Verso Skincare Review
June 8, 2021
Verso Skincare Review: The Basics
Verso is a luxury Swedish skincare line with a streamlined product offering that’s designed to give you glowing skin with the help of a unique retinol-based ingredient. What you might notice first is the minimalist aesthetic, but what will keep you coming back is the effectiveness of the products, which I’m super excited to dig into today.
Given the fact there are several “performance” (i.e. products with actives), you can go start with the whole line, or like me, integrate a few of their products into an existing routine.
For this review I’ll be focusing on several of the active products in their line—the No. 2 Day Cream, the No. 3 Night Cream, the No. 5 Eye Serum, and the No. 4 Turmeric Antioxidant Booster.
What is Retinol 8, Verso’s Proprietary Ingredient?
You’ll notice Retinol 8 in several of their products. It’s basically Verso’s unique retinol blend that’s formulated to encourage skin cell turnover, and reveal fresher skin, unclogging pores in the process.
Sounds a lot like regular retinol, right? Well there is one thing that is different about Retinol 8, according to the brand’s founder. It’s designed to be gentler on the skin
“Retinol 8 is a Vitamin A complex that turbocharges the benefits of traditional Retinol without causing discomfort,” says Lars Fredrikksen, founder of Verso. But does it live up to that promise? Read on!
How to Use Verso Skincare
In the morning after a light cleanse or micellar water sweep (I absolutely love this one—more on this mode of cleansing in another post), I apply the Day Cream.
I use this cream in the daytime 2-3 times a week, then of course follow up with SPF. Make sure the skin is dry, and use a pump about the size of a dime for both your face and neck. Follow up with a good SPF and you’re good to go.
At nighttime, I do a double cleanse, tone, let my skin dry, and then use the same amount of the Verso No. 3 Night Cream—about the size of a dime for my face and neck. I let this soak in for 10-15 minutes, then if my skin is feeling dry, I use a thick cream on top. Make sure that it’s a cream with no other active ingredients! We don’t want to use retinol and layer anything with Vitamin C, AHAs or BHAs on top of it. I like this one.
If you’re working in the Turmeric Skin Booster, the best time to do that would be in the daytime after your morning cleanse and tone. Then follow with the Day Cream (if you’re using it that day), and SPF.
Will Verso Skincare Make My Skin Sensitive or Irritated?
This is one of the things that really appeals to me about the line: Verso’s proprietary Retinol 8 isn’t nearly as irritating as a traditional retinol, and they even say on their website that it doesn’t increase sensitivity in the sun.
Yes, I was also surprised to read that, according to Verso, this will not increase your risk of sunburn. But I also totally believe it. Know why? I live in Florida and am exposed to tons of sunshine daily. Occasionally I’ll play tennis or walk outside, and I always notice on days where I’ve used retinol the night before that my skin is extra red and burning when I am outside the following day, even with SPF. But I haven’t yet noticed that feeling with Verso. Major bonus!
Verso Skincare No. 1 Cleanser Review
This is a cream cleanser, lightly scented, that foams up with water. It’s a great option for a light morning cleanse, or I’d also use it as a second cleanser at night after an oil cleanse. Live for the double cleanse, always. Read more about it and products I recommend for it here!
Verso Skincare Eye Cream Review
Okay, if you are prone to milia on your eyelids or around your eyes, listen up! This is the product for you!
Once in a while I will notice a tiny white bump on my eyelid or right at the corner of my eyes—milia, which is essentially a clogged pore with a little extra staying power.
When I used a tiny amount—and I’m talking tiny, maybe the size of three pin pricks—on my eyelids, my milia went away within a week. It was insane. It’s due to the cell turnover that the Retinol 8 causes, and it accomplished this with no irritation whatsoever to my skin. I was so impressed with this.
Worth noting: I have a friend who recently used this eye cream as well and found it to be irritating. Everyone’s levels of tolerance are different, but I advised her to cut down on the amount she was using and to maybe cycle it out with a basic eye cream.
It’s so good to have an eye cream with retinol in it for its anti-aging and pore-cleaning properties, but just be sure not to overuse it.
Verso Skincare Day and Night Cream Review
These are lightly-fragranced day and night lotions that I have been using for weeks now, under SPF for the day cream, and with the Night Cream, as my “active” at night.
Things that I noticed: There was no irritation using either of these products, at any point in the few weeks I’ve been using them so far. They layer well under other products and soak in rather quickly.
As far as clearing my skin, I noticed a few more breakouts when first using this, but this is totally normal with products containing retinol. It’s called The Purge—thankfully not like that terrifying movie—and it’s quite common.
After a week or so, I noticed my skin was clearer and my notoriously-clogged cheek pores started to clear out. Hallelujah. I’m going to stick with these products for at least another month and a half to see if these positive results continue.
Verso Skincare Turmeric Booster Review
I have to shoot you straight. This is the product that I have the least experience with at the moment. I’m currently in the middle of another daytime antioxidant ingredient and want to get through that fully before integrating this into my routine.
But I did test it in the short term just to see how it performed, and here is what I can tell you. It’s a light oil that I apply after a gentle morning cleanser that soaks right into skin. It features turmeric, an antioxidant ingredient that Verso claims helps to protect your skin from radiation, in addition to reducing inflammation. It felt great under my cream and SPF, didn’t clog my pores and gave my skin a level of light hydration that lasted all day.
I’ll be putting this into my routine as my antioxidant as soon as I’m done with my current one (hate to waste!), and I’ll report back on Instagram when I do!
How Can I Work Verso Into My Skincare Routine?
While this line is designed to be used all together, as a high-powered minimalist routine, that doesn’t mean you can’t work these products into an existing routine with other lines. The Night Cream might be a good place to start—using it as your active product.
Whether you’re going for the whole line or just trying one or two, here are some basic rules to follow when using this line:
1 — Introduce products with Retinol 8 slowly. Start with 2 days or nights a week, then work up to as much as you’re comfortable with. I am at 3-4 times a week right now, with both the Day and Night Cream.
2 — Always use SPF during the day.
3 — Use a good non-active moisturizer on top of your skin at night if it feels tight after applying the Night Cream.
4 — Take a break for a couple days if you notice major irritation.
5 — Give it time to work! Products with retinol-based ingredients should always be in your routine a minimum of 12 weeks to judge true efficacy.
As with any skin care product that contains an active, your skin will tell you what to do. Just look for the signs!