Dermalogica Review

Overview

Unlike some creams, Dermalogica takes a very practical approach to skin care. Dermalogica comes with its own philosophy on how to care for your skin, the crux of which is that their aim is to create a skin care system out of various Dermalogica products that will be individually tailored to your skin's needs. Once you have your system in place, you will need to treat it like any other daily hygiene ritual (brushing your hair, brushing your teeth) and incorporate it into your routine. Another key point in the Dermalogica system is that you will undergo their unique Face Mapping procedure before you get your full skin care regimen. Look at their skin care professional finder and go in for a consultation. This emphasis on skin care education is typical of Dermalogica's overall approach, which can be more information and time than your average, busy customer can afford to spend on their skin care regimen.

After your face mapping, Dermalogica stresses that you are to diligently apply your skin care system. After two weeks, you should see an improvement. Dermalogica's results-oriented approach was formulated in 1986 by researchers at the International Dermal Institute, a skin care post-graduate center. These researchers came up with a proprietary formula that leaves out ingredients commonly found in other skin care products. These include both unnecessary and potentially comedogenic elements, like synthetic colors and artificial fragrances, as well as harsh, potentially skin-damaging elements like S.D. alcohol and mineral oil.

Product Details

The entire Dermalogica line is made up of cleansers, moisturizers, conditioners, masques and specially formulated cosmetics. In terms of active ingredients, these can vary from product to product, depending on what the product is designed to do. The Dermalogica approach focuses more on what ingredients are excluded from all of their formulas. No Dermalogica cleansing product contains soap or artificial colors. Typically, the skin cleansing products balance a targeted main ingredient with natural aromatic oils and herbal extracts-for example, bacteria fighting Tricloasn is in their anti-bacterial skin wash while their clay cleanser, intended to clear congested, oily skin, relies on Kaolin and green clay. All of the ingredients in any Dermalogica product are natural, meaning that they substitute vegetable oils for mineral oils and silk proteins or aromatic essential oils in place of the moisturizing ingredient Lanolin.

The Good

• All natural ingredients are gentle on your skin.
• Free consultation with a Dermalogica skin care professional in your area.
• Free skin care newsletter published on-line will help educate you about overall skin care.

The Bad

• Dermalogica is not available through their website, which means you need to find a retailer in your area. Some areas have very few retailers.
• No free samples available on-line.
• Multi-step treatment regimens can be long and tedious as well as costly.
• Complicated skin care regimens can be easy to misapply.

The Bottom Line

If you are willing to spend the time on a full skin treatment regimen, Dermalogica may be the skin care solution for you. Products are meticulously formulated, and the company is deeply invested in educating consumers about proper all-around skin care. This means you could end up with three or four bottles on the bathroom sink just to wash your face in the morning. Unless you've got a lot of patience and free time, you may want to look elsewhere for your skin care treatment.