What Is Single-Dose Skincare?

Do you worry about applying too much (or too little) of your favourite skincare products? Perhaps you love to travel but are sick of taking full-size bottles with you? Or, are you simply searching for an easy way to streamline your skincare routine? Single-dose skincare could be the answer – read on to discover the benefits of pre-portioned products.

What is single-dose skincare?

Single-dose skincare is designed to deliver the ideal amount of product every time. These daily portions can come in different forms, from sachets and vials to capsules and more – like the Skin + Me Daily Doser, which dispenses the perfect dose of night serum every time. 

Single-dose packaging can even be used for moisturisers, serums, cleansers and face masks. You might have heard people online talking about “monodosing” – this is just another word for single-dose skincare, not to be confused with “microdosing”.

What are the benefits of single-dose skincare? 

Whether you’re just starting out on your skincare journey or are keen to optimise your routine, there’s usually an element of guesswork involved when it comes to skincare. It can be tricky to know if you’re using the right amount of product – too little and your skin won’t reap the benefits, but too much and you risk unhappy skin or wasted product. 

With single-dose skincare, you don’t need to worry about how much to use, as the right dose is pre-measured for you by the experts. You won’t end up with half-used bottles cluttering up your bathroom cabinets, since you know precisely how many times you can use a product before it runs out. Plus, it’s easier to be mindful of your spending when you know exactly what you’re getting – win-win. 

Because single-dose skincare is usually sealed, you don’t need to dip your hands into pots or jars. This protects your formulations from bacteria, which keeps them fresher for longer. Certain ingredients can also degrade when they come into contact with oxygen and light – however, the single-dose approach shields your products, so they’ll remain potent and effective over time. 

And, if you’re always on the go, single-dose skincare is a great way to only pack what you need. This slimmed-down approach means you don’t need to fill your suitcase with countless products. Simply take enough to last your trip – bonus points if they fit in your hand luggage. 

Types of single-dose skincare

When we started designing our unique Skin + Me Daily Doser, we wanted to create a dispenser that would give you the ideal amount of your bespoke night cream every evening. 

“Each personalised solution is bottled up in our patented Daily Doser which dispenses the perfect sized dose of our prescription-strength solutions, with one twist-and-click,” explains Dr Malvina Cunningham, Consultant Dermatologist at Skin + Me. “Each Daily Doser is then personalised with your name, and your custom-blend of active ingredients on the bottle.”

When you’ve used your Daily Doser for a month, simply recycle the aluminium tube – your next one will have already arrived in the post. 

You might also have seen capsules of single-dose serums – these small shiny ovals usually have a small tab to rip off before you squeeze out the contents. Single-dose sachets or vials are another handy way to dispense enough cleanser, moisturiser or serum for one use, although not all single use packaging is fully recyclable. 

Finally, sheet masks also fall into the single-dose skincare category. These skin soothers use a technique called occlusion – the mask helps to stop evaporation, locking in moisture so your skin can drink up all the goodness. Single-use face masks have garnered some criticism recently due to concerns about waste, but brands are now exploring biodegradable alternatives or reusable masks that aim to provide the same benefits without the eco-anxieties. 

Final thoughts

Fresh, effective and oh-so-simple – single-dose skincare has a lot going for it. If you’re looking to streamline your routine and want to focus on effective products that are easy to use, then monodosing might be right for you. For a nightly treatment that’s designed for you, sign up to Skin + Me – with just a twist-and-click, you’ll dispense the perfect portion of product every evening.