Review: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

21 October, 2014

Review: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

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Are you the sort of person who loves a good facial scrub? If so you may want to check out the product du jour, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. Speaking as someone who is generally more of a chemical exfoliation enthusiast I was a bit skeptical of this product, but I ended up liking it a lot! Read on for more info.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

Product description:
"Gentle, daily use exfoliating powder for all skin conditions. Unique Rice-based powder formula activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes that micro-exfoliate dead cells, instantly leaving skin smoother and brighter." ($52 for 2.6oz/75g)

Ingredients:

Microcrystalline Cellulose, Magnesium Oxide, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Allantoin, Papain, Salicylic Acid, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, PCA, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Cyclodextrin, Lauryl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Limonene, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) , Hexylene Glycol.


The "Microfoliant" comes housed in a simple plastic shaker container, with two small holes to dispense the product:

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant container dispenser

The product itself is a very fine, slightly grainy powder.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant product texture consistency swatch

Users are supposed to cleanse their face as usual, then add about half a teaspoon of the Microfoliant to their already-wet hands, rub them together (gently) to create a paste, and massage into facial skin for a minute or so, then rinse and follow up with your moisturizing routine. I don't really know if I've been using precisely half a teaspoon of Microfoliant as I've been testing this product, but the container design prevents you from shaking too much product out at once.


My thoughts:
First off, let's discuss the pH of this product. It's not listed on the Dermalogica website, so I used a couple of home pH testing strips to test the paste mixture, and both appeared to register somewhere around 6. (Accuracy is not guaranteed with those home strips, of course) Relevant because a pH of that level isn't "bad" for skin, but it's not acidic to exfoliate chemically. So I'll be talking about this product's attributes as a physical exfoliant (scrub).

I'm the sort of person who generally prefers chemical exfoliation (on my face, at least), but I found Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant to be surprisingly gentle, and—dare I say it—pleasant to use and maybe even sort of soothing? Surprising for a facial scrub, and in my opinion, suitable for a daily use product. That said, I wouldn't use it in conjunction with any sort of chemical exfoliant because that would probably be too much—if you want to chemically exfoliate as well (or just have really sensitive skin), I'd alternate products and only use this a couple times per week.

This product doesn't seem to have any added fragrance, but it does have a light "grainy" scent, probably from the natural ingredients. Smells sort of like ground rice and wheat. Not so shocking given the ingredients list, eh?

I've been using this product pretty consistently for the last two weeks (ish) instead of my usual chemical exfoliants, and my skin feels smooth and lovely. I won't ditch chemical exfoliants in the long run because I think they do a better job of fading red marks and that sort of thing, but for me this would work as a once or twice per week kind of thing. Effectiveness aside, it just feels really nice to use!


Bottom line:
In my opinion Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is a little pricey for what it is, but taking cost out of the equation, I think this is a very effective and gentle physical exfoliant. Would recommend if it's in your price range.


Where to buy:
You can purchase Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant from the Dermalogica Website, the Birchbox shop, or Amazon.


Special promotion:

Dermalogica is sponsoring several "Face Map Our Nation" events happening across the country throughout October and November. Participants will get a complimentary Face Mapping© session with a certified Dermalogica skincare specialist, plus a chance to win Dermalogica products by sharing your face map on social media with the tags #ShareYourMap and @Dermalogica. For mor information and dates/locations, visit the Face Map Our Nation website.


What do you think of Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant? Do you prefer chemical or physical exfoliants?


Disclosure: The product featured in this post was provided to me for review purposes, however any opinions expressed above are honest and my own. I did not receive any other form of compensation. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy. #Dermalogica #IFabboMember
 

7 comments:

  1. I love to exfoliate. I am with you on the chemical exfoliation but I do like powder. It's usually more gentle..

    xoxo

    The Accidental Mama

    www.theaccidentalmama.com

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  2. This is definitely interesting. I have never seen an exfoliant that starts out as a powder.

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  3. I definitely appreciate the gentleness of the powder! It's much more pleasant to use than super rough grainy scrubs.

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  4. I've seen some powdered cleansers from Asian brands, but I've never purchased one before so I don't really know if they're similar to this? It's a nice product in any case. You could also probably add it to a plain liquid/gel cleanser for some exfoliation!

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  5. I have considered trying this "scrub" for ages. I wish it wasn't so dang expensive because it sounds really good.

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  6. Yeah, they're not kidding around with that price. It does seem to be slightly cheaper on Amazon though. Dermstore also carries the brand and last time I checked they give you $10 off $50 code if you sign up for their newsletter.

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