Reviewing the Top Rated Online Prescription Skincare Brands

By Insider Envy Staff

When it comes to anti-aging skincare, most people are looking for one thing: results.

But if you’re spending your time scouring the shelves at your local drugstore or Sephora looking for high-quality anti-aging skincare, you’re missing out on some of the most effective products in the game. Brands like Agency, Musely and Apostrophe are offering customized skincare with prescription-strength ingredients formulated to address your unique skincare needs. 

If you’re serious about seeing results from your skincare, there’s nothing like a prescription formula to help you on your smooth skin journey.  In recent years, there’s been an explosion of brands that allow you access to expertly formulated prescription skincare products — all while skipping the trip to the dermatologist’s office. Online prescription skincare can also be shockingly affordable, offering real results without the inflated price tag of most over-the-counter anti-aging skincare. But with so many brands on the scene, which one’s the best? Keep reading to learn about three brands offering online prescription skincare — Agency, Musely and Apostrophe — and to find out which one is our top pick.

Agency: Effective and customized formulas offering the highest strength of tretinoin

We’ve scoured the internet for the best prescription skincare out there — and we’re happy to report that Agency, a subscription skincare service, gets our top spot for its prescription strength, ultra-customized Rx products that offer real results, all with the ease of a subscription service delivered straight to your door.

Everyone’s skin is different, which is why we love that Agency is formulated to address your skin’s unique needs, whether you’re facing fine lines, hyperpigmentation, skin texture, clogged pores, uneven skin tone, looking for anti-aging benefits – or a mixture of all of the above. Unlike other brands, which max out at 0.1% tretinoin, Agency can go higher— up to 0.14%!*

When it comes to prescription-strength skincare, tretinoin is considered the gold standard topical treatment for both acne and anti-aging. “Tret,” as it’s known by skincare fanatics, is amazing for treating all sorts of skin concerns, but it has been known to cause irritation and dryness for some. Luckily with the guidance of an Agency licensed dermatology provider, you can help minimize excess dryness by gradually increasing the strength of tretinoin over time, starting with a lower concentration and potentially working your way up to the highest concentration your skin can tolerate (up to 0.14%). This is great because it allows you to minimize irritation, taking it slow while helping to get the results you crave.*

Looking to get started with Agency? The process couldn’t be simpler: you just take a quick quiz to highlight your skin needs, like your skin type, concerns, and goals, and share your medical history and photos of your skin concerns. Next, a licensed dermatology provider will work with you to prescribe your personalized prescription formula(s) to help you reach your skin goals.* From there, your new custom formula(s) will be sent straight to your door. 

Right now, Agency has an unbelievable offer for new subscribers: for just $14.95, you’ll receive both your first personalized formula (prescribed by your licensed dermatology provider based on your skin’s needs) and the Cloud Care Duo, a moisturizer + cleanser designed to complement Agency’s Rx products. 

Agency offers 3 Rx products: Future Formula, Eye Formula, and Dark Spot Formula. Based on your skin’s needs and concerns, you can choose which product you prefer— each are made with a customized blend of active ingredients which may include ingredients like tretinoin, azelaic acid or niacinamide (among others), so whichever product you choose, you can rest assured that it will be designed to help you reach your skin goals.

• • Future Formula:  The winner of Allure’s Breakthrough Beauty Award in 2021, Future Formula is a custom anti-aging cream to treat and help prevent signs of aging like wrinkles, fine lines, and texture. 
  • Eye Formula: A custom formula with a trusted blend of anti-aging ingredients to smooth fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, including crow’s feet, while visibly brightening dark circles. 
  • Dark Spot Formula: A custom formula for treating hyperpigmentation, like sun spots and melasma, with ingredients such as hydroquinone, kojic acid, and azelaic acid. 

*Products and ingredients subject to medical consultation.

Musely: Best for combination therapy — offers both topical and oral skincare treatments.

Like Agency, your journey with Musely starts with a comprehensive online consultation where you share details about your skin type, concerns, and goals. Based on this information, Musely’s dermatology experts will create a customized skincare regimen for you.

Musely’s product lineup includes a range of prescription-strength treatments (both topical and oral) and high-quality skincare essentials that address everything from acne and hyperpigmentation to signs of aging. Each regimen is designed to deliver effective, targeted results based on your unique skin profile.

While Musely has a 25% off offer for new users, there is a $20 consultation fee — unlike Agency, which has no first time consultation fee and offers continued access to dermatology providers who can give ongoing feedback for your skin journey.

Musely has a pre-selected blend of ingredients in each formula, with each formulation having different ingredient strengths, and based on the answers you provide in the quiz, the dermatologist will pick which pre-selected blend is best for you. While the ingredients themselves offered by Musely are high-quality, we prefer Agency’s customized approach to address your unique skin needs.

Apostrophe: Offers a wide range of ingredients like azelaic acid and clindamycin 

Apostrophe is a modern skincare brand that offers personalized, science-backed solutions to tackle your unique skin concerns. Like Musely, the process begins with an upfront consultation fee of $20 (the consultation fee). From there, you’ll provide details about your skin type, the issues you’re looking to address and your skincare goals. Like with Agency and Musely, a licensed dermatology provider will review this information and help you to craft a customized treatment plan. 

Like Agency and Musely, Apostrophe offers oral acne medication like antibiotics and hormonal treatments such as Spironolactone in addition to topical treatments. They also offer tretinoin up to 0.1%. 

Conclusion

If you’re looking for customized skincare that offers science-backed ingredients, you’ve got a lot of great options to choose from. Here at Insider Envy, we love Agency for offering the highest level of customization, all at an affordable price point. It’s only $14.95 to get started and try Agency today!*

*Ingredients and strengths subject to medical consultation. Results may vary. Intro offer for new subscribers only. Applies only to your first box. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information.

**Sponsored content paid for by Agency.

At Insider Envy we only promote products we love and want to let you know that while we participate in a number of affiliate programs, (meaning we may receive compensation when you buy items after clicking a link on Insider Envy), we do not base our reviews on whether or not we receive compensation. Additionally, these fees do not affect the prices you pay for products and services listed on Insider Envy. We appreciate your support!

by Insider Envy Staff