Tiege Hanley Review: Does it Live Up to the Hype?

I’ve been hearing about establishing a skin care routine for years now. Unless you’re keen to look like a walnut when you’re older, invest in your skin now, right? 

Besides keeping your skin tight and clean, a daily routine keeps your pores small and less prone to acne. 

I have a fairly sizeable nose that’s a large pore magnet. There’s a scene in The Office where Michael says to Jim, “All I can see is how big and gross the pores on your nose are.” No line in all of film history has made me feel more personally victimized.

So, finding motivation one day to be less like Jim and more like a porcelain figurine, I did some digging for men’s skin care brands. 

Tiege Hanley has been on my radar for ages after countless Alpha M plugs (let’s be honest, it’s basically a meme at this point). But I finally dug a little deeper. 

They promise an uncomplicated routine, little boxes containing all the separate products you’d need, and a subscription service to automate your routine as much as possible. 

I bit. So how’d they do?

What is Tiege Hanley?

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Tiege Hanley is the brainchild of Kelley Thornton, a man with three simple truths and more than two decades of retail merchandising experience. 

These truths percolated while Mr. Thornton perused the skin care section of a department store:

1. Guys really don’t know much about skin care.
2. Men’s skin care products are complicated and confusing.
3. Men’s skin care products are expensive.

Men’s skin care products exist, but they’re disparate and expensive, not to mention confusing. How does a normal guy figure out the right face wash to buy? Which moisturizer will be right for my skin? What the heck is retinol, and why do I have to use it at night?

Wielding these truths, and drawing on his marketing background, Mr. Thornton set about filling this hole in men’s personal care. With the help of his college roommate and popular YouTuber, Aaron Marino (aka Alpha M) a sensible, simple, and affordable men’s skin care company got off the ground and running. 

The last piece to this puzzle was creating the product itself. The fourth member of our company’s quartet prefers to be anonymous, and goes by, “The Chemist.” While we don’t know his name, we do know he has over 35 years of experience formulating skin care products for top brands.

(Wondering about the name? Tiege Hanley is a reference to one of Mr. Thornton’s notable ancestors.)

With the requisite pieces assembled to simplify men’s skin care, Tiege Hanley was born. 

The brand is rooted in the ideals of simplicity and high-quality products. They offer three different systems of basic skin care, and two systems for combined acne and skin care treatments. 

A substantial part of Tiege Hanley’s simplicity is the fact that you can’t buy the disparate products separately. You buy the entire system, cut out a bunch of decision-making roadblocks, and get clean, healthy skin that much faster. 

It’s a streamlined system, made even smoother by the fact that TH cut out the middle man. By not distributing their product to department or general stores, the brand can offer a much lower price for premium products. 

Until recently, Tiege Hanley was exclusively subscription-based. Realizing that it’s a leap of faith to enter a monthly subscription for skin care you may not be jazzed about, they created a single purchase option. 

Those of us who like to just dip our toes no longer have to take the full plunge.

Things to Consider Before Buying Skin Care from Tiege Hanley

For guys, the decision to buy Tiege Hanley or not rests between convenience, simplicity, and price. 

If you’ve got Jim-sized pores and nightmares about turning into a raisin, but no knowledge of skin care routines, this brand is a solid place to start. 

If, however, you’re cautious about getting that deep into a skin care routine, and just want to try your hand at washing and moisturizing your face daily, Tiege Hanley doesn’t exactly give you that option.

The lowest level skin care system includes a face wash, scrub, and two moisturizers, at a base price of $35 ($25 if subscribed). The dabblers among us may wish to just pick up a face wash and moisturizer, which could probably be achieved for less than 10 bucks.

On the flip side, if you want to start a routine quickly, or have an established routine and are looking for consistent products at an achievable price, TH is attractive. 

To ease any anxiety on either side, the brand also offers a 100% money-back guarantee if you aren’t completely satisfied.

In short, Tiege Hanley could be too deep a dive for skin care novices. However, it offers a robust, comprehensive, and convenient skin care system for those already on the journey to “Benjamin Button” their skin.

Tiege Hanley Review

The Skin Care Product Recommender

I began my foray into a new skin care routine by taking Tiege Hanley’s skin care quiz, which helps you determine the correct system to buy. Although there are only a few systems to choose from, I still find this useful for skin care novices. 

The quiz consists of eight questions, like, “Do you have any issues with acne?” or, “Have you noticed any changes in your skin over the last year?”

After the quiz, I picked up the Level 3 Skin Care System, which includes the daily wash, AM and PM moisturizers, an exfoliating scrub, eye cream, and the super serum. 

A few clicks and days later, and my new skin care system was at the door.

Unboxing: The Level 3 Skin Care Routine

The Tiege Hanley boxes are simple and sleek, and the products themselves look refined, sophisticated, and manly.

The Level 3 System provides a daily wash (WASH), an exfoliating scrub (SCRUB), AM and PM moisturizers, eye cream (EYES), and SUPER SERUM. 

The Level 1 system includes the wash, scrub, and moisturizers, and Level 2 adds the eye cream. But I wanted the whole thing, so I added the super serum to boot.  

Each product has the ingredients clearly listed on the back and also gives clear use instructions with relation to the other products. For example, SUPER SERUM is to be used after WASH, but before EYES and AM or PM moisturizer.

The box includes a fold-out instructions card that lists each product Tiege Hanley offers, its recommended use amount, and when and how to use it. 

I found this quite helpful, considering my Level 3 system came with 6 different products. 

WASH

WASH works well. I’ve used a fair selection of face wash products, but this is my favorite so far.

Many face washes are too harsh and strip away healthy, moisturizing oils. For years I neglected to use a daily face wash because my skin stayed healthier without it. I kept getting acne outbreaks because my skin was overproducing oils. 

I’m having trouble thinking of a less palatable duo than dry skin and acne breakouts. What a defining characteristic of those blissful, anxiety-fraught high school years. 

Wash cleans gently, and has a pleasant cedar citrus scent reminiscent of Dr. Squatch. 

Don’t expect WASH to lather—it doesn’t. Soaps that lather are typically more harsh; Teige Hanley addresses this issue in their FAQs. 

WASH’s key ingredients include cucumber extract, eucalyptus oil, salix alba bark, and lavadula oil. These natural ingredients combine to nourish, refresh, and reduce inflammation. 

The gentle wash and fresh scent actually have me looking forward to washing my face, rather than avoiding it for consecutive years. The cucumber extract and eucalyptus oil leave my face feeling cool and refreshed, rather than dry and scrubbed.

I’ve found this to be especially helpful after shaving, when my skin is prone to irritation.

SCRUB

The exfoliating SCRUB is designed to be used twice weekly. In their own words, “Using SCRUB is the equivalent of telling bacteria to go to hell.”

Featuring cucumber extract and menthyl lactate, the Scrub digs deep into stubborn pores, scrubs any sebaceous bacteria and dirt out, and leaves your skin feeling cool and tingly. 

If I could use this more than twice a week, I would. They direct you to only use SCRUB biweekly because exfoliating too frequently can damage your delicate little mug. 

Imagine thinking you’re treating your face to a good scrub and you wind up looking like Freddy Kreuger. Tragic.

SCRUB is used after WASH and before any moisturizers. I found that using it biweekly clears away any dead skin cells and shrinks pores, which is especially helpful as the weather gets colder. 

SUPER SERUM

After washing and scrubbing, the rehydration begins with SUPER SERUM. 

Serum is the secret sauce to keeping your skin firm and youthful.

After only three days of use, my wife came up to me and said, “Your skin looks poreless.” She proceeded to poke my face a few times, trying to find where those Jim-sized pores went. 

SUPER SERUM is largely scentless, and gives the feeling of your skin slightly tightening after application. This firming serum is made with a retinol compound, which encourages collagen production in your skin.

Collagen helps to plump and firm skin, leaving it with less lines, wrinkles, and pores. The Super Serum has helped give bigger pores on my cheeks the boot.

EYES

Meant for use directly after SUPER SERUM, the eye cream is designed to get rid of those pesky bags under your eyes.

I’ve always been skeptical of eye creams, honestly. I have naturally deep-set eyes, so I’m prone to dark, under-eye circles. However, after a week of use, I’ve already seen positive results.

I looked in the mirror this morning and could hardly see any post-sleep baggage. My under-eyes are usually slightly puffy, but the skin was smooth and uniform.

Tiege Hanley says to expect results in three to six weeks, so I’m curious to see what a few more weeks of consistent use can do. 

Similar to SUPER SERUM, EYES gives a taught feeling to the skin under your eyes. All you have to do is massage a little beneath the eye and to the corner, and those bags will get lost faster than United Airlines can do it.

AM Moisturizer

The AM Moisturizer is the last step of the morning skin care routine. It took some serious effort to begin washing my face twice a day, but it’s easy enough once the routine is set. 

This moisturizer is infused with sunscreen additives to provide SPF 20 protection from those aging UV rays. I admit, this was a mental hurdle for me. Being tan is synonymous with being attractive, right? 

Any quick visit to the beach is enough to show you the consequences of long-term sun exposure. How many times have you wondered why an old person is wearing an old leather bag on their head, only to realize it’s just their face?

Point being, I appreciate the inclusion of sunscreen. I may not win points for being tan now, but maybe I’ll bear less resemblance to a sundried tomato when I live in an old folk’s home.

AM applies easily and is absorbed quickly. A small amount can go far—Tiege Hanley recommends using a dime-sized amount for each application. 

After use, my skin feels nourished, but not damp and sticky like some moisturizers. With other moisturizers I used to be careful to not touch my face until my skin had absorbed it, but I haven’t had that issue with Tiege.

PM Moisturizer

The PM Moisturizer is nearly identical in use and feel to the AM Moisturizer.

It spreads smoothly and evenly, absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave your skin feeling like you need to wash it again. What’s even better, it actually works.

I’m prone to dry skin around my eyebrows and forehead, but between the exfoliating Scrub and a healthy dose of moisturizing, it looks like winter in Jamaica: not a flake to be found.

The PM Moisturizer is made with collagen, green tea, and aloe vera. The collagen helps to plump and improve the structure of your skin, while the green tea and aloe vera invigorates and moisturizes. My skin already feels healthier and looks younger after a week of use.

My only complaint with the AM and PM Moisturizers is the size. The Level 3 System includes a 2.5 ounce bottle of Daily Wash, but each moisturizer is 0.75 ounces. 

In my experience, I need more moisturizer than face wash by volume. The Daily Wash spreads well and can cover the entire face easily, but I’ve felt the need to be stingy with both the AM and PM Moisturizers just because I have considerably less by volume. 

Since you can’t purchase individual products, you’re fresh out of luck if either moisturizer dries up before the next subscription box arrives.

What do Other Reviewers Say About Tiege Hanley? 

Now I’m just one guy, and I might have skin particularly well-versed to Tiege Hanley’s affections. What do other dudes say?

On Tiege Hanley’s website, reviewers awarded it 4.6/5 stars over some 4,500+ entries.

Of the less enthusiastic reviews, most seemed to focus on price. I think this is understandable. Paying $25-$45 per month is what most people pay for combined subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, and HBO.

For another perspective, check out our Tiege Hanley video review by our very own William Barton:

Does Tiege Hanley Work for Acne?

Although we didn’t review Tiege Hanley’s acne product line, here’s a review to sum up the general sentiment:

The Tiege Hanley Acne System includes the Daily Wash, AM and PM Moisturizers, and one or two Acne creams, depending on the system you choose. 

The Acne cream is formulated as a moisturizer, where most acne treatments are made for use as a face wash. Featuring salicylic acid and plantain extract, these ingredients work to unclog pores, reduce the appearance of acne, promote healing, and reduce the chance of scarring. 

My Thoughts Overall On Tiege Hanley

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