Dermalogica Puts a Dent in My Wallet and a Smile on My Face

Throughout most of the year the skin on my face is fairly normal and not so dry, though my skin has been defying me by drying up all over my body over the past few peak-winter dry months. My skin also has a tendency to break out occasionally, so I generally buy products that are gentle and acne problem-solving, though sometimes I also buy scrubs. In the summer and during other times when I sweat more my face tends to take the heat (no pun intended) and at the end of the day I end up with that thin layer of nastiness that comes off when I wash my face in the evening. This can be especially damning to my face because I have larger pores, and pores with dirt trapped in them are obviously not good. Late last summer I took a trip to Ulta in the Metropolis mall near my house so I could do some shopping and as he sometimes has a tendency to do, my fiance Nate gave me his credit card and dropped me off at the door telling me to take all the time I needed, he'd be fine waiting outside. I decided to speak with a consultant about my skin's tendencies and problems and see what I could find... it wasn't my money (at least not then...) so I told her my budget wasn't too big of a deal, but that I'd rather keep it relatively inexpensive.

The consultant made note of my face's tendency to get oily after a few hours, which produces more dirt. While my face does occasionally get dry spots it's not dry enough to justify using a cleanser that might add oil or too much moisture to my face. I dislike the gritty texture and dirtiness my face has after a long day or working double shifts, and because my pores are fairly big I'm concerned about developing pimples from excess oil and dirt. She showed me several items, but the one she seemed to suggest the most highly was the Dermalogica line. She showed me several products in the line and eventually talked me into purchasing the Dermalogica Skin Kit for Normal/Oily Skin. The kit came with four different products (scrub, cleanser, toner, moisturizer) and two samples (eye makeup remover and mask) and cost me slightly over $40. The products were small, so I was hesitant at first, but I figured I should try it and see if it helped and improved my skin overall, the way she would.

Dermalogica

Unlike most of the brands of facial care and acne products I use (Clean & Clear, Biore, Clearasil... you know the drill) Dermalogica isn't a name I hear all the time. I looked them up on the internet, and it turns out it is produced by the International Dermal Institute. The website says that the products are made to provide results, not hype and cute packaging. Judging by the plain grey/white/black packaging of this skin kit, I'm hoping that the "results" part is true. We'll see.

What Comes in the Kit

The products came in a small black and clear plastic case with a zipper enclosure. The case is actually nice enough that I use it sometimes for a travel makeup bag.

---Skin Prep Scrub (0.75 fl oz)---
Ingredients: Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate, Zea Mays (Corn) Cob Meal, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cocamide DEA, Polysorbate 20, Extracts of: Malva Sylvestris (Mallow), Hedera Helix (Ivy), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit, Sambucus Nigra Flower, Arnica Montana Flower, Parietaria Officinalis; Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthan Gun, Citric Acid, Acorbyl Palmitate, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorophenesin, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Titanium Dioxide.
Directions: Apply to clean, damp face and throat. Massage gently, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.

---Special Cleansing Gel (1.7 fl oz)---
Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Hexylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Extracts of: Lavandula Angusifolia (Lavender), Melissa Officinalis Leaf, Quillaja Saponaria Bark; Essential Oils of: Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavendar), Melissa Officinalis Leaf; PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
Directions: Gently lather a small amount of gel on moistened hands and apply to dampened face and throat. Rinse with warm water and repeat.

---Multi-Active Toner (1.7 fl oz)---
Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol, Extracts of: Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavendar), Melissa Officinalis leaf, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow), Hedera Helix (Ivy), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit, Sambucus Nigra Flower, Arnica Montana Flower, Parietaria Officinalis; Essential Oils of: Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavendar), Melissa Officinalis leaf; Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Sorbitol, Proline, Propylene Glycol, Ricinoleth-40, Methyl Gluceth-20, Polysorbate 20, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-4, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphensin, Methylparaben, Linalool.
Directions: After cleansing, spray directly over entire face and throat, with eyes closed. Immediately follow with recommended Dermalogica Booster or Moisturizer.

---Active Moist (0.75 fl oz)---
Ingredients: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Dimethicone, Lactamide MEA, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Extracts of: Lavandul Angustifolia (Lavendar), Malva Selvestris (Mallow), Hedera Helix (Ivy), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit, Sambucus Nigra Flower, Arnica Montana Flower, Parietaria Officinalis, Nasturtium Officinale, Arctium Lappa Root, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit, Saponaria Officinalis, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed; Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Stearic Acid, panthenol, Cetyl Alcohol, Silk Amino Acids, Lecithin, Glycolipids, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyquaterniu-10, Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/ Glycerin Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Linalool.
Directions: Use twice daily.

---Soothing Eye Make Up Remover (sample size)---
*Note: Ingredients and directions taken from website
Ingredients: Water, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Hexylene Glycol, Slik Amino Acids, Hydroxyethylcellose, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
Directions: Apply a small amount to damp cotton pad. Remove eye and lip makeup by gently massaging over the area. Rinse thoroughly.

---Skin Refining Masque (sample size)---
*Note: Ingredients and directions taken from website
Ingredients: Water, Kaolin, Bentonite, Polysorbate 20, Carthamus Tinctorius (safflower) Seed Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Extracts Of : Sambucus Nigra Flower, Malva Sylvestris (mallow), Hedera Helix (ivy), Cucumis Sativus (cucumer) Fruit, Arnica Montana Flower, Parietaria Officinalis, Nasturtium Officinale, Arctium Lappa Root, Salvia Officinalis (sage) Leaf, Citrus Medica Limonum (lemon) Fruit, Saponaria Officinalis: Zinc Oxide, Menthol, Citric Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Linolenic Acid, Archidonic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Linoleic Acid.
Directions: Apply a thin layer to cleansed face and throat, avoiding the eye area. Allow masque to set for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water. Use three times a week as required.

The consultant at Ulta also gave me a few other samples of Dermalogica products and stuck them in the kit.

My Experience

Of course having spent a larger-than-normal chunk of money on this stuff I was excited to take it home and use it. After reading the directions on most of the travel size bottles I saw that they suggest you use small amounts. Good thing. First things first, I wet my face with relatively warm water. I decided to try the scrub first, then follow with the cleansing gel. I put a dab of the Skin Prep Scrub on my dampened finger and rubbed it into my hands slightly, noticing it was very fine, but the color sand. I gently scrubbed my face and throat with it, and I could feel the exfoliation but not in a painful way. It rinses cleanly with no large "sand grain" kinds of chunks on my face like I often get with my exfoliants or scrubs. I put a small amount of the Special Cleansing Gel in moistened hands and lathered up, then massaged it over my entire face. It seemed to make a thin, fine lather that felt really refreshing and cleansing on my skin. It also rinsed away clean and my face felt very smooth. The directions say to repeat, and sometimes I do use it twice in a row, but often I don't. When I use it, rinse, then use it again it seems to make my face squeaky clean as it lathers much more thickly the second time. Following the directions, I took the Multi-Active Toner and spritzed it about four times over my face and neck (eyes closed, of course). As you can imagine, this felt incredibly refreshing, and I was happy to immediately (and finally!) follow it with the moisturizer to lock in the dewy (but not in the sweaty kind of way) feeling. I put a dab of Active Moist on the first fingertips of both hands and gently massaged it over my entire face and neck. The moisturizer felt thinner than most that I use but it felt great on my face.

The Soothing Eye Make Up Remover only took a tiny amount, and there was enough in the little foil packet for about three uses. I dabbed a bit of it onto a cotton ball and gently rubbed it over my eyes. It took my eye makeup (even the waterproof kind) right off without leaving my eyes feeling gross, oily and blurry. I used the mask all in one use because I thought it would dry up in the little foil packet before I would be able to use it again. The Skin Refining Mask wasn't incredibly special to me; I'm pretty picky about masques. I smoothed it on, let it dry for about fifteen minutes, and rinsed it off using a washcloth with warm water. My skin felt cleansed and smoothed. I would really have liked to have more of the masque so I could get a better of its lasting effects and improvements to my skin (if any!). These samples were a nice addition to the travel size product selection.

I've been known to use these products separately and together in one large routine, minus of course, the samples which I pretty much used up after the first few days. I really love the Skin Prep Scrub and am unfortunately almost out of it (and thus have been trying not to use it). It gets the grit and grime of my face without leaving it feeling... well, gritty and grimy. It really does 'prep' my face for a next step: sometimes I follow with the Special Cleansing Gel but I don't have to. Active Moist is nothing special to me, but I really love the Multi-Active Toner. I love the refreshed feeling the spray gives me, and it seems to add just enough moisture to my post-scrub face before I use the kit's (or another) moisturizer. I love the flexibility I have with these products, but I really wish there was more there for the money I spent.

The International Dermal Institute has something here: they are producing no-frills, do-the-job items, and I may be enticed enough to buy larger versions of them individually if I ever have a nice spot of money. I am satisfied, but I can't afford it as often as I'd like to be able to. A 'normal' sized (4-10 fl oz) bottle of each of these items individually sells for $20 or so... ouch.