The Single Product You Need for a Customized Skin Care Routine

Your skin is basically a super-sized fingerprint: totally individual. So, it only makes sense that treating it with a product made just for you is the gateway to optimal results, such as reduced dark spots, enhanced elasticity and fewer fine lines. Enter the SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E system, where the future is now.

Currently available in NYC, Hong Kong and Spain, the sleek black box landed on our west coast mid-summer. Here’s how it works: a dermatologist asks you about specific skin needs, including if you suffer from post-inflammatory pigmentation, whether fine lines and wrinkles rank as mild, moderate or deep, and if retinol is an ingredient you use, want to try or prefer to avoid. Answers are logged via a tablet connected to the machine, then an algorithm generates a formula utilizing seven concentrated ingredient blends.

Within the collection, there’s a mix of AHAs to address exfoliating, multiple brighteners, such as licorice root and kojic acid, and three levels of Vitamin A derivatives designed to enhance skin tone and texture. You can then choose between two base carriers, an oil-free fluid ideal for oily skin or a lightweight, milky emulsion best for dry skin types.

The real fun begins when an empty bottle is placed on the weighted scale that’s inset in the machine. Within minutes the visible carousel of canisters inside will light up, whizz and hum, dispensing a personalized blend right before your eyes. “This is the Tesla of skin care devices,” says Dr. William McGillivray, esthetician physician at Project Skin MD in Vancouver, BC, who led the Canadian pilot project. “It’s great for people who want an easy regimen or those who want to elevate their results.” Each fragrance-free serum is compounded for freshness that lasts 90 days. That’s when a follow-up appointment will assess progress and alterations for the next round, as needed.

Over upcoming months, additional machines will settle into more dermatology practices across the country. But that doesn’t mean you can’t upgrade your fall skin care routine right here, right now and regardless of postal code.

Start by incorporating the daily use of an antioxidant-rich serum. “A lot of people gravitate towards a cream because they like it as a skincare experience, yet there are things we can’t put into them. Serums go into the skin properly, we’re doing something active that we’re not able to do in a cream,” says Dr. McGillivray, “My traditional trifecta is sunscreen and a Vitamin C serum and retinol at night. That’s one simple routine.”

SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E, $250-$295, skinceuticals.ca

Create your own regimen with the three key ingredients. Here are our faves:

La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10, $59, shoppersdrugmart.ca

Pixi Overnight Retinol Oil, $34, shoppersdrugmart.ca

Veriphy Power Trip Facial Serum, $105, shoppersdrugmart.ca

Next, see the editor-approved beauty products you need to update your skin-care routine this fall.