Function of Beauty is one of those brands that you see all over your Instagram feed and you may be confused who they are or what they sell. So, let me give you some background first and then I will give you my VERY thoughtful and honest review of their new custom skincare line. Just to be clear, Function of Beauty sent me this product in exchange for an IG post (I didn’t review at the time just posted the packaging and my hopes for the product) but now I have had time to review these products. My opinion is and always will be 100% my own!

I want to quickly add before anyone gets confused. I stopped my previous routine to test just these Function of Beauty products along with my SPF since SPF isn’t offered in the moisturizer. I didn’t use any other serums, moisturizers, or other products that could impact my opinion of the product. Yes, I literally have a like 4 step routine right now (crazy).

Who is Function of Beauty?

Function of Beauty was founded in 2015. It’s so crazy to me to think of how far they come considering I purchased my first product from them back in 2016. The company originally focused on personalized haircare product, specifically shampoo and conditioner. If you think about it they were pretty advanced at the time and I actually really liked their hair products and I remember being super excited about using product customized to me and that were fun colors (mine were pink and teal blue). Anyway, fast-forward to now Function of Beauty still offers their custom hair products and has expanded to hair masks, hair serums, purple shampoo, etc. 2020 was when they launched their custom skincare. The custom skincare includes a cleanser, a serum, and a moisturizer. I was shocked and lowkey concerned because haircare and skincare are two very different industries.

My Opportunity to Try Function of Beauty

In October 2020, Function of Beauty reached out offering to send me a skincare that was customized to my personal skincare characteristics and needs. If you know me, you know that I love trying new brands and custom skincare has always been super intriguing to me so I went for it (it wasn’t paid or anything). I was reached out to a little later than other skincare pages I followed so I had an idea of what the product looked like and some generalized ideas of how others felt about it but obviously wanted to see for myself.

After accepting the opportunity, I filled out a survey asking questions about my skin type, concerns, and product preferences. I was pleasantly surprised that Function of Beauty gave the opportunity to choose fragranced or unfragranced products (I chose unfragranced). Some of the inputs I put into the survey for my custom skin set include…

My Skin Profile

• Skin type: balanced (normal)
• Makeup preference: full coverage
• sensitivity: sometimes

My Skin Goals

• anti-aging
• even tone
• hydrate

With these inputs the products I received were

• Cleanser: Micellar Gel Cleanser
• Serum: Hydrating Serum
• Moisturizer: Lotion

When you put in your skin goals, it gives you an idea of ingredients that’ll be used to achieve it. One thing that I was confused about was when you get to the last page where it shows you what products you’ll receive it doesn’t really show you the ingredients in the formulas unless you go to the ingredient list (I added the photo above to give a better idea). I know they still show it somewhere but I feel like it needs to be a little more obvious. Some of you may know I have used Atolla (another custom skincare company) and when you do their skin test it tells you the exact ingredients in the formula when you order and also when your order arrives. I think I would almost prefer it to say, “Cleanser formulated with….” and disclose the ingredients selected for my concerns rather than just hoping they’re in there.

If you aren’t ready to try a full set of 3 products, Function of Beauty also allows you to purchase products individually. The full set with the 3 products will cost you around $100 (discounts codes are usually offered for the set). I will go deeper into this for each because they range in price. Next is the review of each individual product.

Micellar Gel Cleanser

The first step of the custom skincare set is the cleanser. There are two different cleansers available and whichever one you receive is the one that matches your skin profile and information the best. You’re able to purchase just the cleanser itself without the other two products. For just the cleanser it will cost about $25.00 not including tax/shipping. The two options are the Micellar Gel Cleanser and the Jelly Cleanser. Since I am a more normal to dry skin type it recommended the gel cleanser to me but I’m still a little confused on their process and assume they just add the ingredients that work with your skin results into the formula? I think they just need to make it a little clearer that “x ingredient” is in this formula just so we don’t feel cheated. I also think not everyone can/wants to read an ingredient list to make sure the ingredients are there.

Both cleansers claim to be pH-balancing and non-stripping but they are slightly different. The jelly cleanser doesn’t lather and can also be used on dry skin to remove makeup where the micellar gel water is basically a normal cleanser with “micellar technology” to remove dirt and debris on the skin. Honestly, I think either cleansers would’ve worked for me. Within the formula is the ingredients recommended for your skin goals but it seems to be pretty small concentrations. Which doesn’t really matter with a cleanser anyway because it gets washed off.

I honestly would repurchase the micellar gel cleanser. I am very picky when it comes to cleansers so I am amazed at how well this worked for me. I don’t reach for any strong cleansers with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide because my skin gets dried out so easily. So, a gentle hydrating cleanser is my go to and this price ($25 not including shipping) is pretty reasonable for a cleanser. The only complaint I have about the cleanser is the pump bottle. You really don’t need a lot of cleanser but I found myself having to pump it more than usual to get product out. It wasn’t the worst but still could improve. I also am lowkey interested in trying the Jelly Cleanser to compare because both seem very gentle so maybe that’ll be something I try and review in the future to compare.

Serum

First of all, the packaging of this whole set is GORGEOUS some of the functionalities of it are iffy but the colors and design are amazing. I really liked the serums pump technology rather than squeeze dropper. To get product from the bottle you pressed a button on the top to fill the dropper and pressed the same button to release the serum. In terms of product, I wasn’t too impressed. This seemed like an overpriced hydrating serum. After analyzing the ingredient list, it does contain a bunch of ingredients that are beneficial for dry skin types as well as some wound healing ingredients but honestly I didn’t feel or see a noticeable difference. The website also claims it has a “soft blurring effect” which I really didn’t notice but also don’t expect from skincare products.

To purchase just the serum itself it’s going to cost approximately $49.99 not including tax or shipping. I am a little shook about the price. Now you are probably like umm Riley? Atolla is close to $50? Hear me out. Atolla is telling you straight up the exact ingredients in their product (my serum had 12 ingredients, no BS), the packaging is as simple as it can get, and I actually felt a difference with Atolla and wanted to keep using it. I feel like Atolla offers way more active ingredients depending on your skin results (like when I used the custom retinol serum from them). Also, with Atolla you get a skin health test with each new month’s serum so you know if your skin is improving, changing, etc. I think the science behind it is way more personalized and hands-on. Nothing really was pushing me to want to keep using the Function of Beauty serum. I will definitely finish it and I think it’ll work fine with my other products like my vitamin c serum. Using just this serum in my routine though isn’t going to work for me personally. I need treatments, I need actives, I need more than just a hydrating serum to keep my skin glowing. Maybe my opinion will change as I finish it up but…probably not.

Moisturizer

So, before I talk about the moisturizer product, I need to give some background if you haven’t looked at the FOB skincare site. So basically, they offer 3 moisturizing products. Your survey results will give you either a cream, gel, or lotion. I think it’s a great idea to offer 3 different types of moisturizers because not everyone will be able to use a heavy cream and not everyone can use a thin lightweight gel. With my skin results I was given the lotion which is in a pump bottle. Once again I am not a fan of the pump bottle because it’s so hard to get product out and only a little comes out at a time. The lotion itself is okay. It doesn’t smell, isn’t greasy, and doesn’t pill with the serum but, it’s not something I am truly in love it. Especially in the winter my skin is super dry, so maybe I should’ve put my inputs in to be on the drier side but when I took the quiz it was October and not freezing yet. I think I would like this better in warmer temperatures with a little more moisture in the air. Once again, it’s not terrible but I’m not exactly sure if I would reach for it when looking for a moisturizer. Since I’ve only been using the 3 products in this routine, my skin is definitely a little drier and when applying makeup my dry spots are very noticeable.

To purchase just the moisturizer, it’s going to cost about $45 without taxes/shipping. I do think once again this is a little pricey for a moisturizer product only. Maybe if I was in love with it I’d be able to justify it more like I do for the Farmacy Beauty Honey Halo. Side note: Farmacy’s Honey Halo moisturizer is also $45 but it’s packed with an insane amount of super hydrating and nourishing ingredients (shoutout ceramides) and makes my skin look and feel amazing.

I just feel like for this being a custom moisturizer and not really seeing or feeling any sort of difference, it’s not worth repurchasing to me. I also am wondering if I would’ve liked the cream better? But I also don’t feel like spending $50 to be disappointed when I know I can rely on Farmacy Beauty Honey Halo.

Final Thoughts

If you made it to the bottom, I love you! Seriously. I hope this helped you get an idea of the brand and whether or not you want to try it. I’m definitely not bashing them and I think they did an AMAZING job releasing a custom skincare line. I’m also so happy they considered different skin types, concerns, and conditions. I was shocked (in a good way) that they were giving the option to choose between fragranced and unfragranced product especially considering they’re a hair care company and people love their hair smelling nice. I’m so glad they realized not everyone wants their skincare to smell or can’t handle scented skincare. I think they have the right idea, and this is a new industry that I’m sure they will expand and improve upon. I also think this is a good idea for someone who likes the idea of custom skincare, is willing to spend a little more on product, and wants to keep a routine simple but, for me personally I need so much more out of my skincare than these 3 things. I encourage you to try it if you are interested, you may like it. I’m really just picky.

Although these 3 products are a part of any basic routine, I am more willing to spend my money on treatments or active ingredients. As much as I love hydrating products I know I don’t need to spend $45 for them. I also think the packaging of Function of Beauty is A1 but also am wondering if that’s where some of the price of the product is coming in rather than the ingredients (just speculating). Once again, NOT bashing them and I did really enjoy the opportunity to try this. I love being able to try brands and custom skincare has been something I’ve been interested in recently because not everyone is the same! I guess I am just very opinionated with skincare and I need a lot out of my expensive products to justify using them. I would love to see Function of Beauty in future maybe formulate custom face masks (a hydrating mask?) or something that I can work into my routine but not rely on for my entire routine. Overall, I am happy with my experience and know that not everything will work for me. Luckily, I didn’t face any irritation so that’s a big plus. If I wasn’t offered this opportunity I honestly would’ve still tried Function of Beauty’s Skincare to compare to the other custom skincare brands I’ve tried and review. Thank you Function of Beauty and I am so excited to see what the future of your custom skincare holds! And thank you a million if you made it to the very bottom!

If you don’t already, follow my Instagram @skinbyrileyb.