Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream is the everyday moisturizer from a brand that started as an East Village pharmacy in 1851. Here is the full Ultra Facial family, from the barrier cream to the SPF, plus the Kiehl's classics that sit beside it on my shelf.
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream and the East Village Pharmacy Behind It
Kiehl's began in 1851 as a single pharmacy at Third Avenue and East 13th Street in Manhattan, and the brand still leans on that history. John Kiehl gave it his name, his apprentice Irving Morse grew it, and Morse's son Aaron, a former fighter pilot, turned it toward skin and hair care in 1961. Irving Morse's motto was try before you buy, which is why Kiehl's still hands out samples so freely, and the brand was one of the first to print ingredients on its labels before the law required it. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream is the product most people know it for now. It is a plain, unfussy daily moisturizer with squalane that the brand says hydrates for 72 hours, and it sits well under makeup and sunscreen. The first row is the cream and its richer relatives. The Advanced Repair Barrier Cream is for skin that goes red and tight in winter, the overnight mask is a thicker squalane layer for sleep, and the Meltdown Recovery cream uses colloidal oatmeal for skin that feels raw.
The routine around it
Ultra Facial is really a small routine, and the second row fills it in. The Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser takes off makeup and sunscreen without stripping, and the Gentle Face Cleanser is the lighter option for mornings. The toner is mild enough for all skin types, for people who like the ritual of a cotton pad. The SPF 30 version of the moisturizer is the one I reach for on weekdays, a lighter texture with sunscreen built in. Wear it every morning, and reapply if you are outdoors for long. If your skin runs oily, the gentle cleanser and the SPF cream may be all you need.
The rest of the Kiehl's shelf
The last row is the older Kiehl's classics I would add once the basics are in place. The Avocado Eye Cream is rich and depuffing, and I keep mine in the fridge in summer. Midnight Recovery Concentrate is a face oil that replenishes skin while you sleep. The Ultimate Strength hand salve is heavy-duty and smells lightly of eucalyptus, and Crème de Corps is the body lotion with squalane that makes dry skin on shins look smooth by morning. What I would skip is layering the overnight mask over the face oil every night. Alternate them, or your pillowcase will get most of it.
Where to start
Start with the cream itself, morning and night, for two weeks. If it feels too light in winter, switch to the barrier cream at night. Add the SPF version for daytime and the cleanser that suits your skin. It is a pharmacy brand at heart, so shop it the way a pharmacist would suggest, one product at a time, and ask for a sample first. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together L'Occitane at Fifty and The Best Facial Cleansers, From Cold Cream to the Rice Wash.
