caused by the cream.
The differences are shown in the table below.
| Before | After | Difference | |
| Dark Spots | 62 | 60 | -2 |
| Wrinkles | 72 | 87 | +15 |
| Red Spots | 64 | 76 | +12 |
| Pores | 84 | 83 | -1 |
| Fine Lines | 60 | 60 | 0 |
| Roughness | 64 | 69 | +5 |
| Dark Circles | 76 | 81 | +5 |
For each score, the higher the number, the better. A negative difference shows that the skin got worse, and a positive difference shows it improved.
@victoria_woolly_web Another highly requested product in my hunt for the best moisturiser, the @kiehlsuki Ultra Facial Moisturizer. It did okay, slightly above average #kiehlsultrafacialmoisturizer #mamabella #kiehlsultrareview #bestmoisturizer #bestmoisturiser #moisturiser_for_dryskin #skincare #hydration #hydrationtest ♬ Remember – Acoustic / Sped Up (with David Guetta) – Becky Hill & Speed Radio & xxtristanxo
On paper, there’s a lot of like about Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream and a majority of the promises made by the brand are fulfilled. This cream really does leave the skin feeling hydrated and plump.
Over the course of our six-week Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream review, our wrinkles and redness improved significantly. As did the roughness and texture of our skin, and the appearance of dark circles.
In order to achieve such benefits, though, we had to put up with some flaws. After four weeks into the trial, our skin suddenly exploded with breakouts, oiliness, and spots. They were all over our chin, cheeks, and forehead.
We managed to clear these breakouts and keep them under control, by taking more time during cleansing and making sure we chemically exfoliated at least once a week, but it was both embarrassing and disappointing.
This makes it a difficult cream to recommend. If you have dry, dehydrated, or mature skin and you’re not prone to spots, the pros will vastly outweigh the cons. If you can afford it, of course.
However, if you have oily, acne-prone skin we recommend you give this cream a wide berth.
Buy now from Lookfantastic
The following list of ingredients is taken from the INCI Decoder website. You can hover over each ingredient to find out more about it.
The numbers next to each ingredient represent its Irritation Rating (the number to the left of the comma), and then Comedogenic Rating (to the right of the comma).
Both ratings are scored out of five and the higher the number, the higher the chance of it causing irritation, or comedones (spots). Green means it has a low rating so is less likely to cause problems. Yellow and red numbers represent high ratings and are more likely to cause problems.
sii|h 0 0, Cyclohexasiloxane emo|solv, Squalane 
sii|emo 0 1, Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane emo|h|surf, Sucrose Stearate emo|emu|surf 0 0, Stearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 2 2, Peg-8 Stearate emu|h|surf 1 3, Urea sii|h, Myristyl Myristate emo 2 0–5, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate emo|vc, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil emo 0 1–2, Phenoxyethanol pres, Persea Gratissima Oil aox|emo 0 0–3, Olea Europaea Oil aox|emo 0 0–2, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil aox|emo, Cetyl Alcohol emo|vc 2 2, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1–2, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract h, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2–3, Methylparaben pres 0 0, Chlorphenesin pres|amic, Palmitic Acid sii|emo|emu 0 2, Disodium Edta chel, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer vc, Propylparaben pres|perf 0 0, Carbomer vc 0 1, Triethanolamine buff 0 2, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil emo 0 1–3, Xanthan Gum vc, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract so|h, Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine sii, Caprylyl Glycol h|emoHover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
