I was recently contacted by Facetheory Skincare to road test their brand new range. New kids on the block, they offer tailored skincare to precisely complement your skin type and lifestyle. You’re invited to take a quick questionnaire with some basic questions about your skin, then they’ll deliver a personalised prescription to your inbox.

On the face of it this is a promising start. I like that they’ll consider your age, sex, any existing skin complaints and your perception of your skin type before making a recommendation. I would like to see the questionnaire probing a little further - more lifestyle questions such as whether you smoke and if there are any environmental hazards to take into account (e.g. whether you have an active outdoor lifestyle or live in an urban area with high pollution) - as this would be something entirely innovative and allow them to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Taking this one step further, in the range are currently 2 toners, 2 cleansers, 1 exfoliator and 4 moisturisers. I realise the brand is in its infancy and further products are almost certainly in the pipeline, but it seems a little premature to suggest they can match such a narrow range exactly to your skin.

Preconceptions aside, I was sent three trial-sized products; a cleanser, exfoliator and moisturiser. This is because, at the time of sending, no full sized products were available. I’m delighted to see that the trial sizes will remain available to buy alongside the full sized ones. This allows you to try-before-you-buy and they’re also perfectly sized for air travel (in light of the existing liquid restrictions).

• Unfragranced so are non-gender specific
• All moisturisers contain SPF25
• None are tested on animals
• No PEGS, parabens, perfumes, or sillicates

Interestingly, all the full priced products also come in touch-free airless packaging (basically a pump dispenser). This means Facetheory use less preservatives as their products won’t degrade when coming into contact with your skin. Good idea.

The SPF factor is also a welcome feature but it’s worth noting that a good slather of this of a morning isn’t enough. To safeguard against UVBs it will need re-applying every two hours, or more if you use it too sparingly. Rather a mineral sunblock on top of your moisturiser before applying make-up will better protect your skin (see this one from SkinCeuticals SPF 50) as they sit on top of your skin to reflect the sun’s rays, rather than absorb into it. Be good to see one of these from Facetheory in the future.

So what did I test out?

C1 Signature Cleanser (for combination skin)

This is a “multi-purpose” cleanser said to be mild enough to suit a variety of skin types and common ailments. Active ingredients include:

Avocado - Noted for its soothing properties so great for dry / irritated skin. Can also boost the skin’s collagen content and improve elasticity to fight the signs of aging. Packed full of antioxidants, avocados help to heal sun-damaged skin, and contain both Vitamin C and E to hydrate the epidermal layer of the skin.

Coconut Oil - Good for acne, it soothes and coats your skin, with anti-inflammatory properties. It can also help reduce the risk of microbial infections that may cause breakouts. Also a great source of vitamin K to keep skin looking and feeling healthy.

Silk Protein -Silk protein helps your skin retain moisture leave it feeling silky and soft.

Firstly it’s worth pointing out that the rest of the ingredients are non to low-toxicity and, whilst not certified organic, are some of the mildest available.

It’s a cream wash-off cleanser to be applied to dampened skin which never seem to suit me, but this was surprisingly gentle and removed my stubborn eye-make-up with ease. The consistency is almost mousse-like and it feels as though you’re applying a moisturiser (slightly greasy and very creamy) to wet skin. My skin was left feeling hydrated, calm yet not as fresh as I would have liked. It just doesn’t deliver the clean feeling that a foam or liquid cleanser does, which (if you’re not an acne sufferer) means it feels heavy on your skin.

E1 Exfoliator (for oily skin)

Loved this. This is the real jewel in the crown for Facetheory skincare and I’d happily re-purchase. It has just the right amount of grit, is well lubricated, and leaves you feeling clean, fresh and soft without any redness or soreness.

Salicylic Acid 1% - Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid - or BHA for short. It will help to resurface your skin’s upper layer and at a concentration of only 1% is mild enough to be gentle.

Willow Bark Extract -A cleansing ingredient and an anti-inflammatory that gently unblocks your pores.

It’s the gentlest yet most effective exfoliator I’ve used in a long while. Impurities are removed effectively thanks to a combination of mechanical ingredients such as apricot kernel (which gently remove dead skin cells when massaged into the skin and deliver essential nutrients) and BHAs (which remove dead skin cells by chemical reaction). Meanwhile coconut oil, vegetable glycerin & stearic acid bind the exfoilant ingredients together and make it easy to massage in and wash off.

M3 SuperGel Moisturiser (for oily skin)

Again, this was a real treat. I’m a little confused by the gel label as this is actually a creamy texture which smooths onto the skin well and leaves it hydrated. It can be a little thick to apply and needs plenty of massaging in, but it dries to a matt finish creating the ideal base for make-up.

Created especially for oily skin, it’s designed to not to cause further congestion by sitting in your pores. It certainly delivered on this score and problem areas (the creases at the sides of my nose, my chin, and between my eyebrows) are less shiny.

Aloe Vera - lightly moisturising with antibacterial properties to help provide a deep clean for your skin. Also protects the skin from UV damage and is an anti-inflammatory, helping to relax any spots or redness.

Argan Oil - A very welcome hero ingredient. For more information, refer to my previous article here.

Passion Fruit - Boasts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to reduce redness and remove toxins.

Zinc Oxide - mild broad-spectrum sunblock to protect you from UVA and UVB rays.

If you want to try this out for yourself, head over to Facetheory.com, take the questionnaire then try their 10ml samples to see if it works for you. You can read plenty more reviews on Facebook and Twitter.