With the vision of creating products free of common irritants to improve skin health, Dermalogica was born. Founded in 1986, their products are free of ingredients that the Dermalogica thinks cause breakouts like lanolin, SD alcohol, mineral oil, and artificial colors and fragrance. Dermalogica is also recognized as cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). They have also been recognized by the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil for sourcing palm oil in a manner that does not negatively impact local wildlife.
The Precleanse (£38.50) promises to melt away excess oil, sunscreen, waterproof makeup, environmental pollutants, and residual products with rice bran and borage seed, kukui, and apricot oils.
This is a light runny oil that feels nourishing to the skin. It turns into a milky consistency when mixed with water. It feels viscous making it a joy to massage onto the skin. It easily removes long-wearing and waterproof makeup but needs to be massaged more when used to remove mascaras. I like that this leaves the skin soft and moisturized.
The Special Cleansing Gel (£32) is a soap-free cleanser that aims to remove impurities without disturbing the skin’s natural moisture balance using quillaja saponaria, balm mint, and lavender extract. This cleanser is lightweight and feels really gentle on the skin. It’s runny and lathers into a comfortable texture great for massaging on the skin. It removes excess oil without leaving my skin stripped or tight.
The Daily Microfoliant (£49.50) is a rice-based powder that works to brighten and smooth the skin with papain, salicylic acid, rice enzymes, phytic acid, white tea, licorice, colloidal oatmeal, and allantoin. It contains microbeads but feels gentle on the skin. It lathers easily and doesn’t feel irritating. I usually steer clear of harsh-looking scrubs but this just leaves my skin oh so soft and smooth, something I usually only experience after applying an essence. I like that this is so easy to use, much like a third cleanser, so it doesn’t take too much of my time but still gives me a bright and soft complexion. It has honestly become a favorite.
The Skin Smoothing Cream (£57) has the Active HydraMesh Technology™, which is designed to infuse the skin with 48 hours of continuous hydration and help protect it against environmental stress. It is also formulated with hyaluronic acid complex, mallow, cucumber, arnica, grape seed extract, vitamin c, and vitamin e to lock in moisture and protect the skin. A little goes a long way with this one. Five pea-sized dots can cover my whole face. It has a whipped cream-like texture and feels like it liquifies once it’s massaged into the skin. It has a slight cooling effect and its creamy texture takes a few seconds to completely dry. Using this alone in the morning is not enough to hydrate my skin, especially my t zone area so this works best for me as a night moisturizer. It acts as a seal to the products I used before it and leaves my skin smooth and soft without the tackiness. It’s also pillow stain-proof.
The Skinperfect Primer SPF30 (£44.50) claims to smooth fine lines, even out texture, protect, and brighten the skin with soy protein, pearl powder, and broad spectrum sunscreen. This tinted primer blurs pores like no other. I have honestly tried a lot of blurring primers but this one did the trick for me. It doesn’t feel silicone-y so it doesn’t give off that pore-blocking feeling. It actually feels a bit oily so I like following this with a mattifying stick. For something so lightweight, I can’t believe that has SPF so this has been an everyday staple for me.
I have pleasantly enjoyed trying out #dermalogicauk products because even though there are standouts (love the Daily Microfoliant and the Skinperfect Primer SPF30) I enjoyed using these products and will continue to use them.