Dermalogica Redness Relief Essence

Where I got it

I got this from a Dermalogica counter in Life Pharmacy after I had a mini facial. It was right in front of the counter because it is a new product launch. It comes in 2 sizes – 150ml for $80 and 50ml for $35.

What I got

This is a 50ml bottle of the Redness Relief Essence from Dermalogica. Lightweight like a toner but concentrated like a serum, the refreshing formula visibly reduces redness and helps reduce sensitivity by strengthening the skin’s moisture barrier. Redness Relief Essence is part of the UltraCalming™ line and works synergistically to relieve, restore and hydrate sensitive skin against redness, discomfort and dehydration.

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, 1,2-Hexanediol PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propanediol, Avena Sativa (Oat) Meal Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Powder, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Piperonyl Glucoside, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Hydroxyacetophenone, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Lavandula Spica (Lavender) Flower Oil, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Linalool, Limonene, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

How I find it

I started using this as soon as I got it as I was kind of missing an essence in my skincare routine at the moment. Also, I haven’t really used a redness relief product or a product to address sensitivity before so I wanted to give it a go asap.

I have some redness around my cheeks and nose area which I have not really addressed before because my focus has always been acne scarring and hormonal breakouts. However, when I started using more and more acid and retinol products, I thought I needed something to help with my redness and irritation too.

So after cleansing and toning, give this bottle a good shake, then I use about 2-3 drops of the essence all over my face. I’m not sure if how much I use was enough, but it doesn’t leave my skin feeling wet or damp. It does have a little bit of gritty feeling on the skin but it disappears, feels more like a powder within the essence more than exfoliating kind of gritty. After the essence, I would spray my skin with a bit of Avene Thermal water and then apply the rest of my skincare because I like to apply my skincare on slightly damp or moist skin.

Overall

The essence doesn’t add hydration or moisture at all, but it does get absorbed fast and leaves my skin feeling smooth, so it’s not greasy or sticky. It doesn’t affect my next skincare steps so I’m quite happy to keep using it day and night.

During a good 4 weeks of using this essence, I used a particular exfoliator that made my skin quite sensitive and it was to the point of peeling and itchy to the touch. I actually didn’t see much redness on my skin and the sensitivity also calmed down within about 2-3 days. I was also using a sheet mask with Centella Asiatica to calm sensitivity and repair my skin. I think this product did help in calming the redness and irritation.