Best Custom Skincare

Choosing the best skincare is easier said than done. You have to factor in your skin type and concerns, age, climate, and whether or not you have a skin condition such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, or eczema. With that said, it’s not uncommon for consumers to use the wrong products to address all of these points. A poll revealed that nearly 80 percent believe in trial and error to determine what products work best for their skin. The good news is due to the pandemic and copious lockdowns, 46% say they’ve found they’ve used the extra time to care for their skin, and 91% feel their skin is healthier after spending more time at home — how’s that for a silver lining?

Even so, some of the best skincare brands on the market decided to make it easier for individuals to find the ultimate regime without having to take a trip to the doctor’s office or spa. Enter custom skincare products, formulas that address your specific concerns by gathering specific intel about your diet, where you live, sleep habits, and more. How does it work, is it worth it, and what are some of the best personalized skincare brands? Read on to find out.

Best Personalized Skincare Brands: The List

BEST OVERALL

BEST: PROVEN Skincare, $145

FULL LIST

Skinsei Synergistic Skincare, $45-$65

Pure Culture Beauty $100

Apostrophe Skincare, $25

The Buff, Starting at $42

Curology, Starts at $19.95 Per Month

Agency, starting at $60 for a two-month supply

Atolla, $69

SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E., Price Varies

Function of Beauty, Starting at $24.99

Clinique iD, $39

Skin Inc. My Daily Dose, $95

Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations, $95

Younique You·Ology, $39-75

Rory, $40-35 per month

Know Beauty, $30 and up

Vitruvi, $55 and up

Y’OUR, $65 a month

What Is Customized Skincare?

In some ways, you’ve already been customizing your skincare routine by choosing your cleanser, serum, moisturizer, etc. — even more so if you use products from multiple brands. But considering the global industry is primed to reach a value of $863 billion by 2024 (up 60% from 2017), there are more ingredients and formulas to compare than ever, so it’s becoming even more challenging to make a concrete decision.

Related: Nightly Skincare Routine

That’s where custom skincare comes in. It’s expected to boost the next-generation beauty market growth over the forecast period. Personalized beauty care products include various skincare products, such as body lotions and face creams. Rising concerns regarding skin problems are further accelerating the personalized skincare industry.

How Does Customized Skincare Work?

Brands create a personalized skincare quiz composed of specific questions about your skincare goals and lifestyle to determine which combination of ingredients would be best for you. Other companies even send you a kit to test your skin’s pH and oil levels as a part of the evaluation process.

Related: Best Hydrating Eye Creams

Next, you’ll get a personalized skincare routine that will save you time and money since you no longer have to deal with product trial and error. Some brands even send an updated plan when the seasons change. A custom skincare routine typically consists of a cleanser, moisturizer, and serum. The cost ranges from $25 for a monthly subscription to $75-$150 for an entire routine.

Related: Morning Skincare Routine

Is Custom Skincare Worth It?

While customized skincare may sound like the answer to all of your product and investment woes, some experts aren’t convinced that this service is indeed more effective than over-the-counter products or medical-grade skincare. Without concrete comparison studies, it’s challenging to make such a claim. Also, these products aren’t 100% formulated just for your skin type. Brands typically have numerous base textures and active ingredients to mix and match.

Best Personalized Skincare Brands

PROVEN Skincare, $145
Stanford dermatologists and skin scientists formulate this three-step regimen (cleanser, day moisturizer, night cream) backed up by third-party clinical tests. Take the Skin Genome Quiz to determine the best routine, whether you have hyperpigmentation, acne, premature aging, or redness and sensitivity. Based on your answers to questions about your particular skin concerns, skin type, lifestyle, and environmental factors, PROVEN’s AI algorithm analyzes its database of ingredients to develop a formula that is uniquely yours. PROVEN skincare reviews on the brand’s website average between four and five stars.

Related: Best Night Creams For Your 30s

Skinsei Synergistic Skincare, $45-$65
Skinsei’s comprehensive 28-question diagnostic quiz asks detailed questions about topics such as how often you work out, screen time, caffeine consumption, and sun exposure. Next, you’ll snap a selfie, and then Skinsei will generate a custom three- or five-product skin-care regimen — there are 1,000,000s of combinations that can be created. Their products consist of cleansers, serums, face moisturizers, toners and essences, face masks, finishers, and body washes.

Pure Culture Beauty $100
PCB’s skincare personalized quiz starts by asking you what your two main skincare concerns are. Next, you’ll answer a series of questions about your lifestyle, such as how much sleep you get, what type of foods you eat, and how much time you spend in the sun. Additionally, the brand will send you two tests to take at home: a skin barrier test and a skin condition test to determine hydration levels and the effect of daily environmental aggressors. Your custom skincare set includes a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer.

Apostrophe Skincare, $25
For just $25 a month ($75 for a 90-day supply), you can get a one-on-one consultation with a dermatologist to review your selfies, lifestyle habits, and medical history for a topical acne cream that’s customized just for you. Oral antibiotic treatments ($45-90 for a 90-day supply) target acne-causing inflammation and hormonal acne treatments that can clear stubborn jawline acne in women.

The Buff, Starting at $42
The Buff specializes in customized face, body, nail, and hair oils. After taking their quick skin quiz, the brand will match one of their natural oils (rosehip to geranium and citrus essential oils) to your skin type and concern.

Curology, Starts at $19.95 Per Month
Curology is another custom skincare company that’s designed to target acne. Curology connects you with a dermatologist who assesses your selfies to determine the best treatment cream instead of using a custom algorithm like other brands. The before and after photos on their website truly speak for themselves.

Agency, starting at $60 for a two-month supply
Brought to you from the founders of Curology mentioned above, Agency boasts the same concept but with a more significant emphasis on anti-aging concerns versus acne. After taking a brief quiz and sending in photos of your skin, you’ll be matched with a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who will share personalized prescription products for you.

Atolla, $69
Atola’s three-step kit features a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer. All of the formulas are vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free. Simply take the assessment to receive products formulated for your skin based on your goals, skin history, allergies, medications, and lifestyle. You’ll have access to Atola’s in-house esthetician in case you have any questions.

SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E., Price Varies
SkinCeuticals has established itself as a go-to brand recommended by dermatologists worldwide, but Custom D.O.S.E. (Diagnostic Optimization Serum Experience) kicks things up a notch. In less than ten minutes, you and a participating derm will work together to formulate a custom serum determined by a series of 85,000 algorithms. Key active ingredients may include retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, and glycolic acid.

Function of Beauty, Starting at $24.99
FOB started as a customized hair and body care line, and the skincare element is their latest addition. You take a simple four-page quiz to determine the best cleanser, serum, and moisturizer (gel or cream) for your skin type. The brand currently uses over 60 natural ingredients across our custom formulations and guarantees that its products are free of sulfates, parabens, and phthalates, among other potentially harmful components.

Clinique iD, $39
Clinique’s famed Dramatically Different Moisturizer gets a serious upgrade. Start by choosing your base (lotion, gel, or jelly) and match it with the applicable active cartridge concentrate (there are nine to choose from) for your skin type and concern. You can target areas of concern such as redness, large pores, hyperpigmentation, dullness, fine lines and wrinkles, acne, and sallow and compromised skin.

Skin Inc. My Daily Dose, $95
Skin Inc. uses technology from Japan for its DIY custom serum. Simply assess your skin morning and night to determine which of the encapsulated boosters you’ll mix in to address your concerns. The brand stands behind the fact that 80% of skincare concerns are caused by lifestyle and the environment.

Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations, $95
While you’ll have to go to visit one of Kiehl’s select boutiques for a one-on-one consultation, it’s worth it to get such personalized service. These specialty custom formulations pay homage to the brands’ old-school solutions-based roots. After getting your skin analyzed, you’ll have time to discuss your skincare goals and concerns. Next, a specialist will bend a squalane-based concentrate with one of seven targeted complexes. To give it that ultra-personal touch, a personalized label with your name is added.

Younique You·Ology, $39-75
Younique makes it easy to create a custom version of almost every product in your daily routine: cleanser, serum, and day and night moisturizers — there are up to 40,000 possible combinations depending on your answers to the brand’s online quiz. Additionally, you can purchase pre-formulated extras like eye creams, exfoliants, and masks.

Related: Best Drugstore Eye Creams

Rory, $40-35 per month
Rory is great for those who are dealing with a challenging skin condition such as eczema or breakouts or are simply looking for a potent anti-aging routine. You’ll start your online visit by answering questions about your medical history, symptoms, and lifestyle, which were developed by Rory’s clinical directors and experts in women’s health. A provider will review your information, follow up with any questions and determine if prescription oral or topical treatments are a good option for you. All of the company’s products are evidence-based, clinically backed. There’s always a doctor available if you have any questions.

Know Beauty, $30 and up
Vanessa Hudgens and Madison Beer partnered up to develop this hot new custom skincare brand. As with other companies, you take a short skin diagnostic quiz to find the best products based on your needs and wants. But if you are willing to spring an extra $95, the company will send you a DNA kit so that their lab can analyze influences such as your degree of sensitivity and collagen levels. Next, a member of the brand’s medical advisory board will formulate a custom routine.

Vitruvi, $55 and up
While this brand has a reputation for their delightfully scented oil diffusers for the home, they also created customized face oils. You just need to take a quick online quiz that serves as a snapshot into your skin type and areas of concern. Next, their system suggests which base, complex oil, and essential oils are best for your skin type. They’ll arrive individually packaged, so you’ll have to mix them all to create your customized formulation.

Y’OUR, $65 a month
The brand’s quiz analyzes four factors: how your skin acts naturally, what you expose it to, the way you treat it, and the goals you wish to achieve. Their intelligent Skin AI algorithm develops your optimal skincare routine that’s comprised of four essential products. The company’s team of MIT data scientists, chemists, and hygienists will continually customize your formulas based on your feedback and current needs.

The Secret, starting at $140
Founded by two doctors, The Secret is a prescription-strength, made-to-order skincare company that works to treat challenging skincare concerns such as cystic acne and severe pigmentation issues. Simply take a quick online consultation, and then a doctor will formulate your products (it’s a three-step program) with specific ingredients to address your concerns.