Guru spotlight: Doctor Anne, and the products she rates highest

Doctor Anne has reviewed 194 products in our index, and serums are the category she covers most often. Here is where her picks line up with the wider group of experts, and where she goes her own way.

Who is Doctor Anne?

Doctor Anne is a YouTube reviewer, and her takes feed The Guru Index. She has reviewed 194 products in our index. Serums are the category she covers most often, with 35 of those products.

Anne is her real name. On her own website, she shares what she believes about skin. She holds that good skin is built on nutrition, exercise and stress management. She also holds that understanding the science, and using only the actives skin really needs, gets you further than spending a lot of money. She embraces “science-based beauty” and describes her approach as “powered by chemicals.”

Which products does Doctor Anne rate highest?

Three of Doctor Anne’s top picks are also backed by the wider panel of experts. Each percentage is that product’s Guru Score across all the experts who reviewed it. The Geek & Gorgeous 101 Mighty Melt Cleansing Balm has a Guru Score of 94% across 10 experts, and she says it “feels much more luxurious than the price point would make you expect.” She also says it “has a great texture,” and that it “melts away all my makeup.”

The La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 has a Guru Score of 92% across 30 experts, and she rates it among her top picks. She is blunt about the feel, though: “It is very, very heavy, very borderline greasy.” That is worth knowing if heavy textures are not for you. Her take on the Geek & Gorgeous 101 Zero Feel SPF 50 Day Cream, which has a Guru Score of 91% across 6 experts, is that it suits those with normal to oily skin who want a natural matte finish and solid protection that feels barely there. She calls it “as good as it gets right now.”

Where does Doctor Anne disagree with the other experts?

Not every product wins her over. Doctor Anne turned down the Olaplex No.4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo, which has a Guru Score of 77% across the 6 experts who reviewed it, her included. She said, “The Olaplex No4 P Blonde Enhancing Toning Shampoo didn’t convince me.” She thinks it is “nice,” but found it “quite harsh on my hair” and no better than whatever drugstore version she had. That is a reason worth weighing next to the group’s score, since one expert’s reasons can add context that a score alone cannot give.

How should you use Doctor Anne's reviews?

One trusted voice is a good place to start, and the Guru Score shows whether the wider group of experts agrees with her. As the picks above show, her views and the group’s do not always line up, so it helps to check both.

Her full takes are on her guru page, which is a good next stop for the full picture. Use her reviews as one part of the picture, not the whole story.