✶

Drunk Elephant A-Pas… vs Kiehl's Retinol Skin… — Which Is Better? | Gracie

Products
Ingredients
Brands
K-Beauty
How We Score

Gracie
/Compare
/Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
/vs
/Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream vs Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum

Head to head

✶

Drunk Elephant

A-Passioni Retinol Cream

serumpremium

9.0

Compare

Best Moisturisers
Best Serums
Best Cleansers
Best SPF

Ingredients

Niacinamide
Retinol
Hyaluronic Acid
Salicylic Acid

K-Beauty

K-Beauty Hub
K-Beauty Moisturisers
K-Beauty Serums
K-Beauty Sunscreens

About

Methodology
About Us
All Brands
All Products

Gracie

Honest skincare intel. No jargon, no gatekeeping — just the ingredients decoded.

✶

Kiehl's

Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum

serumpremium

9.0

Score comparison

These two are neck and neck — just 0.0 points apart.

Drunk Elephant wins 1

Tied 3

Kiehl's wins 1

9.0Drunk Elephant

9.0Kiehl's

Attribute battle

Hydration Efficacy

Kiehl's WINS

8.7

9.6

Drunk Elephant

Kiehl's

Irritation Risk

TIE

9.5

Drunk Elephant

Kiehl's

Active Ingredient Strength

Drunk Elephant WINS

9.3

7.8

Drunk Elephant

Kiehl's

Ingredient Transparency

TIE

8.5

Drunk Elephant

Kiehl's

Formulation Safety

TIE

8.8

9.0

Drunk Elephant

Kiehl's

Ingredient face-off

23% overlap

56Drunk Elephant

13Shared

42Kiehl's

Only in Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream

43 unique

Water/Aqua/Eau Coco-Caprylate Stearic Acid Coconut Alkanes Glyceryl Stearate Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil+33 more

Shared ingredients

13 in common

Glycerin Niacinamide Cetearyl Alcohol Pentylene Glycol Retinol Ceramide Np Tocopherol Phenoxyethanol Caprylyl Glycol Carbomer+3 more

Only in Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum

29 unique

Aqua/Water Butylene Glycol Cetyl Alcohol Isohexadecane Isononyl Isononanoate Diisopropyl Sebacate 2-Oleamido-1 3-Octadecanediol Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester Adenosine+19 more

Why these two are neck and neck

These two serums take different paths to a similar destination. Both formulas include solid hydrating ingredients, and the overall scores reflect that — the gap here is genuinely slim.

Hydration Efficacy is another area of separation. Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum scores 9.6 here versus 8.7 for Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream. That difference comes down to how each formula is built — the ingredient list tells the story.

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream brings Niacinamide, Retinol, and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 as actives, while kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum relies on Niacinamide, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, and Adenosine. Both approaches have merit, but the positioning and supporting ingredients make the difference.

Best for your skin type

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Dry or dehydrated skin that craves moisture, thanks to Glycerin
Targeting specific concerns like aging or uneven tone — Niacinamide does the heavy lifting

Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Dry or dehydrated skin that craves moisture, thanks to Glycerin
Targeting specific concerns like aging or uneven tone — Niacinamide does the heavy lifting

Value comparison

Both sit in the premium bracket, so value comes down to formulation quality. Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream gets the nod here with its 9.0 overall score — you're getting more for a similar outlay.

Our verdict

✶ Our verdict

It's a close call — both products score within 0.3 points of each other. Your choice depends on your specific skin concerns.

✶

9.0Drunk Elephant

✶

9.0Kiehl's

Frequently asked questions

Which is better: Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream or Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum?

Based on ingredient analysis, Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream scores higher overall. See the full score breakdown above for details on each attribute.

Do Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream and Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum share ingredients?

Yes, they share common ingredients. Check the ingredient face-off section above for a detailed comparison.

What's the main difference between Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream and Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum?

The key differences are in their active ingredients and formulation approach. Check the attribute battle above for a detailed breakdown.

Full analysis: Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream→Full analysis: Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum→

Some links on this site are affiliate links. We may earn a commission from purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep Gracie free and independent.