I have been blogging about beauty and lifestyle for several years, but I haven’t found a skincare routine that is my holy grail. I have been happy enough with the skincare I use, and I have some standout products I like, but nothing that works cohesively together. I am also very reactive and not proactive. I react when my skin gets bad, but very rarely do things that I consider to be preventative. I regularly use serums, moisturizers, and cleansers, as well as an eye cream, but I never thought about how they work together.

Enter Curology. I was given the opportunity to try them out a few months ago, and I wanted to put them to the test before I gave my review. For the purposes here, I've been using Curology for a full 60 days. If skincare is going to make a difference, I will have seen it by now. So let’s chat!

As an aside, before we get started, my skin is normal-dry. I don’t often experience breakouts, but when I do they are swift and angry. I have big pores on my cheeks and nose. The biggest problem areas are along my jaw and my forehead. When I do get a breakout, I have a nasty dark spot that will linger for weeks to months if I am not careful about treating them.

The Facts

Curology is subscription-based. It is conducted entirely online. The setup is fairly easy. It’s around $20 a month, but the first month is free. The idea that dermatology should be accessible to all is wonderful, and this is fairly easy. There is a quick questionnaire about what you’re using currently, and things you want to change about your face. Then I had to send in pictures of the left, right, and front view of my face. The next day, I received an email from my dermatologist with a custom treatment. It shipped just after that and arrived in about eight days. It came in a sterile-looking but functional pump bottle, with a cleanser and a moisturizer. There are instructions…use the moisturizer in the morning with a sunscreen, cleanse at night and apply the topical prescription, then moisturize again. Pretty simple!

Pros

The biggest benefit to this is the cost. $20 a month for all of your skincare? It sounds too good to be true. I know that there are a lot of lower-cost options on the market now, but this falls into a very good value evaluation from me. It is also incredibly convenient. I love that things just appear at my house every month. I don’t have to worry about running out and I always have what I need.

It’s also customized to me! There is a real person whose name is attached to my prescription. I didn’t have to make a complicated skincare routine or worry about what parts were working or not. It’s supposed to be exactly what I need, and they claim it works for 88% of people. The website claims as well that having a medical person do this also gives access to prescription-strength ingredients all in one tube. They also call it a prescription, filled by a dermatologist.

Finally, and most importantly, I saw results! My skin looked more hydrated and my dark spots faded. During the time I used this, I did not have any new breakouts. My skin did not get worse, and in some ways looked better.

Cons

The first con is that, while this provides the illusion of meeting with a real doctor, that’s not true. At no point did I speak with a medical professional at any time. They saw my picture, and they looked at my questionnaire, and that was it. What if the dermatologist on the computer was wrong? They aren’t there actually seeing my dryness or the way my skin moves. They can’t touch it and didn’t ask any additional questions. How long did they spend on “my case”? The entire idea is good, but there is zero transparency and it does run a real risk. There are also some side effects to consider. I had increased skin sensitivity for about two weeks after I started using this, and increased dryness. I already have dry skin, and this didn’t help. The moisturizer did make a difference, but it wasn’t as heavy as the other night creams I prefer, and I felt it didn’t do enough. I should mention that you can ask your dermatologist questions…for $10 each. That’s a lot for a treatment that already only costs $20.

Another con is possibly a personal conspiracy theory, but I don’t believe that this really a customized formula. I spoke to some other people who got the Curology subscription…and we all had the same treatment. 4% Azelaic Acid, 1% Clindamycin, and 1% Niacinamide. So, okay then. Four of us, with zero skin challenges in common, ended up with the same thing. What a coinkydink.

These “prescription strength” ingredients are also available elsewhere, easily and cheaply. Both azelaic acid and niacinamide are available in stronger concentrations from the Ordinary for cheaper and in larger quantities than this. While the website claims access to prescription-only concentrations of the actives, that was proven false with a simple Google search. That’s only two! Clindamycin. It’s an antibiotic. That’s the only one that is a prescription. I’m also throwing this out there as mostly an opinion, but also somewhat backed by science…you should not use an antibiotic every day. It’s also not necessary, and I’m not sure that a doctor who I’ve never spoken to, only sent pictures of my face to. I think that the risks, even at a low concentration, outweigh the benefits for those who do not need an antibiotic. The thing that freaks me out about this is that I didn’t have a single zit when I sent those pictures in, so why would they think I needed that? I was also never informed of any side effects that this could have, except increased skin dryness. But those side effects? Topical clindamycin can cause pain while swallowing, joint pain, white patches in the mouth, unusual bleeding, and flu-like symptoms. It seems like something that should have been disclosed.

The dermatologist does say that they can’t guarantee that the prescription doesn’t interact with other skincare, so you should stop using everything else. This is all fine and dandy, but there are things that I like using that I now feel I can’t. I made the mistake of using a sheet mask one night…a deep burning sensation followed. Whoops. So, even if you like your other products, you shouldn’t touch them until you know there isn’t a reaction.

Bottom Line

I think that if you have problem skin and are struggling to find a skincare routine that works, this is worth a try. The low cost and convenience make it easy to get started and to see results. I was so put off by the cons that I don’t think that I will use this anymore. After my 60 days, I shut down my subscription and won’t be restarting. I did see some results, but I firmly believe that they were more the result of moisturizing. The niacinamide adds moisture, and I hadn’t used that before regularly. I am just going to switch to using niacinamide for extra moisture and ditching the unnecessary antibiotic. I think if you have a serious skin issue and do not have the money to see a face-to-face healthcare provider, it might be worth a shot. I think if you have the means or even just okay skin, you can skip it.

Have you tried Curology? Let me know!

Disclaimer: This post does not contain sponsored content or affiliate links. Some items listed in the post were gifted for press purposes. All opinions are my own.