PUBLISHED July 26th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED January 9th, 2023 10:49 pm
It’s no secret that skincare isn’t a one-size-fits-all affair – just look at the mind-boggling maze of beauty picks on the market. We all have different skin types and concerns to tackle, which means that finding your personal holy grail takes massive amounts of research and effort, not to mention a crippling dose of decision fatigue. Luckily, a new age of personalized skincare is dawning – one which blends beauty and tech into formulas fine-tuned just for your skin.
How Does Personalized Skincare Work?
You likely already know how to hunt down products based on your skin needs, but customized skincare takes the guesswork out of building your routine. A handful of brands are crafting online tests to get a snapshot of your skin type, habits, and goals. Everything from your stress levels to the climate you live in can be factored into their algorithms – some brands even offer selfie analysis. Based on your responses, you’ll then be given recommendations on bespoke products, made with blends tailored to your skin issues and sensitivities. It’s as fuss-free as it gets.
One major perk of getting personal is streamlining: rather than, say, buying different serums to achieve the combo of ingredients you need, you can get ’em all in one bottle. While the bespoke blends you get aren’t going to be magic bullets, they’re more likely to play well with your skin than something off the shelf – which means a lot less trial-and-error.
Where to Get Personalized Skincare in Singapore
IRÉN Skin
A clean beauty brand from Japan, IRÉN Skin blends the best of traditional Japanese skincare with scientific know-how. They’ve patented a technique for compacting active ingredients into nanoparticles, so your skin can soak up all that nourishment more easily. Get started with an in-depth skin check on their website – we like how intuitive the questions are, from how your skin feels after washing to the amount of sun exposure you normally get. You’ll then be offered serums customized to your skin condition, each packed with superfruits like goji berries and yuzu extract.
Check out IRÉN Skin here.
From the ancient arts of facial fortune telling, the eyebrow often represents the beauty and majesty of the face, which connects to one’s morality and career luck since it helps determine the last impression you have on people. Eyebrow embroidery for better fengshui is getting increasingly popular and according to some Fengshui Masters, you can enhance not only your looks but luck and wealth by adding a few lucky strokes.
Function of Beauty
If you’re looking to build a full beauty routine from scratch – cleanser, moisturizer, serums – you’ve come to the right place. A US-based label founded by MIT-trained engineers, Function of Beauty puts the science in skincare with a library of over 60 sulfate-free, natural ingredients. Their skin quiz helps you pinpoint your skin type, along with what goals you’re striving for – everything from soothing redness to reducing shine. Their algorithm will then deliver the bespoke products of your dreams, complete with 10% off for recurring subscriptions.
Check out Function of Beauty here.
The Buff
Want to dabble in face oils but spooked by fears of clogged pores? Go bespoke with The Buff’s beauty oils, crafted with an array of cold-pressed, paraben-free botanicals. Run by beauty editor Jasmine Garnsworthy, her natural beauty line revolves around a short quiz on your top skin concerns, producing the ultimate custom concoction to pamper your skin. With dozens of oils in her arsenal, you can expect a balm for all woes – broccoli seed oil for intense hydrating, wild carrot seed oil for skin renewal, tamanu oil for acne, and much more.
Check out The Buff here.
Geologie
This one’s for the well-groomed gents. Launched by men for men, New York-based brand Geologie takes the mystery out of men’s skincare with a speedy 30-second diagnostic quiz, followed by a complete personalized regimen for you. Whereas most other quizzes focus on skin woes, this one makes room for practicalities too – you can choose goals like affordable pricing, simplicity, or even ‘not sure’. What’s more, you can tweak the complexity of your routine – the ‘Essential’ plan strips skincare down to two-step basics, while the ‘Complete’ plan finetunes things with morning and night creams.
Check out Geologie here.
Sugar & Spice
A Singapore-based soap maker, Sugar & Spice also crafts skincare that you can customize in every detail. Whether it’s facial moisturizer (S$39++) or body lotion (S$19++) you’re after, you can tweak the formula based on your preferred texture, oils, active ingredients, and scents. While the sheer range of choices can be baffling, they’ve got handy guides on the properties of each natural extract, from skin renewal to anti-pigmentation. With free delivery within Singapore, this is certainly one of the more pocket-friendly options out there.
Check out Sugar & Spice here.
Skin Inc
One of the earliest pioneers of personalized skincare, homegrown brand Skin Inc has made its mark on the international beauty map. To build you a bespoke serum, their proprietary algorithm taps into a database of over a million skin profiles, cross-referencing them with your responses on genetics, skin sensitivity, lifestyle habits, and more. The result? Custom-blended cocktails of up to ten active ingredients, formulated for day and night use.
Check out Skin Inc here.
Top Image: IRÉN Skin