~ Go say hi to my new sis Redbitch - she's actually younger than me, I've just had excessive plastic...
~ Go say hi to my new sis Redbitch - she's actually younger than me, I've just had excessive plastic surgery! ~ 9,000 to bronze! ~
Member since:29.12.2004
Reviews:44
Members who trust:227
Dermalogica were an absolute heaven send during my former teenage years where I went through the classic acne phases of "growing up." Luckily I didn't have the classic spot infested years that most people get around the ages of 13 up to 16, I was relatively spot free for those years and as such the envy of all my friends! However when I was 18, that cursed summer, I awoke one morning around May time to discover a fair sized spot on my forehead. Over the next month or so I was never without a spot, I tended to have about 2 on my face at a time but they weren't just any spots - they were big white headed ones, the worst of the worse! After visiting the doctor (for an emergency appt of course, I was 18 and it was the summer!) he suggested some anti bacterial wash for a week to calm my skin down and also recommended the Dermalogica range to me.
~ The Brand ~
Dermalogica are a renowned skin care company and were founded in 1986 in Los Angeles - where would there be more demand for
perfect skin than LA! Their products were different to other products already available on the market in that they refused to use artificial colours and synthetic fragrancing which were favoured by the majority of products. Their products are now recognised by their simple, no nonsense packaging and their lack of "perfume" too!
~ Special Cleaning Gel ~
This is one of the first products I tried from the Dermalogica range and it's been the one I've stuck to over the past 2 years!
The gel comes in the classic Dermalogica packaging, a white bottle with a dark grey lid and dark grey writing on - highlighting the simplicity of their products. The bottle is plastic which makes it ideal for keeping in a shower or by the sink and the top is a flip top (similar to shampoo bottles) which is great as it avoids it opening unnecessarily and spillages too!
So what is it then? It's a soap free, foaming gel that's designed for everyday usage to throughly cleanse the skin and remove any impurities that may exist there. To look at it's clear, with a slight yellowy tint to it in certain lights - once again this isn't artificial, it's the actual colour rather than an imposed colour. As there's no perfume added to make them smell attractive it has to be said that the smell isn't the best, it's a mixture of mint and lavender which some may find delicious but isn't suited to most noses! It's not unpleasant and does smell slightly reminiscent of Tea Tree Oil, however once you've washed your face the smell doesn't really linger on your skin - thank goodness!
And now onto the benefits (and the science!)...
* Quillaja Saponaria - this comes from the Chilean Soap Bark Tree which occurs naturally and is known for it's medicinal properties and removing impurities and excess oils from the skin.
* Balm Mint - this is used to cool and calm the skin, it has a sedative action which will avoid any redness or blotching of the skin that can result from washing.
* Lavander Extract - this is primarily a fragrance but it also has the additional features of cleansing and refining the skin, which helps to maintain a natural balance of oils within the skin.
As for using it's quite a simple process, it can be used morning and night and takes about 30 seconds. Merely skirt a little of the gel out, a little goes a long way so about a pea sized amount will do. I usually rub it between my hands to lather it up before applying it to my face. Rub it in a bit and then merely splash your face clean with water - as easy as that! At first your skin can feel a little tight but this feeling soon disappears.
Now for the bad news... the price... this does tend to vary depending where you buy it from (for details of your nearest stockist visit http://www.dermalogica.com/default2.asp?region=?&location=? and enter your postcode). It is available on many websites: -
www.beautyflash.co.uk - the 273ml bottle is priced at £14.78 while the larger 473ml bottle is priced at £24.82.
www.jasonshankey.co.uk - they only stock the larger bottle, the 473ml which is priced at £33.10
www.shop.edirectory.co.uk - they again only stock the larger sized bottle which is priced at £30.44
So as you can see it's not the cheapest, but the good news is that it lasts for ages - honest! I tend to use it approx. twice a week now as a treat for my skin and my current 273ml bottle has been on the go since February and is just under half full. A little really does go a long way, on a daily basis I'd say a small bottle would last you about 4 months and a larger bottle about 8 months so it is good value for money in my opinion... as it works perfectly!
n.b. It can be used on a day to day basis but after a few weeks it will start to dry out your skin, that would be my only problem with this product!
~ Other Products ~
Anti-Bac Skin Wash - this is another one I tried, very similar to the cleansing gel but I did find it wasn't as good value for money as you needed to use more of the product to get it to foam up. It does have very similar properties but is recommended more for people who have full face yet milder acne as it contains Salicylic Acid which dissolves dead skin debris and bacteria too.
Dermal Clay Cleanser - a great product if you suffer from very oily skin as it's designed to regulate the oils in your skin and remove any excesses. I've never used this but my friend has, she found it made her skin much less oily and it contains soothing products designed to soote any irritation.
Hand and Nail Treatment - not only are they restricted to skin care for the facial area, they've recently branched into body care as well and this product is the first of about 20 they've introduced. It's non greasy and contains products to soothe rough hands while also promoting nail growth and young looking skin - what more could you want!
And so there we have it, the product that saved me during the summer of 2002 (although I do seem to remember it being somewhat cheaper back then, that's inflation for you) and stopped me from spending the summer months locked in doors or walking around with a bag on my head... I only had to promote the "bag look" for May!
Thanks for reading!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 3 Sizes Combination / normal skin conditions Special ... more
Cleansing Gel is a soap free gel with a botanical blend of Quillaja Saponaria and calming Lavender. It foams away impurities without leaving the skin feeling tight...
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 3 Sizes Combination / normal skin conditions Special ... more
Cleansing Gel is a soap free gel with a botanical blend of Quillaja Saponaria and calming Lavender. It foams away impurities without leaving the skin feeling tigh...
Travel Sized Special Cleansing Gel is perfect for keeping your skin glowing whilst on your ... more
travels. A concentrated, soap free, foaming gel is designed to thoroughly remove impurities without disturbing the skin's natural moisture balance. Does not cont...
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 3 Sizes Combination / normal skin conditions Special ... more
Cleansing Gel is a soap free gel with a botanical blend of Quillaja Saponaria and calming Lavender. It foams away impurities without leaving the skin feeling tigh...
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 3 Sizes Combination / normal skin conditions Special ... more
Cleansing Gel is a soap free gel with a botanical blend of Quillaja Saponaria and calming Lavender. It foams away impurities without leaving the skin feeling tight...
Advantages: Natural Ingredients, Good Value for Money, Kind to Skin, Good Results Disadvantages: Quite Pricey, Hard to Find Apart from Online, Best Bought After Prescriptive Facial
Jun 16th, 2005
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (93%):
helpful by (2%):
