What is your main skin goal?
Choose the option that best matches what you want to improve.
Tell us about your skin
This helps us guide the formula and which strength options to show.
Which concerns are most relevant?
Choose up to 3. We will use these to guide your recommended formula.
Your recommended formula
Based on your answers, these ingredients may suit your skin. You can keep 1, 2 or all 3 ingredients before starting your assessment.
Your Formula
Primary treatment ingredient
Supporting ingredients
Why this may suit you
Build a personalised skincare formula in the UK
Our skin customiser is designed for people exploring a more personalised route to prescription skincare in the UK. Instead of relying on one fixed product, you can build a custom formula guided by your main skin goal, skin type, treatment experience, and the concerns most relevant to you.
Depending on your answers, your recommended formula may include ingredients such as tretinoin, azelaic acid, tranexamic acid, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol. This can create a more tailored route for concerns such as acne, pigmentation, melasma, uneven tone, visible skin ageing, redness, and reactive skin.
How the skin customiser works
1. Choose your main skin goal
Start by selecting the main outcome you want to focus on, such as anti-ageing, acne, pigmentation, or redness-prone sensitive skin.
2. Add your skin profile
Your skin type and experience level help shape which strengths and supporting ingredients may be the most sensible starting point.
3. Select your most relevant concerns
You can highlight the concerns that matter most to you, such as fine lines, congestion, post-acne marks, dullness, melasma concerns, or reactive skin.
4. Review your recommended formula
The customiser then suggests a formula structure and lets you keep one, two, or three ingredients before continuing into the consultation and assessment flow.
Key ingredients available in the skin customiser
Tretinoin
What it is: Tretinoin is a prescription retinoid, also known as retinoic acid. It is widely used in prescription skincare for acne, visible skin renewal, uneven texture, and signs of photoageing.
How it may help skin: Tretinoin increases skin cell turnover and can help improve clogged pores, texture, fine lines, and overall skin clarity over time.
Who it may suit: People looking for a stronger prescription route for acne, skin renewal, or anti-ageing, especially where over the counter skincare has not been enough.
What to expect: Dryness, redness, peeling, irritation, and an adjustment period are common early on, especially when starting or increasing strength.
Important cautions: Tretinoin is generally avoided in pregnancy and while trying to conceive unless specifically advised otherwise by a clinician.
Azelaic Acid
What it is: Azelaic acid is a multi-purpose active used in prescription and medical skincare for breakouts, redness-prone skin, rosacea-prone skin, and pigmentation concerns.
How it may help skin: It can support clearer looking skin, improve the appearance of post-acne marks, and help reduce the look of visible redness and uneven tone.
Who it may suit: People looking for a more versatile route where breakouts, redness, sensitivity, and marks overlap.
What to expect: Some people notice mild tingling, dryness, or irritation when first starting, but it is often tolerated better than stronger retinoids.
Important cautions: Suitability still depends on individual skin history, current treatments, and clinician review.
Tranexamic Acid
What it is: Tranexamic acid is a pigmentation-focused ingredient used in skincare pathways for melasma, uneven tone, and stubborn dark marks.
How it may help skin: It is often chosen where visible discolouration is the main concern, particularly for pigment-first treatment goals.
Who it may suit: People dealing with melasma, hormonal pigmentation, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or uneven tone.
What to expect: Pigmentation usually takes time to improve, so consistent use and daily SPF remain important.
Important cautions: A clinician may still adjust the final plan depending on your skin type, treatment history, and wider suitability.
Niacinamide
What it is: Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 widely used in skincare to support skin balance, visible tone, and overall formula tolerability.
How it may help skin: It can support the appearance of pores, excess oil, uneven tone, and barrier function, which is why it often works well as a supporting ingredient.
Who it may suit: People wanting broader skin support alongside a more targeted treatment ingredient.
What to expect: Niacinamide is generally well tolerated, though some people with highly reactive skin may still need careful selection of strength.
Hyaluronic Acid
What it is: Hyaluronic acid is a hydration-focused ingredient commonly used to improve skin feel, comfort, and moisture support within a formula.
How it may help skin: It can support hydration and may help improve comfort when stronger ingredients are also included in the formula.
Who it may suit: People who want a more balanced formula, especially when dryness or tightness are concerns.
What to expect: It is usually used as a supportive ingredient rather than the main treatment driver.
Panthenol
What it is: Panthenol is a barrier-supporting ingredient often used to improve comfort and support skin that feels dry, reactive, or easily irritated.
How it may help skin: It can help support the skin barrier and make a more active formula feel gentler and more comfortable.
Who it may suit: People with sensitive or redness-prone skin, or those who want more barrier support built into their formula.
What to expect: Panthenol is generally used to support tolerability rather than as the main treatment ingredient.
Which custom skincare route may suit different goals?
For anti-ageing and fine lines
Anti-ageing routes often centre around tretinoin as the main treatment ingredient, supported by ingredients such as niacinamide or hyaluronic acid to improve balance and comfort.
For acne and breakouts
Acne-focused routes may centre around tretinoin or azelaic acid depending on how sensitive or reactive your skin is, plus supportive ingredients where appropriate.
For pigmentation and melasma
Pigmentation-focused routes commonly involve tranexamic acid, azelaic acid, or tretinoin depending on the wider skin picture, marks, and tolerance profile.
For redness and sensitive skin
Sensitive or redness-prone routes often need a more balanced approach, with azelaic acid and barrier-supportive ingredients playing a bigger role.
Why choose a skin customiser instead of a fixed skincare product?
A personalised skincare customiser can be useful when your concerns overlap and you do not want to rely on one generic formula. For example, some people want a route that addresses fine lines and dullness together, while others want to target both pigmentation and barrier support in the same formula.
This can create a more tailored route to prescription skincare in the UK, while still keeping clinician review at the centre of the process.
Benefits of a more personalised route
- Built around your main skin goal
- Can reflect skin type and previous treatment experience
- Allows a more flexible route than one fixed formula
- Helps guide the correct assessment pathway
- Supports a more bespoke prescription skincare experience
Useful next steps
If you want to compare individual actives first, you can also explore the ingredient pages and comparison guides below.
Related reading: Azelaic Acid vs Tretinoin, Dermatica vs Root & Radiance, Best Tretinoin UK Providers (2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is a personalised skin customiser?
A skin customiser is a guided route that helps match you to a more suitable formula based on your skin goal, skin type, treatment experience, and the concerns most relevant to you.
Can I choose more than one ingredient?
Yes. The customiser can recommend formulas with one, two, or three selected ingredients before you continue to the skincare assessment.
Is the skin customiser the same as a prescription?
No. The customiser provides a guided formula recommendation. A clinician still reviews your answers and confirms whether treatment is suitable before any prescription-only product is supplied.
Which ingredient is best for acne?
Tretinoin is often a strong option for acne, while azelaic acid can be a useful route where redness, sensitivity, and post-acne marks are also relevant. The best route depends on your wider skin picture and treatment history.
Which ingredient is best for pigmentation or melasma?
Tranexamic acid is often chosen for pigmentation-first concerns such as melasma and stubborn dark marks. Tretinoin and azelaic acid can also play a role depending on your skin and tolerance.
Can I use prescription skincare in pregnancy?
Some prescription skincare ingredients are not suitable in pregnancy or while trying to conceive. Always complete the consultation accurately so a prescriber can assess the safest route.