Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream Review: Is It Worth $39?

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream is a well-made, fragrance-free daily moisturizer whose real workhorses are glycerin, dimethicone and squalane, the same kind of ingredients you find in creams that cost a third as much. It suits normal, combination and mildly dry skin well. You're paying mostly for texture and the brand, since its headline "glacial glycoprotein" sits near the bottom of the ingredient list.

Before you buy, you can check the formula against your own skin type by scanning the jar or photographing its label with the ingredient scanner in Pori.

This review is based on the published ingredient list, the brand's own claims and the research on each ingredient; we did not test the cream on skin. Below we go through what's in the jar, what the marketing terms mean, how it behaves on oily skin, and how it compares on price with drugstore ceramide creams.

What's actually in Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream?

The formula is built on water, glycerin, dimethicone and squalane, in that order. The ingredient list on Ulta's product page then moves through emulsifiers and fatty alcohols, a run of plant oils (apricot kernel, avocado, rice bran, olive, sweet almond, soybean and sunflower), and finally the marketed extras. Ingredients are listed roughly from most to least, so the first four do most of the work you can feel.

The Ulta listing describes the cream as "Paraben-free & fragrance free" and for "all skin types, including sensitive skin," and states that it has received the National Eczema Association's Seal of Acceptance.

Do the squalane and glycerin do much?

Yes, and they are the honest reason the cream feels good. A review in the British Journal of Dermatology found that glycerol improves stratum corneum hydration, barrier function and the skin's mechanical properties, with particular value in dry, cold conditions. Glycerin sitting second on the list means there is a meaningful amount of it.

Squalane is a saturated, stable form of squalene, a lipid that skin makes on its own. A dermatology review of moisturizers notes that squalane is less prone to oxidation than squalene, is more commonly used as a moisturizer, and is considered safe for sensitive skin. At fourth place it contributes real softness without the heaviness of a balm. For more on how it behaves on different skin types, see our guide to squalane oil.

Neither ingredient is exclusive to Kiehl's. Glycerin is the second ingredient in CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream too, and squalane is sold on its own as an inexpensive face oil. If you want the background on why glycerin carries so much of the load in modern moisturizers, our glycerin explainer covers it.

What is glacial glycoprotein, and does it matter?

It's Kiehl's name for pseudoalteromonas ferment extract, and on current evidence it is a minor player. The Ulta listing says the ingredient was "originally sourced from Antarctic sea glaciers" and "helps to deeply hydrate and maintain skin's moisture balance." It appears 29th on the ingredient list, after the preservative phenoxyethanol and after the thickeners, which tells you it's used in a small amount.

That doesn't mean it does nothing. It means the product page offers no study that isolates its effect from the glycerin, dimethicone and squalane higher up. The same goes for "pro-ceramides." The only ceramide-related ingredient we can see on the list is hydroxypalmitoyl sphinganine at position 31. If ceramides are what you're shopping for, a cream that lists ceramide NP, AP and EOP by name is a more direct choice; our ceramides guide explains what to look for on a label.

What are the 72-hour and barrier claims based on?

They're based on Kiehl's own tests, and the published details are thin. As of October 2026, Ulta's page makes these claims:

• "Provides lasting 72-hour hydration." The footnote says only that the result is "based on an instrumental study." No number of participants, conditions or comparison is given.
• "Hydrates up to 15 surface layers deep." Also credited to an instrumental study.
• "Repairs the skin barrier in just 1 hour." The footnote points to a study on tape-stripped skin, meaning skin whose outer layer was deliberately disrupted with adhesive tape before the cream went on.

Instrumental claims like these usually come from devices that measure surface hydration or water loss. They can be accurate for the conditions tested, but a 72-hour figure after one application doesn't mean you can skip moisturizer for three days. Most people will still apply it once or twice a day, the way any moisturizer is meant to be used.

Is Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream good for oily skin?

It can work for combination skin, but very oily or acne-prone skin usually does better with a lighter gel. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that people with oily skin skip moisturizer or choose a gel, which is lighter, and look for "non-comedogenic" on the label. Ultra Facial Cream is a cream with seven plant oils, myristyl myristate and stearyl alcohol, so it sits in the middle of the weight range.

Ingredient lists can't predict breakouts with much accuracy. A study that re-tested finished products on human skin concluded that finished products made with "comedogenic" ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic. In practice that means the cream may be fine on your oily skin, or it may not, and the only reliable answer is a few weeks of use on one area first. If you're oily in the T-zone and normal to dry on the cheeks, a thin layer all over or a heavier layer only on the cheeks is a reasonable way to use it.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream vs CeraVe: which is better?

For dry skin on a budget, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream gives you more barrier ingredients for far less money; Kiehl's wins on feel. Here's how the two compare with CeraVe's lighter PM lotion, using prices from the brands' sites and Ulta as of October 2026.

CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream page lists three ceramides, hyaluronic acid and petrolatum, says it is accepted by the National Eczema Association, and calls it suitable for face and body. The PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is oil-free and non-comedogenic and adds niacinamide. Neither puts squalane near the top of its list, and the tub cream, with petrolatum, is built to feel richer. Our CeraVe Moisturizing Cream review goes into that product in detail.

Is there a good Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream dupe?

There's no exact copy, but you can get the same jobs done for less. What you're really buying is a glycerin-and-silicone cream with squalane and plant oils. Three cheaper routes, depending on what you want:

• For a light daily face cream: CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion covers glycerin plus named ceramides and niacinamide, in a lighter texture.
• For drier skin: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream adds petrolatum. The same moisturizer review notes that silicones cut water loss by only 20 to 30%, so a petrolatum cream does more for skin that's truly dry.
• For very reactive skin: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream says it contains no fragrance, botanical extracts or essential oils, carries the National Eczema Association Seal, and puts petrolatum second on its list.

If it's the squalane feel you like, a few drops of plain squalane pressed over a basic fragrance-free moisturizer gets close for a fraction of the cost.

Who should buy it, and who should skip it?

It's a good fit if you:

• have normal, combination or mildly dry skin and want a cream that feels light enough for daytime;
• prefer fragrance-free products and don't mind paying more for texture;
• want one cream that layers well under sunscreen and makeup.

Look elsewhere if you:

• have very dry, flaky or compromised skin and need a richer cream with petrolatum and named ceramides;
• are very oily or breakout-prone and prefer gels;
• react to plant oils, since the formula contains seven of them;
• are shopping on value, because the active ingredients are widely available for less.

How should you use it?

1. Apply to clean, slightly damp skin, morning and evening or just once a day if your skin is on the oily side.
2. Use a pea-to-almond-sized amount for the face; more is rarely needed with a cream this spreadable.
3. In the morning, follow with a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, since the cream has no SPF.
4. If you add a serum or an active such as retinol, put it on first and the cream on top.
5. Try it on one area, such as along the jaw, for a couple of weeks before using it all over if you're prone to clogged pores.

The verdict: is it worth $39?

It's worth it if you value the texture and want a pleasant, fragrance-free cream that suits most skin types, and the jar lasts a while at a small dose. It isn't worth it as an ingredient purchase. The parts with good evidence behind them, glycerin, dimethicone and squalane, are cheap and common, and the marketed glacial glycoprotein and pro-ceramides appear in small amounts with no independent data on the product page. If your skin is dry or you're watching the budget, a drugstore ceramide cream does more for less.