How to Spend $100 at Deciem

Be your own chemist at the skin care company’s first Midwestern outpost.

By Heidi Mitchell

Published April 12, 2019

Rare is the beauty brand that strips away the adspeak and just gives customers what they need. Founded in 2013 in Toronto, Deciem does just that, taking well-studied, effective ingredients and presenting them in their purest form without expensive marketing campaigns or gimmicky packaging. The company’s ninth U.S. location opened here in February, filling a 1,000-square-foot space with shelves upon shelves of serums, mists, hydrators, and masks that start at less than $4 but are as potent as any you’d find for 10 times the price at a duty-free shop at O’Hare. Super knowledgeable staff will school you on which products from the nine in-house lines will calm your troubled skin. Pop in to try geek-friendly hyaluronic acid (for hydration), copper amino isolates (to stimulate collagen), and vitamin C (for brightening) — or just to check out the fabulously restored 1880s brick building. 1401 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wicker Park