Online prescription skincare brand Skin + Me have launched in stores

Between the shiny, millennial-centric brands delivering fresh drops through your letter box, the more established, cult buys and the indie outfits selling ‘natural and organic’ products, the beauty landscape has never felt more cluttered.

To help you to navigate this brave new world of retinol, AHAs, jade rollers and double cleansing, WH’s Beauty Editor, Perdita Nouril, is here to try and test the new drops that are making their way into her (very full) bathroom, via her column, Beauty Dispatch.

Here, she’ll share the freshly released heroes that she loves: ready to let you know where to spend your skin and hair care cash. This time around, she tries Glossier Boy Brow Arch to see if it rivals the best selling original.

Table of Contents

What is Skin + Me?

Skin + Me was one of the UK’s first online dermatology services, launched in 2020. It offers a tailored service for those wanting to treat specific skin issues and was created in response to the fact that there are almost four times fewer dermatologists in the UK than recommended. Additionally, non-severe skin conditions cannot be referred through the NHS, and private options can cost upwards of £200 per consultation.

The Skin + Me process is straightforward: you fill out an online form, upload photos, and have an online consultation with a qualified dermatologist who assesses your skin before prescribing a personalised treatment plan using their own-label products.

Think metronidazole for rosacea, benzoyl peroxide for blocked pores, or retinoids for lines and wrinkles—ingredients you can’t buy over the counter at Boots. The price seems reasonable, too. The service costs £29.99 per month, which includes ongoing medical consultations with an expert dermatology team, as well as the personalised prescription daily doser, which is shipped to your door monthly.

So far, the brand has been met with huge acclaim from experts, beauty editors, and the public. In the four years since its launch, more than 20,000 Skin + Me customers report a 133% improvement in how they feel about their skin after just 12 weeks of using their prescribed Skin + Me products.

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What is the new Skin + Me retail range?

I’ll level with you: for some, prescription skincare can be a godsend. You simply speak with a dermatologist or skincare expert online, fill out a consultation form, and a few days later, a bespoke skincare routine arrives in the post, ready for you to tackle the issues you’ve been longing to address.

For others, though, prescription skincare can feel rather daunting or time-consuming. Then there are those of you who feel that your skin has always erred on the side of “okay,” so speaking to a dermatologist or using high-strength ingredients feels like a bit of a stretch.

It’s for reasons like these that Skin + Me has decided to create a Daily Doser lineup that brings the power of dermatologist-designed formulations to even more people. Created without prescription ingredients, the range caters to specific skin types with personalized products designed to fit seamlessly into daily routines. Best of all, you can pop into your local Boots to purchase them, and you’re good to go.

You simply choose a Cleanser, Daily Doser (aka a serum), and a Moisturiser from each range, which is divided into ‘dry to normal skin,’ ‘oily to combination skin,’ and ‘sensitive skin.’

I tried the new Skin + Me retail range and these are my honest thoughts:

If you find the world of skincare completely overwhelming and don’t want to go down the prescription route, then the new Skin + Me range is for you. The products are reasonably priced, contain hard working and proven ingredients, and best of all, they streamline your routine to a T. With just three products for each skin type, you don’t run the risk of overloading your skin. All to often, because we’re saturated with so much choice, many of us are over doing it with acids, peels and other high strength ingredients that are doing our skin barrier no favours.

I’ve opted for the below products and have been using them for a few weeks. The moisturiser is great, does exactly what it says on the tin and doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. The cleanser works well but you do need to double cleanse to remove makeup and even then I had to take my time to really massage it in. The real hero is the serum. I’ve tried so many that are triple this price point and don’t work as half as well. All in all, it’s a yes for me.

Skin + Me Fine Lines Elasticity Serum for Dry to Normal Skin with Retinoid-3 and Collagen Amino Acid 12ml

Now 33% Off

Pros

The design allows you to use correct amount
leaves skin glowy
Good value for money

A final word: If there are skin issues you’ve tried to treat yourself with no success, then stick with the prescription route. Similarly, if you’re unsure about your skin type (according to the brand, consumers are most likely to choose ‘combination skin’ out of fear of getting it wrong), it’s worth speaking to an expert. That way, you’re starting off on the right foot from the get-go and are closer to achieving your desired skin goals.