Reviews: Dermalogica Skin Care

 

 As I mentioned earlier, last month I was lucky enough to attend a day of training with world renowned professional skin care brand Dermalogica and left with a few product samples to try out. As a beauty therapist, I've used Dermalogica on my clients and I've treated myself to a few Dermalogica facials as well, but I've never had the opportunity to use their products at home, on my own skin.

I was given three products to try out - Special Cleansing Gel, a foaming cleanser that's ideal for combination skin but suitable for most skin types, Daily Microfoliant, a gentle everyday exfoliator, and Skin Smoothing Cream, a moisturiser created mainly for dry or sensitive skin. Personally, I have combination skin (specifically, dehydrated with an oily T-zone and dry cheeks) so I was interested to see how I got on with these products.

The Special Cleansing Gel was wonderfully easy to use - I've tried out a lot of cleansers that label themselves as a 'foaming face wash' that require a lot of hard work to get a tiny bit of foam, but this worked beautifully. This is a very gentle soap-free cleanser, it didn't dry out my skin or leave it feeling uncomfortably tight. However (and this may just be because I'm too used to harsh, cheap cleansers) it didn't really give me that 'clean face' feeling.

 

Left to right: Special Cleansing Gel, Daily Microfoliant, Skin Smoothing Cream

Daily Microfoliant is a very different type of exfoliator - instead of squeezing a cream from a tube, you have a powder that you rub between very wet hands to create a creamy scrub. Again, this is very gentle, and is suitable even for sensitive skin. But...this is designed to be used daily and I just can't get on board with exfoliating every single day! Maybe I've had my traditional beauty training drummed into my head too well, maybe I've heard too many over-exfoliating horror stories (tearing skin, yikes!) but I will always advise clients to exfoliate twice a week if they have oily skin, once a week for all other skin types. I know a lot of people will disagree, and I have heard 99% good things about Daily Microfoliant, but it will never be for me.

The first thing I will say about Skin Smoothing Cream is if you have oily/combination skin, try something else (if you want Dermalogica, I'd recommend Active Moist). As I mentioned, I have an oily T-zone and I decided to give this a try anyway but it's really better suited for sensitive, dry and mature skin. It is a thick cream moisturiser and it felt very heavy on my skin, almost like it wasn't going to absorb properly. Of course, my face felt soft and plump, but I could never use this on a daily basis.

I checked my skin regularly throughout the day and I immediately noticed my skin was looking brighter and more even. However, it looked slightly oilier, even on my cheeks. I would consider purchasing the Special Cleansing Gel and if I could get over my daily exfoliating fear I'd try Daily Microfoliant again, but the moisturiser is definitely not for me.

If you're considering Dermalogica for your skin care regime, I'd highly recommend Face Mapping - this is a service provided by Dermalogica therapists to analyze your skin and determine your ideal products. Many salons offer this as a free service, hoping you will purchase the products recommended to you, but you're under no obligation to do so (use the Dermalogica website to find your nearest location). Be warned, though - Dermalogica is not cheap. Prices (RRP) for the products mentioned are - Special Cleansing Gel, £25, Daily Microfoliant, £38, Skin Smoothing Cream, £43.50.