From The Lab Beauty Subscription Box Review – June 2014
From the Lab is a unique beauty subscription box – each month they send you a new beauty product that isn’t on the market yet. The idea is that beauty companies heavily markup their products, so by getting the beauty product after it’s created and tested in the lab, they can send you the products for much less than you would pay once they are branded in the upcoming months/years.
From the Lab kindly sent me this box to review.
The Subscription Box: From The Lab
The Cost: $29.95 plus $5.95 shipping a month (or save $10 a month with the annual plan).
The Products: 1-2 full size products in the following categories: Skincare, Haircare or Color Cosmetics.
Ships to: US
Check out all of my From The Lab reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory for more beauty boxes!
Each product comes with a fold out sheet detailing the beauty product’s benefits and ingredients, plus directions for how to apply each product.
Lip Color Sticks No. 335, 336, and 337
I was pleasantly surprised to see makeup in this month’s box! (Previously From The Lab has mostly sent out skincare items). At first I was a little intimated by these colors, but they go on somewhat glossy/sheer, so I actually could pull off each color. (I imagine you can layer them for more of a bold effect).
(I also like that From the Lab never uses ingredients like parabens, phthalates, etc).
Verdict: I liked the lip colors this month a lot, and I think they are worth the $36 cost of the box. On a slightly different note, I wonder if From the Lab would have more success if they completely changed their branding? I know from previous review comments, the name and branding can strike some as making them “lab rats” – not the the image you want to think of when paying $36 a month for a beauty subscription! Personally I like the products I’ve sampled so far, but the allure of getting new products up to a year before they hit the market isn’t very compelling since these products don’t seem crazy-new. (And I’d be scared if they did!)
I think the bigger draw with this subscription is getting full sized beauty items at a discount because they make all their own products and can eliminate the middle man. What do you think of my crazy idea? Should From the Lab try to be more like Julep for example?
For that price, I’d rather re-sub to BeautyDNA. At least then I’d actually be familiar with the brand.
This sub totally reminds me of those old-timey huxters hocking snake oil. ‘It’s a bottle of magical elixir, but we can’t tell you what it is. But we promise you, you’re getting a very good deal.’
After reading your review I feel so stupid. I went on the site and actually felt excited to be getting mine on Monday. I thought they looked like NARS. I guess I just don’t have enough subscriptions yet as you do because I actually fell for the allure and thought it was cool I was getting “new” products. Now I don’t even want to try them and feel like a lab rat. Thanks for the review, 3 months and that’s it for me.
I didn’t realize they did makeup! The value seems kind of low this month, but I like what they sent! I’m still curious what brands these end up being. Smashbox caliber or just Wet N Wild! 🙂
none. they are only pretending they are tester products for marketing. they are just ordering white label cosmetics and branding them to look like they are “unbranded” don’t fall for the gimmick.
That’s ABSOLUTELY the impression I’ve gotten from this box, which is why I’m super skeptical about it. Plus the value seems pretty crappy when you consider you can get full-sized branded products from boxes at similar prices. Seems like a total gimmick, but good for them if they’ve managed to con people into the allure of random off-brand cosmetics you can’t even find reviews for.