Allies of Skin: The Brutally Honest Review You Need To Read

You know when everyone is trying products and you’re just dying to get your hands on them? That was Allies of Skin for me. I had so many posts about them saved to my wishlist and was planning out my purchase for months. When I finally felt like I had a certain amount of control over my skincare collection and could justify adding new products, I took the plunge.

After over a month of testing the line exclusively, here it is: my full, unfiltered thoughts on Allies of Skin. No holds barred, every product was purchased with my own money – so I have no obligations except to you, to provide the most honest, truthful review possible. I hope this proves informative if you are thinking about trying AOS for yourself. If you do, you can use code AMBER20 to get 20% off your order!

Brand Background

Allies of Skin made a splash in 2016 when founder Nicolas Travis, dissatisfied with the existing products available to treat his own severe acne concerns, launched the line. He had one goal in mind: to create smart, effective products for the modern day professional.

One of the things that drew me to AOS was their philosophy about formulas. All of their ingredients are thoroughly researched, and they “combine only effective, clinically-proven actives into clean formulas.” The goal of the products is to help your skin repair, regenerate, and reset itself so it can perform at its best.

Allies of Skin doesn’t use silicones, sulfates, drying alcohol, chemical screens, mineral oil, synthetic dyes or synthetic fragrances.

Honestly, everything about this brand sounds very impressive. But do they live up to the hype? Let’s get into product breakdowns and start answering the question on everyone’s minds – are AOS products worth it?

Allies of Skin Product Reviews

Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser

What It Is: A pH 5.5, sulfate-free universal gel cleanser that is supercharged with a hydrating blend of Antioxidants, Phospholipids, and Hydrators like Silk Amino Acids, Hyaluronic Acid, Organic Safflower + Moringa Oil.

What It Does: Gently removes dirt, grime, and make-up without stripping the skin.

Price: $38.00/100mL

My Thoughts: This is an impressively luxurious cleanser that lives up to the hype. It has an enjoyable jelly-type texture that feels gentle on the skin. I could use this morning and night (as a second cleanse) with no issues. It paired perfectly with the deviant skincare cleansing concentrate, my holy grail first cleanse that I reviewed here. I felt like my skin looked balanced and clean when I used it, and I actually cut it open to squeeze out the last bit of product. The Silk Amino Cleanser is one of the more reasonably priced AOS products, and definitely worth it to me. I plan on restocking once I’ve worked through some more of my cleansers. Especially with my code AMBER20, this is not the most expensive cleanser I’ve used.

Molecular Savior Probiotics Treatment Mist

What It Is: A mist with an alcohol-free nutrient-rich aloe base and a reparative blend of multiple Probiotics and 6 Antioxidants like Lactobacillus Ferment, Niacinamide, and Acai Berry.

What It Does: Tones and refines appearance of pores, balances skin’s PH level, soothes and calms stressed skin, and reverses the effects of dehydration/weariness.

Price: $59.00/50mL

My Thoughts: I wanted to LOVE this mist. Honestly, most of me does – I reviewed it in this face mist roundup and still think it’s one of the best formulated mists out there. But the essential oils in it are a huge drawback. I can definitely feel them on my face and it is slightly irritating at times. At this price point, with the EOs, it isn’t worth it to me. However they are reformulating without EOs and when that happened, I know this will be one of my absolute favorite mists.

35% Vitamin C+ Perfecting Serum

What It Is: The world’s first waterless 35% Vitamin C serum (25% Ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid + 10% Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) supercharged with an antioxidant complex of Superoxide Dismutase + Glutathione.

What It Does: Plumps and firms appearance of skin, visibly brightens and fades appearance of dullness, provides skin with antioxidant protection, reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines as well as other signs of premature aging.

Price: $118.00/30mL

My Thoughts: I heard so many rave reviews of this serum before purchasing. That the results were immediate and so impressive. So I bit the bullet and dropped $100 on a serum… that I don’t really think did anything? I noticed an overall brightening but it was quite subtle. I didn’t see a marked difference in my skin and for $118, I expected something drastic. So while the formulation was surprisingly gentle for a 35% concentration and it was enjoyable to use, I don’t think it’s worth the super steep price tag.

Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum

What It Is: an overnight serum (pH 3.5) with 11% Mandelic, Lactic + Salicylic Acid, 1% Bakuchiol, 8 Brighteners, and 7 Antioxidants and Peptides.

What It Does: reduces the appearance of enlarged pores, brightens and fades appearance of discolorations, refines skin texture, exfoliates and smoothes skin, trains the skin to retain moisture and nutrients better, and provides skin with protection against free radicals/environmental stress.

Price: $92.00/30mL (but $73.60 with code AMBER20)

My Thoughts: I have to say, even though the price tag is steep I am impressed with this serum. It contains some of my favorite acids to use in skincare (mandelic, lactic and salicyclic are a POWERHOUSE combo!) and I have noticed an overall improvement in texture and breakouts when I use it consistently. However, this price tag is tough to stomach for sure; I have seen similar results with the Deviant Gentle Resurfacing Liquid (which I reviewed in my Deviant brand breakdown here), and that product is slightly less expensive.

Multi Hyaluronic Antioxidant Hydration Serum

What It Is: A hydration + repair serum (pH 4.3-5.1) supercharged with multiple forms of Hyaluronic Acid, 5% Resveratrol Ferment, 2% Superoxide Dismutase, and multiple antioxidants.

What It Does: brightens & plumps skin, soothes skin, provides a mega-dose of hydration, reduces the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles, and provides skin with protection against free radicals.

Price: $75.00/30mL

My Thoughts: I’ve gone back and forth about how I feel about this serum a few times. It took me a while to warm up to it – it has a different texture than most other hydrating serums I’ve tried. However, over six weeks of use I definitely came to appreciate it more. It has a significant plumping effect and I noticed when I stopped using it. In my original impressions post on my instagram, I wasn’t quite sure it was worth the price. Now, while I definitely don’t think it’s a necessity, and there are much more affordable hydrating serums, this one is a really, really nice option.

Multi Nutrient Dioic Renewing Cream

What It Is: A multitasking moisturiser supercharged with 1% Dioic Acid, 14 Antioxidants, Probiotics, Centella Asiatica and Ribose designed for acne-prone skin.

What It Does: Revives tired complexion, reduces imperfections, and protects compromised skin.

Price: $99.00/50mL

My Thoughts: Ooh boy. I have not hated a product like this in a long time. Why do I have such a distaste for this cream? It’s not the smell, although it is noticeable. It’s the fact that it pills HORRIBLY. No matter what I put over or under it, it would pill up in little balls and waste the rest of my skincare products.

I have heard that the latest formula has solved the pilling problem, but I’m not sure I want to spend another $99 to see if that’s true. As it stands, this cream is decidedly not worth it.

Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment

What It Is: A daily leave-on treatment supercharged with multiple peptides, 7 Brighteners, 9 Antioxidants and a 16.5% Repair Complex to firm and repair all skin types and conditions.

What It Does: De-puffs, firms and tightens skin, hydrates tired, worn-out skin, promotes the effect of a good night’s sleep, plumps with healing moisture and nutrients, soothes skin, calms redness and protects against pollution.

Price: $109.00/50mL

My Thoughts: I absolutely laid into the other cream from Allies of Skin because I had such a poor experience with it. This moisturizer is the complete opposite of the green cream – it is INCREDIBLE. I had heard so many rave reviews of the peptides moisturizer before purchasing but was still really nervous about the $109 price tag. After a week all my fears were calmed- this really is that good.

My skin looks worlds different when I use this. It is smooth, calm and plump. It appears firmer and stronger and healthier, and even though I’m not concerned with wrinkles yet I know this would help with those too. I use 2-3 pumps with each application and still have so much product left, so while $109 is a lot I think it is worth it. If you use my code AMBER20, you can get this incredible product for $88.

Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial

What It Is: A nightly leave-on treatment mask (pH 5.2-5.7) supercharged with a powerful blend of 2% Dioic Acid, 15 Antioxidants + Brighteners, Silver & Organic Rosehip Oil.

What It Does: Improves the appearance of imperfections and skin texture, and visibly brightens.

Price: $120.00/50mL

My Thoughts: This is an effective overnight treatment if you suffer from acne and texture – the ingredients alone demonstrate that. But it is the most expensive product in the line and for such a costly investment, I expect to see life-changing results. But truthfully, I didn’t experience any. With this product, I saw some improvement in blemishes but nothing more noticeable than with other quality acne-fighting products I’ve used. I will keep using to see if my thoughts change, as I still have a lot of product left, but I’m on the fence as to if it’s worth it.

1A Retinal & Peptides Overnight Mask

What It Is: A multitasking overnight mask with 0.05% retinaldehyde, peptide complex, antioxidants & brighteners.

What It Does: Brightens dull, lifeless skin, nourishes dehydrated, stressed skin, ameliorates the appearance of imperfections, fine lines and wrinkles and offers all the reparative and renewing properties of Retinol without any of the traditional irritation.

Price: $109.00/50mL

My Thoughts: This is one of my few experiences with retinal. I have used it successfully with no irritation, definitely impressive when it comes to such a strong ingredient. But, like the other overnight mask, I didn’t see any significant change to my skin. I think this is another product that might take some more time to determine whether it’s worth it or not.

**These reviews will be updated as I try out new and updated products to their line.

Where Can I Purchase AOS products?

Allies of Skin products can be purchased on their website, or alternatively on Dermstore. In certain countries, the products are available on Sephora.

The Most Important Question: Is Allies of Skin Worth It?

This is a tough question. I like a lot of products from Allies of Skin as I’ve outlined above. I feel that certain ones are worth the steep price tag – the hydrating serum, mandelic serum, and peptides moisturizer for sure. But with the other products, I just didn’t see the type of effect I expected with such expensive products – even after testing exclusively for 6 weeks with some of the products.

The answer to this question is: it depends on the product. If you want to test some of their line out, definitely use my code AMBER20 to save yourself some money!

Final Thoughts

Allies of Skin is a well thought out, quality skincare line. Nicholas has created some incredible formulas and clearly values transparency and effectiveness, two things that really impress me. While not every product worked amazingly for me (nor should I expect every product to), I have found a few products within his line that have earned holy grail status. I look forward to seeing what else is in store for AOS, and will definitely be testing their new releases & updating this post.