In this day and age where individuality has become increasingly celebrated, makeup and skincare brands have responded accordingly by ramping up their emphasis on how much products are tailored specifically to you and your unique combination of skincare concerns.
These are the skincare brands that truly deserve a pat on the back for going the extra mile to make sure we’re only getting what our skin actually needs, rather than a bunch of unnecessary frills.
If our skin isn’t the same as everyone else’s, why should our skincare be?
1. Iren Customized Serums
The enemy to beautiful skin is not just the advent of time and the pollutants in our environment – it’s actually also our stressful lifestyles and our lack of time. Mr. Eric Tan, CEO of Ikeda Group, first realised this when he looked at how much time his wife spends on skincare on top of all the other responsibilities that she juggles. Together, they came up with Iren Skincare.
The newly launched Iren Customized Serums have turned heads because of its label as the “World’s First Sprayable Customized Serum”. The Iren Skin Vaporizer, which the serums are meant to be dispensed in, breaks down the serum into nano-particles to maximise its penetration and absorption into your skin. Spraying your serum on also drastically decreases the amount of time needed for your skincare.
The Customized Serums are the result of intensive research and development that Iren undertook in partnership with national research agency A*STAR. Each serum harnesses the power of a different superfruit to target specific concerns on the skin – you can even mix and match them before adding to the Skin Vaporizer.
Iren Customized Serums come in seven different types: Whitening Serum with Yuzu, Clearing Serum with Pumpkin, Anti-ageing Serum with Goji Berries, Soothing Serum with Avocado, Hydrating Serum with Blueberries, Anti-acne Serum with Mangosteen, and Anti-Wrinkle Serum with Beet. They’re all made in Japan too!
The Iren Customized Serums retail for SGD58 for 10ml each, while the Iren Skin Vaporizer retails for SGD338. They are available at Face Shower Bar by Iren at Citylink Mall (#B1-17A) and online at irenskin.com.
2. Skin Inc. My Daily Dose
Blend your very own personalised serum with the Skin Inc. My Daily Dose serum cocktail. You can take a two to three minute skincare check on their website, after which they will recommend you three serums most suitable for your current skin condition and lifestyle.
Once you get those three serums, get ready to be your own chemist and start mixing them into your very own personalised serum blend! Alternatively, you can choose to buy pre-blended serums that use special ingredients to combat a specific skincare concern.
Skin Inc. My Daily Dose customisable serums (SGD68 each) include:
- Ceramide Serum: for roughness, dryness, sensitive, or eczema-prone skin
- Coenzyme Q10 Serum: for tired and ageing skin
- Chlorella Serum: for pigmentation and brightening dull skin
- Collagen Serum: for wrinkles, lines, and ageing skin
- French Pine Bark Serum: for stressed and sun-damaged skin
- Hyaluronic Acid Serum: for dehydrated skin
- Vitamin A Serum: for uneven skin tone and dark circles
- Licorice Serum: for sensitive, irritated skin and pimples
- Vitamin B3+ Serum: for troubled skin
- Vitamin C Serum: for open pores, pimples, and oily skin
Its pre-blended serums (SGD98 each) include:
- My Daily Dose of Glow Wonder Serum: with Vitamin A for anti-ageing, Chlorella Extract for clearer and brighter skin, and Hyaluronic Acid for hydration
- My Daily Dose of Vitamins ABC+ Wonder Serum: with Vitamin A for anti-ageing, Vitamin B for balance and boosting, and Vitamin C for clarifying
- Bye Bye, Lines! Custom Blended Serum: with Coenzyme Q10, Marine-Collagen, and Hyaluronic Acid to promote elasticity and hydration in the skin
Skin Inc. products are available at Skin Inc. stores and at Tangs.
3. Klarity Revival Bespoke Mask Kit
So we’ve seen a few customisable serums, but have you ever seen a customisable mask? Klarity is a newly launched skincare brand that aims to bring you just that. As much as our skin differs from person to person, it’s also important to note that our skin conditions can fluctuate with time, depending on the environments that we find ourselves in.
There are some days when you feel more acne-prone, and some days when you feel like you need an extra boost of hydration. To address that issue, Klarity provides four different ampoules in their Mask Kit with which you can specifically aim at different skin concerns for different days.
The ampoules they offer are: Firming Ampoule to retain skin elasticity and to offer skin protection, Hydrating Ampoule for much-needed hydration and repair, Whitening Ampoule for improving brightness and radiance of the skin, and Acne Control Ampoule to relieve inflammation and to eliminate impurities.
Each Mask Kit will include:
- 5 x Advanced Revival Mask Sheets
- 1 x Revival Bespoke Mask User Manual
- 1 x 30ml Bespoke Test Tube (reusable)
- 1 x 5ml Firming Ampoule
- 1 x 5ml Hydrating Ampoule
- 1 x 5ml Whitening Ampoule
- 1 x Acne Control Ampoule
All you have to do is pour in whichever ampoule you’d like to use in your mask into the Bespoke Test Tube – this could be one single ampoule, or you can mix and match your ampoules in whatever ratio you prefer – and then using the tweezers provided to insert the mask sheet into the tube, letting it soak in the ampoule for some minutes.
After that, take out the mask after it has thoroughly absorbed in the goodness of all the ampoules you’ve just mixed, and put it on like any other sheet mask. Don’t worry; the ampoules are lightweight and fast-absorbing in case you’re worried of it being way too heavy for your skin.
Klarity Revival Bespoke Mask Kit retails for SGD149 on Klarityskin.com.
4. Dior Capture Youth
The Dior line has been lauded by beauty junkies for how easy it is to use. It makes a friendly first step into the world of anti-ageing for those who are in their 20s, but still packs a punch for those in their 30s and 40s.
The line consists of a universal moisturiser, which is suitable for all skin types of all ages, but the kicker lies in the five serums that make up the rest of the range. These five serums are targeted essences that you can mix and match to address your specific skincare concern.
Want to mix two, or three, or all, of the serums together? Apply a drop on to your palms, rub it together to mix, and gently massage it on to your whole face. Feel like different areas of your face need different types of help? You’re free to apply the appropriate serum accordingly.
The serums come in five different iterations: Glow Booster to brighten and clarify the skin; Plump Filler for intense hydration to get back that suppleness; Matte Maximizer for oil control; Lift Sculptor to repair skin layers and to firm up skin elasticity; and Redness Soother to bring down the skin redness and reduce irritation and sensitivity.
Dior Capture Youth Age-delay Advanced Creme retails for SGD152. The Dior Capture Youth serums retail for SGD152 each.
5. Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations
They’ve been in the business of 166 years, so you better bet that Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations comes from a long and reputable line of experience. Once only available in the United States, Kiehl’s has finally extended their Apothecary Preparations to Singapore since September last year, and we were stoked to hear it.
You get to sit down with trained Kiehl’s Customer Representatives, who will then do a free skin consultation to help you figure out what exactly it is that your skin needs. Together with the Kiehl’s rep, you will pick out two Targeted Complex which will be the perfect blend for your skin.
Targeted Complexes which you and the Kiehl’s rep will be able to select from are: the Visible Redness Neutralizing Complex with Sunflower Seed and Vitamin E, Texture Refining Complex with Vitamin F and LHA, Brightening Complex with Vitamin C and Scotch Pine Extract, Pore Minimizing Complex with Salicylic Acid, and Wrinkle Reducing Complex with Retinol Concentrate and Pro-Retinol.
You can make an appointment for the Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations by dropping in at any of the three participating Kiehl’s stores located at Takashimaya S.C. (#B1-33), Tangs at Tang Plaza (Level 1), and at NEX (#01-76).
