• HEALTH & WELLNESS • BEAUTY
Stryx Review: Functional Skincare For Men
Reviewed by Nathaniel Lang
Last Updated January 2022
Functional skincare isn’t just for women anymore. Stryx has created an awesome skincare line geared specifically towards men to look and feel their best.
FEATURED IN THIS REVIEW
EDITOR'S PICK
STRYX
★ 3.5 Stars
Our Rating
★ 4.8 Stars
Avg. Customer Rating
The Concealer Tool comes in three shades, which cover any and all skin tones. It is able to hide anything from acne to razor burn to scars. The Tool itself hides easily in a pocket, appearing as no more than a small pen; even the concealer itself is concealed.
Pros
- Geared towards men
- Cruelty-free
- Aesthetically pleasing design
- Multiple product options to choose from
- Affordability
- Easy to use
- Free shipping for any orders over $25
Cons
- Some products contain toxic ingredients
- Not every product delivers on performance claims
- Could have more ingredient transparency
Ratings Breakdown
QUALITY
★★★
Stryx has created a modern, sleek product line for men, which is revolutionary. But their ingredient list leaves a little to be desired.
VALUE
★★★★
The pricing of their products is fair compared to other skincare and cosmetics lines.
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
★★★
The performance of Stryx men’s skincare product line is hit or miss about half the time.
BRAND
★★★★
The brand has a great mission to help men look and feel their best, while also engaging in some philanthropic methods. But they could do better with their ingredients, sourcing, and transparency.
Who is Stryx?
Stryx was founded in 2017 by Devir Kahan when the idea struck him on his wedding day due to an unsightly pimple. Once the idea struck that he needed to spearhead a mission to create a clean, modern, stylish line of skincare for men he was on a roll. He soon after met Issac Rami and Jon Shanahan who helped him ultimately co-found Stryx.
The first product line launched in January of 2019 with a huge acceptance by the market. And they’ve been going strong with new product development ever since.
While having a strong mission to help men look and feel their best, Stryx also engages in philanthropic missions. They set aside 1% of the proceeds, and some products, every year to give back through their social mission.
This money goes towards different social missions each year to help people with serious illness feel better in their own skin. Each year the mission they partner with changes to increase the diversity of who they can help.
Stryx Application & Performance
A skincare and cosmetics line made specifically for men isn’t something I’ve run across before. So this piqued my interest in learning more about this line of products. Therefore, I decided to order 4 of their products just to see what they had to offer.
Eye Tool
The first product I tried was the Energizing Eye Tool. I liked how the bottle looked like a liquid lip balm to make it more disguisable.
Upon my initial application there was a nice, cool feeling under my eyes for about 30 seconds.
The roller ball made it easy to apply, but it did get stuck the next morning. I had to use my finger to loosen the ball a little bit. Over my 7 day testing period with this product it happened every day. While this was certainly not a deal breaker, it was an annoyance.
Overall, I felt that the area underneath my eyes felt smoother and looked more vibrant. The area felt more moisturized and I noticed fewer wrinkles. Overall, I enjoyed the product and plan to continue using it, even at $29 a bottle.
Gel Cleanser
The second product I tried was their Gel Cleanser. Upon opening the bottle I noticed a nice, clean, subtle scent. Upon the initial application I found that the product didn’t suds up as much as I had expected. So I needed to use a little more to get a good lather.
The brand claims this product is supposed to help wash away impurities and replenish my skin.
While I did feel that the former claim held up, , I can’t say the same for the latter. My skin felt the complete opposite of replenished each time I washed with this product. My face felt dry, cracked, and rough instead.
The brand claims this product has great botanical ingredients to help replenish the skin. However, the only botanical ingredients I found this product to contain are aloe and tea tree oil. But it also contains SLS and Phenoxyethanol, which could explain why my face felt so dry.
I can’t say that I was impressed with a 3.3oz bottle costing $12 that didn’t have the intended effect.
Concealer Tool
The 3rd product I tried was the Concealer Tool. This little concealer stick mimics a 5.5” long pen that can fit in your pocket. I loved the design genius of this particular product. While I don’t frequently experience red spots or blemishes on my face, this tool is great for offering peace of mind for those rare occasions.
The application process for this product was simple to execute. All I had to do was:
• Pop off the lid
• Twist the bottom to get the concealer to come out
• Dab it on my face where I wanted it
• Rub it in with my finger to blend
After that, all I had to do was put the lid back on and put it in my pocket to take with me. This tool would easily blend in on a desk also, which was a great feature.
I can say that this one was not only easy to use but worked exactly as the brand said it would. Out of all of the products this one was by far my favorite. And even though it comes in at $20 a tube, I would happily pay that for this product.
Concealer Tool
The 4th product I tried was the 3.4g Advanced Lip Balm. Upon initial application of this product it felt really hydrating to my lips. It had a pleasant , smooth texture to it that didn’t feel waxy or greasy. I liked this aspect of the lip balm, as well as the modern, sleek look of the packaging.
However, the lip balm didn’t stay on my lips as long as other lip balms I’ve used previously. So I had to keep applying it much more often than expected. I found that after using it for a week, my lips were actually more chapped and cracked than they had been prior to using the product.
This could be due to the fact that their lip balm has both synthetic beeswax and beeswax ingredients in it, both of which cause drying. Either way, this was a surprise and a huge disappointment.
The other factor that I did not enjoy was that the base of the lip balm tube seemed to be defective. Each time I would turn the base to roll the lip balm back down it wouldn’t move. So I’d have to push it back down with my finger. While this isn’t a deal breaker, it didn’t help this product’s case with my testing. For an $8 tube of lip balm, I had much higher expectations that simply weren’t met.
Overall, 2 of the 4 products I really enjoyed using and got good results from them.
Is Stryx Good Quality?
Stryx claims to be serious about creating good quality, clean skincare products for men. While this claim is fantastic, I found some discrepancies that give me some serious hesitations.
The brand is transparent about the ingredients in each product, which is helpful. However, due to this information, I found that some of their products contain the following harmful ingredients:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) – a surfactant that strips the natural oils of the skin and weakens the barrier, making it easier for toxins to creep in.
- Palm Oil – is a surfactant, like SLS, and has many detrimental environmental effects caused by production.
- Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate – is a humectant used to increase moisture absorption, but is classified by the GHS as a skin and eye irritant.
- Polyethylene (PEG’s) – is used as a penetration enhancer, but has links to cancer and creates an environment where the skin can absorb too many toxic materials also.
- Polybutene – used as a binder, but more commonly used as airplane adhesive, and can be an eye irritant.
- Cyclopentasiloxane – is used to help their products dry more quickly, but is linked to cancer, organ system toxicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and is an environmental toxin.
- Phenoxyethanol – is used as a preservative, but is classified as an irritant for skin, eyes, and lungs, as well as linked to organ system toxicity and dermatitis.
These are just a few of the worst offenders in their skincare line. One of the best ways to check the ingredients in any skincare or cosmetic products you have is by visiting the EWG. The Environmental Working Group has worked hard to compile as many studies as possible all under one roof to help consumers determine if their products are as good as they claim.
Besides this issue, there is another problem with Stryx. They offer little to no transparency regarding where their products are manufactured. The only little nugget we are given is that all of their products are developed and manufactured in South Korea. The brand states this is one of the best places for cosmetics to be made, which may have some validity to it.
However, there are no mentions of which facilities they use to manufacture their products. Nor do they mention which quality controls, if any, are adhered to or if the facilities have any certifications. The brand also doesn’t state where any of the ingredients for their products are sourced. So the excessive lack of transparency concerns me greatly.
Are Stryx Skincare Products Worth It?
Ultimately, whether or not Stryx skincare products are worth it will be a uniquely individual decision. While the price points on their products are pretty good, the suspect quality may make some consumers stop in their tracks.
The brand does appear to be working hard to bring its mission to life. They have continued to add new products to their offerings regularly for added diversification, which is fantastic. So, if you’ve been considering the use of men’s cosmetics or a skincare line directed specifically at men, then it may be worth a try.
FAQs
Any consumer who is considering a new skincare line is bound to have questions prior to purchase. Here we try to answer the most common questions regarding the Stryx skincare line. The hope is to help you make the most educated decision to enhance your personal experience.
Stryx Functional Skincare Summary
Overall, it’s about time more companies enter the market with a focus on men’s skincare and cosmetics. The women’s market has been supersaturated for years and has left men in the dust. Stryx has done a great job of creating diverse, sleek, and modern product offerings.
While their mission and philanthropy are fantastic, their lack of transparency could be an issue for some consumers. It would be great to see this company continue to thrive but also shift their model a bit to include more transparency and better ingredients in their products.