A Bespoke Suit For Your Face: The Rise Of Custom Skincare for Men

 

In the past year, we’ve seen a tectonic shift in the self care industry: Customizable products are here to stay, since they allow consumers to create products specific to their needs, instead of piecing together a regimen with far too many products.

Do you need a shampoo that adds volume and takes your oily scalp into consideration? Then make one! Do you want a skincare regimen that combats excessive dryness, minimizes signs of aging, and keeps acne at bay? Then make one of those, too! Do you want a fragrance that plays to your personality, and is infused into your soap and deodorant, too? Guess what? You can make that too—or rather, you can fill out a questionnaire and have a specific scent prescribed to you.

The brands here are leading the way in tailor-made skincare, hair care, and fragrances, though you should expect many more to emerge soon. Once you put the consumer in control of his or her regimen, there’s no going back.

All products featured on GQ are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • 1/10

    Atolla

    Your Atolla subscription starts with a skin assessment, in which you physically analyze your skin’s oil and pH levels, in addition to hydration, sensitivity, and more. You’ll align this with your primary concerns—like breakouts or aging—and each month you’ll receive a new custom-made serum that helps your skin stay balanced and clear. You’ll continue assessing as you progress, so that the serum formulas can adapt to the progress and continue to work in your favor.

    $45
    Atolla

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  • 2/10

    Curology

    Fill out Curology’s questionnaire about your skin and your key priorities—like firmness, wrinkle reduction, or pore clearance—and they’ll send you a monthly overnight moisturizer, along with an optional cleanser and daytime hydrator, in order to address and correct any concerns. This is aligned to the fact that your skin makes its biggest improvements and adjustments while you sleep, so the custom formula should have you seeing drastic improvements within the first month or two.

    $20
    Curology

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  • 3/10

    Hawthorne

    When shopping for a signature scent, one must consider your general vibe. Consider your habits, your social predilections. This is the stuff that makes you unique! Think of Hawthorne as the Myers–Briggs for your scent vibe. You take their in-depth survey and they “prescribe” two day/night scents from their collection—crafted by the most acclaimed ‘noses’ in the scent-development world. You can even order bar soap, deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner that jive with your profile.

    $15
    Hawthorne

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  • 4/10

    Prose

    Let Prose know about your hair woes and goals, and they’ll devise a formula specifically for your benefit. To choose the right ingredients, they factor in things like length, texture, density, color, oil levels, dandruff, and more. And from their assortment, you can opt in or out of a shampoo, conditioner, pre-wash mask, and nourishing hair oil.

    $25
    Prose

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  • 5/10

    Function of Beauty

    Input everything about your hair and what you want from Function of Beauty—all the way down to the color and scent of the formula—and they’ll whip together a custom shampoo and conditioner set for you. You can even customize a bottle of purple shampoo if you’ve bleached or dyed your hair, tailored to your hair texture and type. Add on a hair mask for good measure, and change the sizes and delivery frequency of your shampoo and conditioner set as needed.

    $39
    Function of Beauty

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  • 6/10

    Proven

    Proven’s Skintelligence quiz delivers results from one of the most comprehensive skincare databases on the planet—developed by Stanford scientists. Its founders have left no facets of your lifestyle and genetics unconsidered in generating a custom skincare set that safely and effectively suits your goals. Central to the mix is the night cream, which works with your body’s regenerative cycle to help accelerate and maximize progress towards said goals.

    $145
    Proven

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  • 7/10

    Skinceuticals

    Make an appointment for Skinceuticals Custom D.O.S.E, and you’re on the fast track to correcting signs of aging, dark spots, dullness, brown patches, fine lines, wrinkles, and acne marks. Simply locate the nearest consultation center for an assessment (in major metropolitan areas), and you’ll get a customized, 3-month supply of serum that addresses the aforementioned concerns, as they pertain to you. Then, you’ll meet to assess progress and adjust the serum formula so that it keeps working for you.

    $195
    Skinceuticals

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  • 8/10

    Hair Rx

    If your core hair complaint is frizzing or thinning or drying or deflating, then HairRx is a quick fix. You only need to answer a few simple questions about your primary goals, as well as your baseline hair stats (oily vs dry, straight vs curly) and HairRx prescribes you with a shampoo and conditioner that keep your hair healthy and balanced, despite your genetics. You can even add your favorite custom scent to the formula.

    $17
    Amazon

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  • 9/10

    Clinique ID

    A simpler approach to customization, Clinique ID prompts you in two ways in order to produce a serum for your needs: What texture of product do you prefer (gel, jelly, or lotion?), and what is your primary need (irritation, uneven texture, uneven skin tone, fatigue, or fines lines + wrinkles)? You’ll get one of 15 possibilities, aimed at your most basic needs and comforts.

    $39
    Clinique ID

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  • 10/10

    Y’our Skincare

    After assessing your skin type and personal goals, Y’our Skincare selects the proper ingredients to help address these matters. They formulate an entire regimen for you, including a cleanser, serum, moisturizer, and night cream to do a full-court press against your most pressing skincare concerns.

    $65
    Y’our Skincare