Dermalogica is a skincare brand that sells a wide variety of products, from cleansers to exfoliants to sunscreen. The brand claims to provide “professional-grade skin care.”
But are Dermalogica products really better-formulated than cheaper options? Do they include ingredients proven to reduce wrinkles? Are there any unhealthy ingredients? And is Dermalogica better or worse than popular "professional-grade" skincare brands like Skinbetter Science?
In this article we’ll answer these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in three of Dermalogica’s most popular products based on clinical studies, to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective.
We’ll review Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator, Special Cleansing Gel, and Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 Moisturizer.
We'll also share unsponsored customer reviews of the brand, and explain what allegations prompted Dermalogica to settle two class-action lawsuits within the past three years.
Key takeaways:
- All products reviewed contained at least one ingredient we consider unhealthy
- Brand has been sued over allegations of customer data violations
- We do not currently recommend Dermalogica
Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator Review
The ingredients in Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator are shown below:
image source: https://www.dermalogica.com/
This is a powder that’s mixed with water and applied to the face, and it contains a number of research-backed active ingredients.
Colloidal oatmeal hydrates the skin. It’s created by grinding raw oats into a very fine powder.
A medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that topical use of colloidal oatmeal increases expression of genes related to skin barrier function, and has a moisturizing effect.
Camellia sinensis (tea) leaf extract is a more potent version of raw tea leaves. As we documented in our Hanacure reviews article, this ingredient is proven in clinical trials to delay signs of skin aging when applied topically.
Hydrogenated coconut acid is a mixture of fatty acids from coconut. It’s used rather than whole coconut oil because it’s thought to be less likely to clog pores.
A 2018 meta-study found that coconut oil was one of the most effective plant oils for anti-aging, so we’ll consider this ingredient potentially effective.
Papain, which is an enzyme sourced from papaya plants, may be a questionable choice for a skincare product.
A 2015 clinical trial found that papain degraded human skin and had a pro-inflammatory effect. This was an in vitro (test tube) study, which is a weaker standard of evidence than a human trial, but we recommend avoiding this ingredient in skincare products until further research emerges.
Limonene is a fragrance ingredient we generally recommend avoiding.
Overall, we consider Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator likely to support skin repair, but we don't currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of papain and limonene.
Why Was Dermalogica Sued?
In September of 2022, Dermalogica agreed to a $1 million settlement over allegations that the brand unlawfully recorded phone calls with customers, according to Top Class Actions.
It’s unclear what sort of customer communications were potentially recorded, but we’d recommend that individuals be wary of sharing personal or financial information over the phone with Dermalogica in light of this settlement.
Dermalogica appears to have settled a second class-action lawsuit, this time for multi-millions, in 2023.
Plaintiffs in this second lawsuit alleged that Dermalogica stored their biometric data without providing appropriate disclosures, according to the Freed Kanner London & Millen law firm.
Special Cleansing Gel Review
The ingredients in Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, which is a face wash, are shown below:
image source: https://www.dermalogica.com/
Glycerin is an effective ingredient for a cleansing gel, as it’s been shown in a 2001 clinical trial to improve skin hydration.
Lavender is a natural anti-fungal, as we documented in our Kerassentials reviews article.
There are two inactive ingredients in this formulation that we consider to be questionable from a functional perspective.
Sodium hydroxide is a preservative and a potential skin irritant according to a clinical study published in the Acta Dermato-Venereologica journal.
Lemon oil may cause phototoxicity according to a medical review, which means that lemon oil may make the skin more sensitive to sunlight and accelerate degradation of the skin during exposure to sunlight.
We recommend avoiding potentially phototoxic ingredients until more research emerges.
Overall, we consider Special Cleansing Gel somewhat likely to be effective, but we don't currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of synthetic preservatives and lemon oil.
Dermalogica improved this formulation since our initial publication of this review, removing a preservative ingredient that we highlighted as having the potential to cause significant skin sensitization.
Dermalogica vs. Popular Skincare Brands
Here's how Dermalogica compares to other popular skincare brands in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
True Botanicals
This expensive cosmetics brand uses exotic ingredients like Lactobacillus ferment, which is clinically shown to reduce skin damage.
However, more fragrance ingredients which we consider to be unhealthy are used than in Dermalogica's formulations.
Dermalogica wins from a health perspective.
Winner: Dermalogica
Skinbetter Science
From a potential efficacy perspective, we consider these two brands to be relatively similar.
However, Skinbetter Science uses a preservative combination we consider unhealthy, as we documented in our Skinbetter Science reviews article.
Dermalogica wins from a healthiness perspective.
Winner: Dermalogica
Curology
Questionable "individualized" cosmetic claims, but formulations should be highly effective and are generally free of questionable inactive ingredients.
Curology is the winner from both a potential efficacy and health perspective.
Winner: Curology
Moisturizer Review
The ingredients in Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 Moisturizer, which is one of the brand's most popular moisturizers, are shown below:
image source: https://www.dermalogica.com/
All of the active ingredients in this formulation are "chemical" sunscreen ingredients that we recommend avoiding from a health and environmental perspective.
Octinoxate is a "chemical" sunscreen ingredient that has been clinically shown to be harmful to both human health and to aquatic life, as we documented in our Perbelle CC Cream reviews article.
Octinoxate is a potential endocrine disruptor, which means it may disrupt hormone function in humans once absorbed through the skin.
Avobenzone is another "chemical" sunscreen ingredient that was found in a 2021 medical review to rapidly degrade after exposure to UV rays, suggesting that it may not be the most effective compound for sunscreen.
This moisturizer contains several inactive ingredients we consider highly effective for improving skin quality and reducing wrinkles including sodium hyaluronate (which is arguably the best-studied ingredient for wrinkle reduction) and topical peptides like palmitoyl tripeptide-5.
There are some inactive ingredients like preservatives and fragrance ingredients that we recommend avoiding, but for the sake of brevity, we'll end this product review here because we already shared our concerns about the active ingredients in this moisturizer.
Overall, we consider Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 Moisturizer likely to have an anti-aging effect and to protect the skin from UV rays, but we don't currently recommend this product due to our health concerns about its active sunscreen ingredients.
Our Clean Skincare Pick
MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.
It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.
This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."
This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Dermalogica Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Some products are affordable
- Highly positive online customer reviews
- Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator should exfoliate skin
- Special Cleansing Gel should help cleanse skin
- Dynamic Skin Recovery Moisturizer should provide sun protection
- All three formulations analyzed contained some research-backed active ingredients
Cons:
- Brand settled two recent class-action lawsuits that alleged customer data breaches
- Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator contains papain
- Special Cleansing Gel contains lemon peel oil
- Dynamic Skin Recovery Moisturizer contains "chemical" sunscreen ingredients
