Proven Skincare Review: I tried their 2-step custom skincare routine for 6 weeks and I’m shocked

I’m no stranger to personalized skincare, and as with all things skincare, some were winners and others, not so much. But the Proven Skincare System? 

WINNER in all capital letters.

Obviously I don’t expect you to be convinced that easily, so let me break down my 6-week experience from the personalization down to the results with each product.

Personalization Process with the Skin Genome Quiz

Like all customized skincare, you start the process with a quiz, but not just any quiz. Proven skincare analyzes your data using their proprietary Skin Genome Project – the biggest skincare database in the world with:

• 20+ million consumer testimonials
• 100,000+ products
• 20,000+ ingredients
• 35,000+ 5-star reviews
• 4000+ scientific journal articles

All of which is possible thanks to co-founder Dr. Amy Yuan’s data scientist and computational physicist background from Stanford University. 

Don’t worry though, the quiz isn’t overwhelming at all and takes just 3 minutes. Questions include asking about your current skin state, skin type, skin issues, routine, age, zip code, and lifestyle habits. They really get into the details, checking things like stress levels, screen time, and even your diet!

But they’re not the same questions for everyone. Depending on your choices, they’ll ask additional questions to get a better idea of your specific needs.

Once you complete the quiz, you get to see exactly which active ingredients are featured in your Proven regimen, why they were chosen, and their % too! You also get a breakdown of some environmental factors like air quality, water hardness, and uv index, and how those impact your skin.

I didn’t love the ingredients the first time I took the quiz, and I realized it may be because I selected too many skincare concerns initially. When I narrowed the number of concerns down to just 3, I felt the formula better aligned with what I was looking for, so keep that in mind when taking your quiz!

When you’re ready, they’ll send you three products featuring your key ingredients: a cleanser, night cream, and day moisturizer with spf. I was surprised to see that a serum wasn’t part of the set, and that you’d have to take a separate quiz for it. Same with eye creams.

My custom skincare ingredients

After completing the quiz about my skin, I was immediately able to see which active ingredients would be featured in my skincare formula, and why they were chosen.

• 1% Turmeric Root Extract to delay the appearance of aging and strengthen my skin. A 2013 study found that its active component, curcumin, can help regulate sebum production and has some anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, making it a great ingredient for acne prone skin.¹ Several other small studies found it to be a powerful antioxidant, which can help with anti-aging goals.²
• Pomegranate Extract to help brighten the skin and boost collagen production. A source of powerful antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, 2 studies show that pomegranate extracts can help counter UV damage by increasing collagen production.^3,4 Another study showed that using it for 12 weeks can significantly improve skin tone.⁵
• Tamanu Oil provides moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant benefits. Not surprising as it’s full of nourishing fatty acids, but it can also help with wound healing and even collagen production!⁶ While there is research showing tamanu oil with anti-inflammatory properties, it’s still quite limited (and outdated).⁷
• 1.62% Ginseng Extract to help firm and strengthen the skin. A popular Asian medicinal herb, it’s traditionally known for improving blood circulation, but research also show that it can also help prevent hyperpigmentation, photoaging, and improve fine lines and wrinkles.^8,9,10
• 1.2% Green Tea Extract to soothe and protect the barrier. It’s one of my favorite antioxidants, and a powerful one too. Studies show that green tea extract can not only help protect against UV damage,¹¹ it can also improve the skin moisture levels and texture.¹²
• 4% Azelaic Acid to gently exfoliate and brighten. A common ingredient in custom skincare, it provides a bunch of great benefits:  anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and skin-brightening. Some studies even found that 20% azelaic acid is comparable or more effective than hydroquinone in treating melasma!^13,14
• Rose Oil to moisturize and boost radiance. I’m assuming this is rose essential oil based on the accompanying rose petal images. While it does contain antioxidant flavonoids, it also contains fragrance compounds that could irritate sensitive skin.¹⁵

Honestly, I was a little surprised at the lack of proven superstar ingredients like vitamin c and niacinamide. While many of these have research backing their claims, I would consider them more B-listers and supporting casts, not the main character.

But then I reminded myself that ingredients are only a small part of the overall formula, what’s important is creating synergy between the ingredients so they deliver the best results.  This is something that as consumers, we can only tell once we test the products.

Proven Skincare Personalized Cleanser Review

Packaging
Airtight plastic pump bottle with a shiny and quite slippery finish.

Texture
A medium-weight gel cream that melts into the skin with no foam. Glides effortlessly across damp skin with no tugging.

Price
$29.99 every 8 weeks or $39.99 for a one time purchase. Use code GEEKYPOSH to get the whole set for $99!

Size
50ml

My initial thought was: well, a customized cleanser seems like an overkill. How effective would the ingredients be if they’re only on my skin for a minute max?

Goodness I’d be lying if this isn’t one of the lushest and most joy-sparking cleansers I’ve ever used. It’s also my favorite product from the set.

I personally love the rich creamy texture as it’s excellent for giving myself a little facial massage while cleansing. But if you have oily skin and are used to heavy foaming action, this will take some getting used to.

All cleanser formulas will contain some AHAs and BHAs (unless otherwise noted during the quiz) to gently exfoliate the skin, and I can’t stress the gentle part enough. I was worried that using this twice a day would irritate my skin, but after using it for a few weeks, I felt nothing but softer and smoother skin. No issues with tightness or dryness either immediately after cleansing.

If you wear makeup or water-resistant sunscreen, you’ll need to use a separate cleansing oil or balm first. This face wash is too nice to waste on removing makeup!

One way I love to use the Proven Cleanser is as a flash mask. Instead of washing it off immediately, I’ll leave it on for an extra 1-2 minutes for the ingredients to do their work!

Proven Skincare Personalized Day Moisturizer Review

Packaging
Same as the cleanser, an airtight plastic pump bottle with a shiny metallic finish.

Texture
A silky lightweight lotion that spreads easily and absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving a satin finish.

Price
$44.99 every 8 weeks or $59.99 for a one time purchase. Use code GEEKYPOSH to get the whole set for $99!

Size
30ml

Of the 3 Proven products I tested, this was my least favorite. 

But let’s start with the positive: the texture was made for day time use.  Noticeably lighter than the night cream, but still moisturizing, and layers wonderfully under makeup without pilling.

I also like that it features several antioxidants to help protect my skin during the day against free radicals, replacing the function of a separate antioxidant serum.

For me the biggest negative is the included SPF. Which sounds like a great idea on paper, but if you’re religious about sunscreen like I am, you know day creams with spf are rarely practical:

• It features 1% Zinc Oxide and 2% Titanium Dioxide. This is significantly lower than any sunscreens I’ve ever reviewed, and I don’t trust that it can fully protect against UVA or UVB rays at all.
• Let’s say it’s still effective at 1+2%, we would still need to apply at least 2-fingers worth of product to get the labeled SPF30 protection. The recommended 2 pumps would not suffice.
• Not to mention how expensive this would be if we used that much product each time.

The reasoning they provided was the low UV index currently in my location, but I take the overly cautious approach when it comes to sun protection, especially since I work in front of a window that gets a lot of light (hello UVA rays).

Unfortunately nowhere during the quiz were you given the chance to opt out of SPF, only some further digging did I see that you can email their customer support to have it removed from your formula. I would highly recommend doing this and just applying your regular sunscreen on top!

Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not saying this product is inherently awful. The Proven moisturizer is still an objectively decent skincare product, but would be even better if they made the SPF optional.

Proven Skincare Personalized Night Cream

Packaging
A heavy plastic jar, unfortunately no spatula included.

Texture
A medium-weight cream that feels so luxurious and lush. Melts instantly and keeps my skin moisturized all night long, even in the dry winter heat. 

Price
$84.99 every 8 weeks or $99.99 for a one time purchase. Use code GEEKYPOSH to get the whole set for $99!

Size
30ml

The idea of replacing my anti-aging serums and brightening essences with just this one jar was unsettling to say the least. I’ve tried many all-in-one moisturizers, and none came close to replacing my existing skin care routine.

Until now.

Ok so it’s not a 100% replacement, but it managed to achieve 90% of my skin needs all by itself:

• Soft, moisturized skin
• Minimizing the appearances of fine lines and keeping new ones (and other signs of aging) from forming
• Maintaining a radiant skin tone and preventing new dark spots

Even if I switched back to my regular routine, this is a fantastic moisturizer that I would put in the same tier as my beloved Lancome Absolue Soft Cream – both feel so luxurious while taking your skin health from good to great. 

In my opinion a worthy splurge if your budget allows for it, especially if you’re looking to keep your routine minimal.

Using Proven Skincare – My Overall Experience

While this was touted as a custom 3-step skincare routine, it really is more of a 2-step routine, because you’re never going to use the night cream and day cream at the same time. And I will be honest, I’ve never had such a minimal routine in my life. Even my first ever routine included a hydrating toner!

Testing method: Use only the three products on my face every day. At least that was my goal, but you’ll see why I had to make adjustments.

Week 1: Got to resist that urge to reach for my SK-II FTE or even my hydrating serum! The night time routine transition was much easier than expected, but I couldn’t get over the barely there sun protection in the day moisturizer and decided I needed a dedicated sunscreen on top.

Week 3: Cleansing is now my favorite step as I look forward to massaging my skin with that lush cleanser!  No breakouts or allergic reactions, and my skin feels pretty good since the switch. The only thing lacking would be stronger exfoliation, so I cheated and added a weekly exfoliator back into the routine.

Week 6: Can’t believe it’s been this long since I touched my serums, but this simple skincare regimen has managed to give me glowing skin and keep my specific skin concerns (lines and dryness) at bay. Skin still felt great, no irritations or side effects at all.

While their three-step routine couldn’t meet all my skincare needs, it covered a lot of them, which is still pretty impressive. It would be hard to find a single cleanser that’s strong enough to remove makeup yet still gentle enough to use in the morning, and for some people, the daily exfoliation from the cleanser might be enough!

The only thing I didn’t like was the SPF, I would ask for it to be removed and just use your usual sun protection. But otherwise, I recommend Proven skincare products for the following:

• If you’re a minimalist looking to use the least number of products and still get results.
• If you’re tired of trying a million products just to figure out what your ideal routine should be.
• If you live a busy lifestyle and want a short but still sweet routine.