Curology reviews and discussion

3

50% of reviewers would recommend to a friend

Reviews mention

  • Streamlined onboarding experience
  • Clearer, smoother skin results
  • Gentle, fragrance-free cleanser
  • Convenient prescription accessibility
  • Irritating, drying formulations
  • Inconsistent, impersonal clinician communication
  • Finicky, opaque packaging design
  • Over-frequent, wasteful shipments

Curology earns polarized reviews: many report clearer skin within weeks and praise the streamlined, prescription-based routine and gentle basics, while others see no improvement or worsening irritation, dryness, and breakouts. Reviews also cite customizable formulas and convenient onboarding as strengths but flag impersonal clinician rotation, questionable “customization,” over-frequent shipments, small or finicky packaging, and aggressive billing as drawbacks—useful context if deciding between Curology and an in-person dermatologist.

AI summary based on Thingtesting reviews

126 reviews and posts

  • I’ve been using the neurology, gentle cleanser, foaming face wash, and is extremely gentle on my skin. I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to use a face wash that is dermatologist approved and has been tested by them. The one that I have specifically is great for a travel size and it was affordable for its price.

  • I've tried Curology twice before and both times I've ended up having to discontinue the product because it made me break out even more. While I've had friends who've loved the products and swear by them, with the multiple breakouts, after using for 2 weeks, I cannot recommend for a dry skin/acne prone girly.

    Friends with Curology
  • I love anything Curology was a bit disappointing for me. Maybe I was expecting to be more hydrating like the other products I have tried from the brand. I really loved the concept that is clean of parabens and other bad chemicals for the skin, so for me it’s a very positive thing and was the first thing that drawn me to buy this product and the fact that has peptides. It’s very lightweight and dries quick on the skin too, so since I don’t feel very hydrated I add on top of this cream another cream to really keep my skin feeling good. It’s very good for sensitive skin, I noticed that it does not irritates my skin at all even on the days my skin is feeling sensitive or with acne. The smells is very and it’s actually subtle, not overpowering. The 50 ml bottle lasts for a long time since you need only a little bit for your face. I will keep using this cream on my routine until it is finished but most likely I will not purchase this gel-cream again.

  • I have their custom face product and also their face cleanser. I was an early adopter at Curology, and while I do think they've lost their small business touch and gone corporate, I do still like their products. The face cleanser is super simple and non-abrasive- just a straightforward, gentle daily cleanser. The custom face serum does seem to keep my face out of breakouts and fairly moisturized (would my face be okay without it? hard to tell, and I'm too afraid to find out).

  • I’ve been using Curology since 2020 and holy cow has my face been clear ever since! I have incredibly oily, acne-prone skin and the medicated solution I use nightly has changed the game. I sent in photos of my skin and filled out a detailed questionnaire, and I was prescribed a solution specific to my issues. It’s been great! I no longer use the face wash or moisturizer that used to come with the medicated solution, but they worked well when I did.

  • I’ve been using the Curology Dark Spot Serum and it’s quickly become a staple in my skincare routine! It’s lightweight, absorbs fast, and I’ve already noticed my dark spots starting to fade and my skin looking more even and glowy. I love that it’s gentle enough for daily use but still powerful — my skin feels smoother and more confident every day!

    Received a free product from Curology
  • Curology Hydro+ Gel-Cream Moisturizer contains ectoin, peptides, hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid. It is a clear gel that squeezes out by pushing down on the white part. It truly hydrates my dry and menopausal facial skin. No irritation at all.

  • The new products I got are amazing the cleanser is to die for.. gentle to ur skin.. hydrates n clean wow!!! The moisturizer is light.. I love my moisturizer thick but this one was incredible

    Feedback

    Why the products are not bigger 😭

    Received a free product from Curology
  • I’ve used Curology off and on for a few years. I do like their newest product design. I will say they have gone up in price tremendously, but the compounded stuff works well and it does make skin care easy. So you pay for convenience.

  • Do yourself a favor - skip the custom skincare subscription (or get it and 'skip' the formula each month now that such is an option - though, that seems like extra work) and take advantage of the fact they now have an online store for their other products that doesn't require subscribing. The 'custom' skincare is really not worth it at the current price point, but, I'm quite a fan of the moisturizer sometimes for my sensitive skin, the cleanser is super gentle during my flares, and the one-handed lip balm is just about the BEST thing ever - especially the vanilla. I have a severe disability which also impacts my joints, fine motor control, etc., so the whole 'slide the switch on the side to open and close' thing is a GAME CHANGER for me. You don't really appreciate how hard simple tasks like getting into lip balm can be until your body simply refuses to do what you tell it to do anymore. I live in a dry climate, y'all. I need lip balm or chapstick or something a dozen and more times a day. Like, seriously, that one product alone is enough to make me hope this company lasts forever. Check it out!

  • I won't lie, this product works well for me. But I don't think their products are worth the price point. Cleanser and moisturizer are pretty basic, nothing extraordinary. I feel like the high price point is more based in the cutesy packaging rather than the quantity of the product.

  • I think the overall concept is great, and while I saw some improvement it ultimately did not perform well for my level of acne. I have deep cystic acne with eczema so I need a product that helps clear my skin but won’t flair up my eczema. When I used curology I found it helped some pimples but those big deep pimples were not much affected. I ended up going back to my dermatologist who put me back on retinols which has cleared up my skin dramatically. As such, I would suggest this to people who do not have severe cases of cystic acne.

    Feedback

    Adding retinol

  • The products are great however THIS COMPANY WILL SCAM YOU with there deceptive and sneaky prescription. The day I signed up for the “trial” I made sure to change the shipment date to two months ahead as I knew I could not afford the Over “$152.00 a month prescription at Christmas time. Despite clearly showing my next order was NOT DUE til mid February they charged me yesterday on December 19th against my will and ignoring the mid February date leaving me and my family overdrawn at Christmas . THERE IA NO WAY TO SPEAK TO CUSTONER SERVICE - only texting an AI bot . After providing a screenshot showing that I was not supposed to get a shipment until February. They have refused my money in effect, leaving me and my children with no way to have Christmas now. will never in 1 million years sign up for this scam company, despite the product, seeming decent and only having two weeks to even vouch for that.

  • TLDR: They hide the cancel button, changed my subscription after I edited it, will not refund, cannot reach a person on the phone. Also, super suss that they do not have a phone number to call. This subscription is a scam. After I received my trial, I did not receive any communication from the dermatologist who was supposed to help personalize my formula. I went on the website to cancel the subscription, but could not find a cancel option in Manage My Account. Instead, I updated my subscription to remove all items. I double checked that the change was saved, tha I would receive 0 items and be charged $0. One week later, and they charged me $92 for the full subscription. There was no notice that they had added all the items back to my subscription, nor notice that my order would be shipped soon. Just the shipping notification and an instant charge. So, I went in search of customer service. Oh boy! First you have to get through an AI chat bot who repeatedly told me they could not refund a charge once the item had shipped. When I told it I had made the changes prior to the shipping date, it said there might have been a save error. So I went on to the website again and tried removing the items from my subscription to see if I had missed a Save button. There is no Save button, but I did navigate away from the page and go back, and it had saved 0 items and $0 for my subscription. Then I managed to get through to a person. BTW, they will only text you and cannot take a phone call, so who knows if the person is not also AI. After I explained what had happened again, the customer service rep said that there were had been no changes to my account. Now that was weird because I had literally just made a change to my subscription. I went back on to the website and removed all items from my subscription again. THIS time, my subscription appeared to be updated but when I navigated away and went back, the items had all been added back and my changes were not saved. A little suspicious that my account appeared to update the first two times, but after I talked to a customer service representative the functionality of my account changed. They are still refusing to refund me.

  • The packaging is very cheap, in fact it arrived broken and the quantity is very little for what you pay. It’s not worth it .

  • I’ve tried to use Curology twice over 4 years, once back in 2019-2020, and again from 2023-2024. Both times I had unsatisfactory results, and terrible customer service. Let me start by saying the Curology formulas are not customizable, that is a myth. They have a handful of different prescriptions they use, so in reality there are only a few prescription combinations you can get, all the while telling you it’s “customized to your skin”. Both of the prescriptions I used (2019 and 2023) were almost exactly the same, even though I addressed different skin concerns each time (oily-ness, acne breakouts and skin tone the first time, and dryness, hormonal breakouts and skin texture the second). Those are very different scenarios, but I was still prescribed almost identical formulas. The first time I used Curology, it broke me out pretty bad while I was already experiencing acne breakouts. I panicked, but all of the reviews and the instructions said to wait as this tends to happen initially. So I waited about 2 months before I saw the breakout start to go away. However, my skin still felt oily yet unmoisturized, and my original acne I started with would not go away. I used that formula for about 8 months before I gave up, not seeing any further progress. The second time I used Curology, I addressed different skin concerns, as my skin has changed a lot in 4 years. I no longer struggle with acne but instead hormonal breakouts, dry skin and old acne scars. However the formula I received is almost exactly the same. “Zinc pyrithione, clindanycin, and niacinamide”. The only difference is the percentages of each medication. And I had the exact same results: initial break out, then once that dissipated I was left with the exact skin I had when I started. The only thing different this time is that they sent me a moisturizer, which wasn’t the best I’ve tried but it was thick and hydrating which I liked. However there are far better ones I’ve used from drugstores: Cetaphil’s deep hydrating moisturizer is my current favorite. I used this prescription for about 4 months, then used it on and off again a couple times a week, and then gave up again. As for the customer service, it was definitely on the low end of customer experiences I’ve had. I reached out over text as that is a customer service option they offer, and the service agent I talked to I’m almost convinced was an AI chat bot. Completely unhelpful and detached, and completely ignored my issue and instead kept trying to send me a credit to cover my next box, even though I explained I would rather just cancel my account completely. Mind you, the credit he put into my account doesn’t even cover shipping. That’s another thing: Curology is wayyyy too expensive. At least four years ago it wasn’t as bad: about $20 for a box, and $5 or $6 for shipping. Now, just a box for one prescription is $39.99, not including shipping. To anyone out there looking to try Curology: don’t. It really is not worth it. My skin is doing well now, and it’s because I did extensive research on my skin needs and found affordable, simple products that work wonders for my skin. It may take more time than filling out Curology’s “customizing quiz”, but it is worth it by far. There are great YouTube videos out there that break down your specific skin needs if you’re not sure where to start. I’d avoid the influencer-type ones though, they’re usually not legit/trying to sell you something. Sorry this is so long, but moral of the story here is: Don’t Use Curology.

  • One of those brands you’re afraid to try but eventually try anyway and fall in love!! My skin has done a complete 360. All my dark marks are gone and my skin is smoother than ever!!

    UGC creator
  • I'm only in the first month, they say 6-8 weeks for improvement. These are just my complaints so far. 1. You can only contact the 'dermatologist' so many times before you have to pay $10 for the option. 2. There is no 'personal interaction'. You get automated messages and provide automated responses. Them reaching out after 2wks was an email asking if my skin was irritated (option yes, or no) and the option to add photos. 3. The first month 'free' box does not come with enough moisturizer to use twice a day, and as needed. I'm in the third week and ordered my full 3 month supply to ship last week because said moisturizer ran out. I received a notification that it shipped today. (I'm not positive about the date though, I thought I selected the 9th) Basically if you're trying it out because you were excited about the one on one personalized care, it doesn't meet the advertised expectation by a long shot. Have yet to see any real improvement.

    Feedback

    Basically it's just another corporation making money by shorting products, and not fully interacting with the needs of their customers. The products may work, but I'm not judging them on that aspect as of now.

  • I have been using curology for 2 years now as of October 2022. Unfortunately, after two years I will have to cancel my subscription with them. I am aware as of Nov 29, 2022, from my new dermatologist they constantly provide, that I have hormonal acne. I get the pimples that once they burst, they turn dark and it seems like after two years I should seem some change. I don’t. When I first started using the products I saw very little change, maybe like less pimples. But I still get them and still turn dark so I am left with new dark spots on my face all the time. So basically the end result is the same as I started. I like to give companies a try especially after seeing good reviews from real people. It’s always good to try it for 90 days in order to see results with anything. I had hopes for this brand. The current dermatologist I was provided with this time did give me some good advice though, to try Spironolactone, or even Yaz (contraceptive) but I don’t want to start any birth control. I will just stick with the drug store face washes/moisturizers that are similar to theirs (neutrogena ultra gentle acne) I eat pretty healthy, workout 4-6 times a week. Maybe skin products don’t work for me and I’ll have to try an oral medication. And maybe this brand is only meant for people with severe acne problems. I hope this review helps those with similar situations. Thank you for reading!

  • I have been using curology for about 4 years now. I had always had acne since I was 18 and even as an adult you know that pretty bad breakouts. I was desperate for a routine and after seeing a dermatologist and nutritionist because I thought maybe it was something I was eating and so on I ran a technology you know how the algorithm always picks up one when you ask yourself questions out loud. An end came curology around the time that he really just started out obviously I was skeptical. But I started using it and started using the 3 step process washing treating and treating and moisturizing and there in that process was the magic for me. It really stopped my breakouts not that I don't get like a little tiny one here there but trust me I was 30 something years old getting like major flare ups.. not cute. Curology definitely help me finally address my skin issues after all those teen and adult year. After some years of using the treatment I noticed that the acne treatment started to leave my skin a little dry and I reached out to one of the doctors as they recommended you to do. My skin had changed aka J got older! Im 42 now. I took some pictures of my skin for her and let her know the problem I was having and she addressed it and switched out my treatment for something better. That has been working now for at least a year. I have to say that curology cured this woman's skin condition. After being a teen who had in who had seriously bad acne I didn't want to be an adult that suffered the same so curiology for the win!