Current State: The Under $22 New Skincare Brand We're 100% Restocking
It’s not every day that a new brand creates a collection of products so good that we incorporate all of them into our daily routine. And the impressive, functional formulas weren’t the only thing that got us VERY excited for the new skincare brand, Current State… every product is under $22!
So, it’s another skincare brand; what’s new? Well, unlike many skincare brands, Current State takes a different approach to your skin’s fluctuating needs. They believe that “Skin doesn’t fit neatly into one definitive category like ‘oily,’ ‘dry,’ or ‘combination.’” Nor do they believe it has fixed needs like brightening or rejuvenation, which is why they’ve created a collection of “nutritiously balanced and clinically responsive products” to help make your skincare ritual intuitive rather than a set routine. After all, as they point out to us, our skin is ever-changing based on our diet, stress levels, the products we use, the weather, our hormones, our sleep schedule, and so much more.
What does this mean, though? It means listening to your skin and using products based on how your skin feels, rather than sticking with the same routine every day. It’s not necessarily a new philosophy – it’s something we’ve been doing these last few years – but it’s not yet mainstream.
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Let’s skip to the good part: The Current State skincare collection includes three cleansers (one exfoliating, one balancing, and a makeup-removing balm), three serums (brightening, renewing, and hydrating), two moisturizers (a lightweight gel and a rich cream), and a firming eye cream. It’s a tidy collection with no frills, and honestly, our skin has never felt happier than in the last three weeks that we’ve been using this collection.
via Giphy
It’s a big statement, we know!
The collection: All Current State products are created using six key pillars: Non-fragrant plant oils rich in fatty acids that won’t irritate your skin; cell-communicating ingredients for optimum skin health; protective antioxidants and plant extracts; skin-identical hydrators and strengtheners – think squalane, ceramides, AKA the building blocks of skin; nourishing vitamins, and gentle chemical and enzymatic exfoliators. They’re also vegan and cruelty-free.
And if you’re wondering, their products are free from sulfates, silicones, parabens, fragrances, artificial dyes, and gluten.
The Review: We tried these five products in our skin routine for three weeks (i.e., we swapped our vit C serum for the Current State Vitamin C Serum). And we’re going to give you the full scoop now: our skin looked more even and felt more comfortable than ever! Literally, every morning we woke up to brighter, plumper-looking skin, and in the three weeks we’ve been using this collection, we haven’t had a single pimple pop up, and our skin looks more even-toned.
Here’s what we used, how we used it, and all our thoughts.
Strawberry + Probiotic Balancing Gel Cleanser, $14
Designed for a CURRENT STATE of: Dehydrated, imbalanced, stressed skin
Skin goal: Calm, glowing, and supported
What’s in it: Soothing marshmallow root extract, hydrating aloe and glycerin, strawberry extract that has strong astringent properties (oil-zapping and pore-tightening), and probiotics and calming plant extracts that help balance, strengthen, and calm the skin.
Thoughts: We’re switching to this formula full-time! The clear gel lathered gently but cleansed powerfully, always leaving our skin feeling soft, hydrated, and happy. We used this every morning and as the second step of our double cleanse in the evening (or by itself if we hadn’t worn sunscreen or makeup). It’s unique in that it feels very much like a gentle, hydrating formula, but it does the work to keep pores clear, yet it never makes your skin feel dry.
Sunflower + Oat Melting Cleansing Balm, $20
Designed for a CURRENT STATE of: Dry, irritated skin, or covered in makeup/ sunscreen
Skin goal: Nourished, soothed, and makeup-free
What’s in it: A gel-like formula rich in nourishing plant-based oils packed with fatty acids that gently break down dirt, debris, makeup, and SPF while oat extract calms and soothes skin. The hydrating formula also contains hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and marula oil.
Thoughts: We love this rich, oil-meets-gel texture! It massages into dry skin so comfortably and transforms into a light, milky texture when combined with water to effortlessly wash away, leaving no traces of makeup, dirt, or formula behind. It removes heavy makeup and sunscreen and makes the perfect first step in our nighttime double cleanse routine. Our skin is left feeling clean, bouncy, soft, and hydrated. We also like the travel-friendly, squeeze-tube format!
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Vitamin C + Super Greens Brightening Serum, $20
Designed for a CURRENT STATE of: Uneven skin tone, dark spots/ for skin that needs protecting
Skin goal: Glowy, even-tone, strong!
What’s in it: Two powerful types of stable vitamin C combine with kale, broccoli leaf, and spinach to make this the ultimate protective elixir that helps repair damaged skin cells while brightening the skin. The addition of moisture-binding humectants, aloe and glycerin, and jojoba seed oil (which mimics skin sebum) keeps the skin healthy and hydrated.
Thoughts: If you’ve ever found that vitamin C serums can break you out or it’s too sensitizing for your skin, then this is the vitamin C serum you need to try. The gel texture glides on evenly without leaving a sticky layer and plays nicely with all formulas – thank the silicone-free formulation, which is core to Current State products. We love that it feels both deeply hydrating and brightening, which meant we didn’t feel the need to use a hydrating serum afterward – something we often do when using other vitamin C formulas.
Retinol + Marula Renewing Serum, $22
Designed for a CURRENT STATE of: Tired, large pores, fine lines, dull skin
Skin goal: Restored, radiant, plump
What’s in it: Current State delivered on their formula with 2.5% encapsulated retinol – a form of retinol that allows the active ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin layer before being activated. This also means less chance of irritation (something we can testify to!). Pair this with skin-transforming kojic acid that helps brighten the skin and diminish dark spots, and you have yourself a powerful formula.
To balance their star players, they added a moisturizing base of jojoba seed oil, apricot kernel seed oil, squalane, soothing Centella asiatica extract, and hydrating glycerin and aloe.
Thoughts: Wow! We are super impressed with this formula. The formula blends beautifully on the skin and doesn’t feel tacky or uncomfortable like some retinol formulas do. We also didn’t experience any dryness or irritation, and because of that, we were able to use the formula more often than usual, even three or four nights in a row, which is pretty unheard of. In the first two weeks, we had minor skin purging (barely noticeable on our cheeks) and probably because we were able to use this more as there was no irritation. Since, we use this roughly four nights a week, and our skin feels plumper and looks clearer than ever! For sure, this is our new fave retinol formula.
Bamboo + Amino Mega Moisture Cream, $18
Designed for a CURRENT STATE of: Dry, flakey skin/ in need of hydration
Skin goal: Nourished, soothed, plump
What’s in it: Deeply moisturizing plant oils that revive the moisture barrier and an amino acid complex that strengthens the skin and boosts hydration while reducing inflammation. It also contains camu camu fruit extract, which fights pigmentation by working against melanin-producing cells, thereby helping to fade dark spots and post-pimple marks. Bamboo leaf extract and baobab seed oil help firm and tone the skin.
Thoughts: Our new fave moisturizer? We think so! Despite often reaching for gel moisturizers over the years due to oily skin, this richer formula is doing so much more for our skin! It feels rich and nourishing without feeling heavy or greasy. It also makes a perfect base under makeup, which means we use it morning and night. Our skin has never felt so comfortable and loved. For sure, if you’re dealing with a damaged skin barrier – dryness, breakouts, irritation – give this a try!
Tips for using Current State: We love the packaging formats; however, the pumps do dispense a large amount of product. For that reason, be cautious when you pump the serums and cleanser, as a full pump gives more than twice the amount we need – and you don’t want to waste any of these precious formulas!
How we used Current State: We used five products every day for just over three weeks. On the evenings that we didn’t use retinol, we used a hydrating serum (to give our skin a break), and we even tried out the vitamin C in our evening routine a few times, too – highly recommend it. We’re also big fans of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Pore-Tight Toner, $34, and we used it morning and night after the cleanser and before the serums, and everything played nicely together. We also used our WISHFUL Get Even Rose Oil, $63, some evenings (after the retinol and moisturizer), and this further enhanced the hydration and layered really nicely on top.
Final verdict: Does Target deliver to Dubai? Because we’re 100% going to continue using these babies in our routine. And we won’t name names, but we’ve tried some VERY expensive formulas in the past that haven’t even got us close to this excited. Overall, these are really good quality formulas at affordable prices; what’s not to love?
Disclaimer: Every product we review has been independently selected and tested without bias by our editorial team. We never take payment to review products, although some brands allow affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you purchase a product by clicking on one of our links.
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