Skincare for men wasn’t really a thing until recently. It is hard to say why it took the world so long to catch up on the fact that all sexes are in need of a skincare routine which will keep their skin healthy and free from any infections, but nowadays, it has become widely accessible with brands popping up left and right.
And it’s not like these skincare products are rebranded women skincare essentials. Many assume that men and women have the same skincare needs, but that cannot be further from the truth.
That’s where Lumin, Curology, and Geologie come in. Lumin and Geologie specialize in men-only skincare products, whereas Curology has solutions for both men and women. Since all look promising, it’s tough to come to a conclusion as to which one is best, but that is what we’re going to find out today!
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What Makes Lumin, Curology & Geologie Stand Out?
You might be tempted to just wing it and settle for more accessible skincare products which you can run down to the store and get. But, and it is a big ‘but’, Lumin, Curology, and Geologie might be the leading brands when it comes to men skincare, and it Curology’s case, both.
For one, Curology and Geologie are personalized solutions. Meaning, you take some sort of a test, and depending on your particular skin state, habits, previous routines, and more, you get a custom formula that’s designed to work on your skin. Pretty neat.
Lumin doesn’t have that as far as we know, but they do have exceptional sets, which appear to be very efficiently compiled. Lumin also has the added benefit of convenience, meaning you can browse their shop and choose any set of their big repertoire.
All of this is to say that, it is not just that shopping at these three is convenient since you don’t have to run to the store any time you run out, but they also have the leading men skincare solutions on the market.
What’s The Difference? – Table Comparison
Choosing a skincare brand or a routine isn’t for the faint of heart, especially if you haven’t dabbled with any skincare solutions before. But the three brands in this list sure make it easy when it comes to getting what you want, or more importantly, what you need.
Anyways, before we get into reviewing each company, let’s compare the three side-by-side. What follows is a comparison table of Lumin, Curology, and Geologie:
| Men’s Skincare Comparison Lumin VS Curology VS Geologie |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription? | One-Time Purchase + Subscription Available | Subscription | One-Time Purchase + Subscription Available |
| Regimens | Anti-age, maintenance, correction, anti-fatigue, treat wrinkles, fight acne, and more. | Fighting breakouts, treat clogged pores, fade dark spots, boost firmness, improve skin texture, and fight wrinkles. | Fight acne, reduce oiliness, preventing wrinkles, combatting dark or puffy under-eyes, and more. |
| Shipping | Unspecified | Unspecified – Some products have free shipping, while others have a $4.95 flat shipping rate. | Free on orders above $55 |
| Beginner-Friendly? | Somewhat 4/5 | Yes 5/5 | Yes 5/5 |
| Return Policy | 60 days return policy. | No returns or refunds possible. | 14 days return policy |
| Get your skincare supply: |
For those of you that are new to skincare routines, the reason why Lumin isn’t as beginner-friendly as the others is because they don’t have personalized routines based on a quiz you take. That’s the case with Curology and Geologie, you take a quiz, and you get a personalized formula and routine based on your needs.
However, this shouldn’t discourage anyone that wants to try Lumin. In fact, Lumin might be the a really good choice all things considered, as we will see later on.
Lumin Review
Where Lumin has the other two beat is the sets. Lumin’s shop is filled with sets ranging from basic maintenance to anti-aging regimens. The only difference with Lumin is, the fact that the sets are already pre-made, instead of individual products getting mixed and matched.
In the bigger picture, I would say that Lumin customers aren’t missing out on much with those personalized routines, mainly because of the sets being well thought-out.
And the overwhelmingly positive reviews on their products sure place Lumin amongst the leading men-skincare brands in the world.
Amongst so many positive customer reviews, it was really hard to find something negative about Lumin. The only thing which I think they can improve on is, not having the first trial order a definite subscription. Some customers reported that opting-out of the subscription completely canceled their trial order.
This is something which can be overlooked in the grand scheme of things considering the quality and effectiveness of the products, but still, not really convenient.
With that said, let’s review the pros and cons of Lumin:
PROS
- Very responsive customer service
- Amazing effectiveness of skincare products
- Great value
- Good quality
- Well thought-out pre-made sets
CONS
- Trial order ordeal can be improved upon
Curology Review
Curology and Lumin have a customer rating in relatively the same ballpark. Curology is very impressive, and it is definitely one of the top leading brands in skincare, not just for men, but for women as well.
In my book that’s pretty impressive, because breaking through in the women-skincare space is substantially more challenging than in the men’s space. Because let’s face it, while the men’s skincare industry is well into the billions right now, it is still less competitive than the women’s skincare industry.
The point is, Curology is special and unique, and the customer reviews show that.
Now, even though the formula and regime gets designed to your specific needs, it’s not a sure thing that you might have a crazy transformation, especially if you’re looking to fight wrinkles, acne, or other breakouts. However, that’s the case with Lumin, and Geologie as well.
Thing is, different skin types react differently. But all in all, Curology is a great choice. Biggest downside we’ve found is the somewhat unresponsive customer service. Granted, we didn’t encounter such issues, but in the customer reviews, it seems like that’s the thing for which most people have issue with.
Furthermore, also the usual subscription complaints which are present with Lumin are also frequent here. Especially, with the first trial order.
PROS
- Great personalized regime
- A well-renowned brand with a lot of positive reviews
- Products are of impeccable quality
- A lot of dramatic skin transformations have been recorded using Curology’s products
CONS
- Men customer base is relatively small, so it’s hard to determine whether Curology’s men-targeted skincare is better than the other two which primarily focus on that
- Customers complain of poor customer service
Geologie Review
Geologie is definitely very social-media friendly. I’m sure that there’s a chance that you might’ve come across a post on your feed of Geologie. Their branding is one of the best in the biz.
But we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to see whether there are actual results of their skincare routines. I’m glad to announce, Geologie is definitely up there, in terms of all-round great products which promise good results.
I prefer Geologie over Curology primarily because the whole experience is much simpler, and well, the products are focused for men-only. And as we mentioned before, men and women do have different needs when it comes down to skincare.
In terms of the products themselves, they have been praised quite a lot for their effectiveness, and sometimes, customers place them as some of the best products they’ve tried. Impressive.
Now, Geologie’s products are affordable, but on average, a bit more expensive than Curology, and especially Lumin. But I can’t shake the feeling that it might be the best one out of the three (in my opinion).
I really couldn’t find anything negative about Geologie. I would say that they can improve upon on their customer service, because from what I’ve gathered, that seems to be the only thing that customers are complaining about.
Lastly, let’s go over the pros and cons with Geologie:
PROS
- Amazing products
- Great results
- Very social media friendly
- Formula and regime tailored to you
- Simple and easy shopping experience
CONS
- Improvements to be made on customer service
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Tips On Choosing The Right Brand – Lumin VS Curology VS Geologie
It’s rather complicated choosing the ideal option of the three. Mainly due to the fact that, what works for most won’t work for you, and vice versa. However, there are things that should be noted before we get to the head-to-head comparisons.
For one, Lumin and Geologie are strictly targeted towards men, while that is not the case with Curology. Curology might be okay in every sense, but one issue we had is finding sufficient evidence and use cases with male subjects.
As we mentioned multiple times before, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that men and women are different in terms of skincare needs. That is not to say that Curology might not be a viable option, but it should be taken into consideration, especially since the other two have been in the men skincare biz for quite some time.
Anyways, we unveil even more details in the head-to-head comparisons below.
Head-To-Head Comparisons
To sum up, we’ll put these three brands head-to-head.
We’ll see which brand makes sense for which needs and customers. We’ll also explain, in our opinion, why that’s the case.
Lumin OR Curology – Which Is Better?
Between these two, I would say that the choice is quite clear. Since Curology dabbles in women’s skincare as well, there is little information or customer reviews for the men-tailored products.
Still, in some cases, Curology might be better. We saw more effectiveness with Curology, especially for subjects that are battling persistent acne, infections, and similar outbreaks. Lumin is the better overall choice, but for those types of skin conditions, it’s no question that Curology is the better option.
But if you’re looking for a skincare routine which is easy to get into, and will maintain your skin health and even improve it, Lumin might be for you.
So, like I said, if you’re battling with acne and outbreaks, you might be better off getting a more personalized solution such as Curology. Otherwise, Lumin just makes more sense in every case.
The Better Option From Lumin & Geologie?
The same can be said for this head-to-head. We believe that Geologie has more solutions for fighting acne, preventing wrinkles, and dealing with dark under-eyes.
On the other hand, Lumin has some very well thought out sets which are usually great for daily maintenance and much easier to get into, or incorporate into your daily routine. But between the two, I would say that you can’t go wrong with either one.
It is just a case of finding what best works for you. Also, thanks to their trial orders, you can try them with relative ease and with little investment. But do remember to opt-out of the subscription if the products aren’t to your liking because as I said before, they’ll all automatically continue the subscription, which might lead to some frustration.
Geologie OR Curology?
The last match-up is Geologie VS Curology, and honestly, there not much to be said here. Both companies are very similar, and we already outlined their differences and pros and cons with each one.
In my case, I prefer Geologie over Curology mainly due to the more optimized and straightforward subscription setup. On top of that, the fact that Geologie only focuses on men’s skincare sure helps out Geologie in this case.
As I said, there’s not much to be said here. Both have great skincare solutions and they’re very similar. But if it was up to me, the choice is clear, with all due respect to Curology.
Final Verdict: The Most Personalized & Best Skincare Routine For Men
All three brands are very unique and impressive all things considered. I don’t think we did any good to Curology by putting it against these two, but Curology is by far the most well-renowned brand from all three. It’s just that Curology has much better skincare solutions for women.
As for the other two, you can’t really go wrong with either one. BUT depending on what you’re looking for, there might be a better choice from the two.
For Lumin, I would say that it is definitely the most beginner-friendly, and it has some of the best sets for daily maintenance, and it’s a pretty good value.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to fight acne, reduce wrinkles, or fight any sort of an outbreak, it might be a better idea to get a much more personalized solution such as Geologie.
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