What are everyone’s thoughts on ‘bespoke’ skincare?

[Fandango52]

Just as the title really. I’ve heard about various different companies offering ‘bespoke’ skincare - Skin and Me, Dermatica, Klira etc - and wondered if anyone has tried them out and what you think about them.

I thought I’d give Klira a go because that’s the main one I’d heard of and because they use a treatment with tret in it where they gradually up the dosage. It appealed to me because I’ve wanted to use tret for a while to see if it will help with the faint wrinkles on my forehead, but was too nervous to go into it gung ho, as I’ve heard loads of stories of people saying it made their skin worse and really sensitive.

I got my first Klira monthly batch delivered today, so will try it tonight and report back. Apparently I’ll see results in about 12 weeks, so I’ll see how it goes. Also, I’m not a fan of the £65 monthly cost, so will probably stick it out for 3 months and see if I can go on to something else instead.

For reference, I’m early thirties and have listed my current routine below:

AM: LRP Toleriane cleanser, Avene hydrance moisturiser, SPF (Soltan mini SPF50 sunscreen)

PM: LRP Toleriane cleanser, No 7 Protect and Perfect serum (sometimes), LRP dermallergo
night cream, and the idea with the Klira skin treatment is I’ll put it on after cleansing.

I use skin&me and love it. It's my only big skincare expense and I go very basic for everything else. I think you need to accept it's a long term thing, it was at the 1 year plus mark maybe even2 years plus that I really saw improvements. I've always had rubbish skin- greasy, spots, pores. I think finally in my mid 40s my skin is better than it has been ever (a few more wrinkles but the texture/pores/spots are better).

After failing to sort out my acne as a teenager I assumed that nothing would ever work and still
had it into my early 40s.
Then, dubiously, signed up and did about 6 months of Dermatica at just over £20 a month and fixed the whole thing. Actually couldn’t believe I’d suffered needlessly for so long. I don’t seem to need to use it now although did go back to it once when I had a random flare up.
I don’t understand why it would be a con? It’s not particularly expensive compared to what people spend on beauty products and it just works?

Its a marketing ploy because it is packaging up the same types of ingredients ( which or may not be effective) as have been around for years, but rebranding it as ‘bespoke’

it means you are likely spending £65 a month for something you perhaps could get away with spending less on. And even if it’s the same price, it’s just another way of upselling and enticing you to buy something you might not have.

its not that bad in itself, but it’s not going to yield different results from finding a good moisturiser yourself.

also, the products are actually more limited as you’ll buy all your skincare from one supplier

I used Skin and me to get a treatment including tret. I subscribed for a few months and it completely cleared up an area of pigmentation nothing else had touched.
I've cancelled at the moment as I'm just using it on a small area and have enough left but will restart when I run out.

Exactly. I find it hard to believe that the range of different products is really any wider than many normal non-bespoke brands offer for different skin types.

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.

I’m looking to address things like skin redness and the beginnings of fine lines, and I’ve heard tret can be really effective for this, but I’m worried about how it will affect my skin, which is really pale and sensitive.

That concern is what attracted me to Klira, as their main product contains tret but formulated in a way that my skin tolerates it so far, after having used it for a few days.

I think it’s very overpriced for what it is, but I’m worried about switching to another service or product as I don’t know if it will affect my skin badly or perhaps it won’t be very effective.

I think I’ll carry on using Klira for the next 3-4 months and see how it goes. I think I might also try and use less of the product, to try and eke out one container over two months rather than one, which will make it affordable.

After 3-4 months, I think I might see some results, so will make a decision then on whether to keep with it or change to another product.

If I switch to using another product instead, does anyone have any recommendations please? All I really would like and need is a tret product, but I’m really wary of getting one that’s too strong and harsh. Thanks all.

I have been using Renew and Me—-Skin and Me’s sister brand for us in “midlife”, for about a year as it’s the only way I can get tretinoin. It’s £30 a month.
Started on 0.005% and am now on 0.5%.
I think there’s some ceramides and other stuff in the serum too but I can’t remember what they are.
Been really pleased with the results and get compliments on my skin quite frequently!
If there was a cheaper way to get tretinoin I’d be all ears though.

I’m on my second month of Skin + Me and I really rate it. I have dry and sensitive skin with some bumps and fine lines. My prescription plan includes tret but not until month 4, presumably to make sure my sensitivity has settled down, which I’m happy with.

Not sure if my skin looks noticeably different yet but it FEELS great, which is a big thing when it usually feels tight and irritated half the time. The moisturiser, cleanser and sun cream all work for me, which is rare, and I don’t think it’s bad value at all given how much regular skin care costs- I usually use Lush Ultra Bland cleanser which is £12 for a small pot plus about £4 shipping as I don’t live near one. Skin + Me cleanser AND moisturiser add on together is only £15 every 8 weeks and no shipping.

I have just started with skin and me last weekend. No side effects so far, but my face does feel a little tingly at times.
For those on something longer term do you just use basic other skincare.
I have used origins plantscription for years, which is expensive.
Not sure I want to fork out for both so was thinking about buying a bog standard cleanser, day and night cream to go with the S&Me prescription.
Any thoughts?

I'm a big fan of the prescription services. I started with OTC counter tret (Retirides) from Spain (bought on holidays) and that imo is a lot harsher than the formulations on offer via these services. I wish they had been around when I was younger but I've been using Dermatica since June 2020 and wouldn't be without it. I feel like my skin hasn't really aged in five years.

They usually start you at very low doses and are there for advice. I personally wouldn't pay £65 for a service you can get for £25.

I don't use any of the other products, I go for Cerave when on offer on Boots or Superdrug.

I use basics alongside so that it's more affordable. I use cerave moisturiser (big tub/bottle that lasts ages) or at the moment I'm using an Aldi cerave dupe. Then I use a basic balm cleanser (Superdrug at the moment), Aldi eye cream and a face oil that I made (Rosehip, black seed and castor oils in equal quantities). I also use Hado labo gold serum (hyalauronic acid serum) and a basic spf.

It all works out fairly inexpensive given how long the products last. I dont apply moisturiser if I'm using spf.

To be honest, I don't get the current skincare, let alone premium or bespoke, skincare obsession.

I never used to bother much with skincare. Recently I've been using cleansers, toners, moisturisers, SPF and serum and my skin doesn't look or feel any better so to me it's all a waste of money.

Its not what I'm getting so not everyone gets the same.

I tried Skin+Me for about a year and stopped because I wasn't clear of the benefits.
I am in my 50's and wanted tretinoin for fine lines.

On the plus side, you can pause or cancel your prescription easily. The month's supply lasted about 5-6 weeks for me. I had the standard formulation from what I can see from other posts here. I stopped 6 months ago and I can't say it was better than No 7 Future Renew serum.

I'm tempted to try Dermatica to compare.

Anyone tried A313 pomade? Retinyl palmitate cream. You can buy it on amazon but it's cheaper on Ebay. I saw a YouTuber recommend it as a tretinoin alternative. It's manufactured in France.

I use monderma, it's about £25 a month. Am on my 3rd month and I think it has made a difference to my skin texture and spots (blessed with wrinkles and acne). It's just one serum which I use at night before my usual skincare. Im not tied into using multiple things from their range.

The 'bespoke' aspect is a bit of a marketing device. They never viewed my skin or contact me for follow up feedback . It's just an initial questionnaire and then a staged treatment plan. But that's just linguistics. I don't see how people are saying it's a con. They select what's suitable for you and regularly supply you with the product you need.

I get it online too as mentioned in my routine and its pretty good

Some active ingredients (tretinoin, azelaic acid, tazarotene) are only available on prescription in the UK. NHS GPs aren’t going to prescribe non-compounded tret to me for my wrinkles, but they’re more effective than high street products on acne and other skin conditions. I don’t think skin & me etc actually make their products bespoke, but it’s pretty much the only way to get some treatments short of a private dermatologist consultation.

I’ve used skin and me for nearly 5 years and very happy with it. I don’t use the other products, just the treatment. My skin looks so different

I’m wrong - it’s Dermatica she uses

Why do you say that? I've suffered with rosacea and acne for years and have tried everything, 2 months of skin + me and the acne has completely cleared and the redness significantly reduced, if they saw me coming I'm pleased they did, I haven't felt this confident in a long time.

That is expensive. If you compare prices you can probably get the same for a lot less. I do not believe it possible to have bespoke skin care unless you have something wrong which needs treating.

If you start with good skin, you can avoid wrinkles by washing your face in cold water each morning and letting it dry naturally, without using a towel. Use a clean face cloth each morning. If it takes you longer to put on make up, it is worth it in the end.

I replaced all my hand towels with face cloths which sit in a pile on top of the bathroom cabinet. Use them once for everything and put them in the washing machine and dryer. They are far more hygienic than having dirty hand towels, and easier to wash and dry on a short cycle.

I buy tretinoin through my local medical treatment centre but you can also buy it online...

I used to have really bad rosacea. I tried all the expensive over the counter creams and medications.

the one thing that completely cleared it up was Soolantra ( ivermectin) , but you need to get a referral to a dermatologist on the NHS.

its amazing. Even more effective than avoiding the triggers like alcohol, sunshine and spicy food. I still flush occasionally after alcohol, but I rarely have to apply the soolantra to keep it under control. The spots have all gone.

its the most effective skincare product I’ve ever used for anything!

In the UK? I didn't realise you could get it here without a prescription.
I've read about buying it online from Spain and India but wasn't sure how safe that would be.
When you say "local medical treatment centre" do you mean a GP practice? That's the local place I get medical treatment from.

No it's the place I go to for facial procedures. They carry out botox, fillers, etc.
I can't remember the site I bought my tret from on line but it was fairly simple to order..!!