DRMTLGY is a popular skincare brand that sells a wide range of products including topical serums, sunscreens, moisturizers and much more. The brand describes their product line as “Medical Grade Skin Care” and most products are priced on the luxury end of the market.
But does DRMTLGY use ingredients that are clinically proven to be anti-aging? Does the brand use questionable additives? Which retailer sells DRMTLGY for the best price? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of DRMTLGY?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of DRMTLGY’s best-selling products (Needle-less Serum and Tinted Moisturizer) to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also feature real customer reviews, and provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells these products for the best price.
Needle-less Serum Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in DRMTLGY Needle-less Serum are shown above.
There are a number of active ingredients in this formulation clinically shown to have anti-aging effects.
Palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl tripeptide-5 are all peptides, and topical peptides were shown in a 2020 clinical trial to significantly reduce wrinkles.
Ceramide EOP, ceramide AP and ceramide NP are ceramides, and this class of compounds is clinically shown to improve skin hydration and restore the skin barrier, as we discussed in our review of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream.
Sodium hyaluronate is one of the most well-studied anti-wrinkle ingredients.
It has a low molecular weight, and a clinical trial published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that this ingredient can significantly reduce wrinkle depth.
Niacinamide was shown in a medical review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology to help protect skin from UV rays and to repair the skin barrier.
There are two inactive ingredients that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.
Phenoxyethanol is a common synthetic preservative that was shown in a clinical trial to be toxic to human cells.
Ethylhexylglycerin is a synthetic preservative shown to potentiate the toxic effects of phenoxyethanol in a 2016 medical review.
Overall, we consider DRMTLGY Needle-less Serum likely to be effective for improving skin quality, for reducing visible effects of aging and for improving skin barrier function.
We don't currently recommend this product due to the synthetic preservative combination discussed above.
A beauty influencer named Tiffany Lee explains why she likes this product in a TikTok video that includes a product demonstration:
@beautystylelist Needle-Less Serum @drmtlgy #serums #serum #antiaging #skincare #skin #skincareroutine #imobsessed #niacinamide #learnontiktok ♬ r&b loop - Official Sound Studio
Tinted Moisturizer Ingredient Analysis
DRMTLGY’s tinted moisturizer also functions as a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 46.
This moisturizer contains two active ingredients for the sunscreen effect: zinc oxide and octinoxate.
Zinc oxide is an excellent choice, because it’s a physical sunscreen ingredient that was shown in a 2019 medical review to be effective at blocking UV rays and to be entirely non-toxic.
Octinoxate is a chemical sunscreen ingredient, and as we documented in our review of another sunscreen brand called Elta MD, this ingredient has been clinically shown to be harmful to human health, and is actually banned in Hawaii due to the environmental damage it causes.
The inactive ingredients in this product, shown below, are primarily for moisturizing effect.
Niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate are effective moisturizers as we documented in the previous Ingredient Analysis section.
Glycerin was shown in a clinical trial to increase skin hydration at a concentration of 20%, but the glycerin concentration in DRMTLGY’s moisturizer isn’t currently published.
Phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin are also included in this product.
Overall, we consider DRMTLGY Tinted Moisturizer likely to be effective as a sunscreen and as a moisturizer.
We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of a chemical sunscreen ingredient with questionable health effects, and the synthetic preservative combination discussed above.
A TikTok user named Cait reviewed this product and explained how well it blends and whether or not it has a scent:
@beauty.with.cait if this was a tad bit lighter it would be one of my favorite tinted sunscreens #drmtlgy #tintedmoisturizer #tintedsunscreen ♬ original sound - Cait
Customers Rate DRMTLGY
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
DRMTLGY Tinted Moisturizer has been reviewed over 28,000 times on Amazon at the time of updating this article, with an average customer review rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Manni” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"What I appreciate most is that it doesn’t leave my skin feeling super oily. Instead, it provides just the right amount of hydration and a natural, radiant finish. It’s perfect for those days when I want a little coverage without the heaviness of foundation."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “LM” who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
"After about 4 hours, my skin started to feel dry and tight and it was quite sticky to the touch. I do not like either of those for my skin. The ingredient list would suggest this is a very hydrating formula but it was terrible."
DRMTLGY Tinted Moisturizer currently has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Google.
DRMTLGY fails to respond to the majority of customer complaints on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) page, which is a sign of a low-quality brand in our opinion.
Our Clean Skincare Picks
Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum is our top anti-aging serum.
It contains hyaluronic acid which was described as a "skin-rejuvenating biomedicine" in a medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles and signs of facial aging.
Ritual HyaCera is our top anti-aging skin supplement.
It contains wheat oil extract which is clinically shown to "improve skin damages induced by aging."
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Where to Get the Best Price
DRMTLGY is sold at a wide variety of online retailers.
Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of the two products reviewed in this article, at the time of updating this article:
Needle-less Serum
Brand website: $69 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $66 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Tinted Moisturizer
Brand website: $29 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $28.95 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Amazon currently has the best price on both products reviewed in this article.
DRMTLGY Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of DRMTLGY in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective formulations
- Needle-less Serum should be anti-aging
- Tinted Moisturizer should protect skin from UV damage
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Both products reviewed contained phenoxyethanol
- Both products reviewed contained ethylhexylglycerin
- Tinted Moisturizer contains octinoxate
- Brand website charges for shipping on low-priced items
