Proven Skincare's quiz and tested out the custom skincare products to see if it was worth the money. Here's an honest review of the process and products.
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Proven Skincare; Adrienne Jordan/Alyssa Powell/Business Insider
If you ever wanted to take the guesswork out of skincare buying and have someone hand you a list of the right products to buy for your skin type rather than having to piece together the right formulas on your own, then let me tell you about one of my new favorite skincare brands, Proven Skincare.
Proven Skincare makes custom formulas based on a 3-minute survey you take about your skin. The brand originally debuted on Shark Tank in 2020, and though investors initially passed it on, my experience with the custom products convinced me they were mistaken. Using AI technology, Proven Skincare gathers personal skin concerns through a short quiz. Some of the questions you'll be asked include whether your skin is oily, dry, or combination, as well as your age and geographic location. The brand then formulates each product tailored to your specific needs.
After you complete the survey, Proven Skincare will send you a kit that includes a cleanser, day moisturizer, and night cream. This takes the guesswork out of which ingredients in our products you should or should not mix and match. You can also opt for single products if you want to incorporate one of them into your routine rather than commit to the set.
The Proven Skincare team sent me a code to take the quiz and test its products for the purpose of this review. I've been using them for over 5 weeks and have seen serious improvements in the fine lines on my neck and the texture of my skin.
Proven
The process started with an in-depth quiz about my skin. Some examples of questions included if I was oily vs. dry, how my face feels after a shower, what my skin tone is (aka my melanin level), what age group I fall under, if I was breastfeeding, what my dietary habits look like; what types of products are in my current skincare routine; and, since where you live affects your skin, they also asked me to enter my ZIP code. Your answers are then used to create a personalized set with a cleanser, moisturizer, and night cream, all tailored to fit your skin type.
My set included information cards that helped me understand how the results of my quiz translated to the ingredients in the products. For example, my cleanser contained the ingredient mandelic acid because it helps to reduce the appearance of sun damage since I spend a lot of time outdoors, a factor that I included in my quiz.
The company recommends you take the quiz every 5 to 7 weeks if you plan to reorder products so that it can take into account any changes your skin has experienced over time.
The face cleanser was so powerful that it removed a full face of makeup (including mascara) without leaving any residue behind. What I loved most was that even though it thoroughly cleansed the dirt and makeup from my face, it didn't strip my skin or make it feel dry. When I received my products, the information card explained that the Proven Skincare cleanser was a face wash, toner, and exfoliator in one. The bottle is pretty small at 1.7 ounces, but two pumps (about a dime-sized amount) were enough to do the job.
I am generally adamant about using sunscreen on my face every day, even having a generous amount of melanin, because I do a lot of outdoor activities like walks in the parks, jogging, and walking to the grocery store. The one-ounce moisturizer included mineral sunscreen (at SPF 30), which I really appreciated.
Around three pumps of the moisturizer was enough to cover my whole face. Initially, the moisturizer looked like it would leave a slightly chalky layer on my brown skin, but it blended well once it was fully rubbed in.
Proven
The night cream was definitely my favorite product since it made my skin feel extremely hydrated and was the main factor in reducing the fine lines on my neck (not something I thought would happen, but it was a nice surprise). The 1-ounce night cream felt silky and rich in my hands, and when rubbed on my face, it left a hydrating finish that wasn't too heavy. Even after a full night of sleep, my skin still felt moisturized.
Adrienne Jordan/Business Insider
The tranexamic acid, kojic acid, mulberry extract, and niacinamide in the night cream helped fight against signs of aging in my skin and firm it up in such a short period of time. Granactive retinoids in the formula also helped to smooth out the fine lines in my neck area. My skin feels significantly firmer and more hydrated than before I started using the product.
Proven Skincare is definitely not cheap. At $145 for a cleanser, moisturizer, and night cream, you pay an average of about $50 per product. But if you can get over the price, the formulas really are worth it, in my opinion. The Proven Skincare formula wins out when comparing the cleanser to affordable skincare brands like Cetaphil, which are around $6 in convenience stores. Universal cleansers like Cetaphil just don't cater to all skin types, and I find they leave my skin dry afterward. I like Proven Skincare's specialized process aimed at addressing a multitude of my skin's specific needs — therefore, I think the benefits outweigh the price.
Overall, Proven Skincare helped me find a routine that worked and required little effort.
The cleanser, SPF moisturizer, and night cream offer a three-pronged approach to skincare that I have been using religiously since receiving the set, but it's a nice benefit that you can just purchase a single product if you want. The quiz and resulting set of custom formulas allow for a uniquely personalized experience. After testing a set made for my specific skin concerns and needs, I would recommend Proven Skincare's kit to anyone who can reasonably afford it.
