NEW Dermalogica Clear Start Flashfoliant

Where I got it

I picked this up from the Dermalogica.co.nz website. I had a $25 voucher from their loyalty program so I decided to try out something new from their website. This is RRP$45, but I got this for $20 after using the voucher. As usual, delivery was pretty much the next day or over the weekend. Dermalogic does a loyalty rewards programme where they give you 50 points for a product review and with every 250 points, you get a $25 voucher for any purchase at all, $50 voucher for 500 points, etc. From time to time, they also offer double points for reviews so you can easily get 100 points towards your next reward.

What I got

This is the NEW Dermalogica Clear Start Flashfoliant (100ml). A leave-on, flash-foaming chemical exfoliant that helps clear and prevent breakouts while brightening skin. Salicylic Acid, a Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA), helps wipe out existing and future breakouts to clear skin. Tangerine Peel Extract brightens dull skin while Grape Extract –a potent source of Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) –exfoliates dead skin cells to help even skin tone.

Ingredients: Active Ingredients: Salicylic Acid 0.5%. Other ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Butylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice Extract, Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Extract, Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens Oil, Juniperus Communis Fruit Oil, Jasminum Sambac (Jasmine) Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Leaf/Twig Oil, Ferula Galbaniflua (Galbanum) Resin Oil, Mimosa Tenuiflora Bark Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis(Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Citrus Paradisi(Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Peel Oil, Hydroxyacetophenone, Perfluorononylethyl CarboxydecylPEG-10 Dimethicone, Sodium Hydroxide.

How I find it

Initially, I thought this was an exfoliating powder product because I see heaps of brands with enzyme powders for gentle exfoliation and Dermalogica already has really good powder exfoliators with their main-line. However, this is something different. It is a leave-on chemical exfoliator that comes out in a foam texture. The main exfoliating ingredient is a BHA acid – salicylic acid at 0.5% which is quite mild and can be used daily. It also has AHA acid, but it is a lot more gentle in this formula.

After cleansing, I pat dry my face so it is still a little damp, and then you just tip the bottle upside down and squeeze. If you shake the bottle, the consistency inside sounds like water. Under the flip-up cap, there is a fine-mesh to ‘create’ the foam as you squeeze out the product. When the liquid inside is forced through that fine mesh, it “foams” up. The foam is nowhere near a dense foam or mousse, it is merely just foamy water and the bubbles disappear soon after. You just apply the product directly from your palms and just pat it on. The texture turns into a liquid as soon as you burst the bubbles and the product is absorbed or dries up as soon as it is patted or massaged in. Then you can apply your serums or essence directly after.

Overall

I love a liquid exfoliant and I have been using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA liquid for years and it certainly is a cult favourite with many skincare lovers, etc. After finishing up the PC BHA liquid, I started using this, but of course, this being a much lower concentration at only 0.5%, I didn’t really see a dramatic difference. It was more of a gimmicky thing with the foaming up and for me, it is most about trying a new product. My skin has much less blackheads and blocked pores after using the PC and with my current skincare routine, I found out that my skin didn’t really need 2% BHA all the time. I could drop the concentration of the BHA and possibly use a higher concentration of another active like Vitamin C or Retinol which my skin would probably benefit more from.

So overall, this product is probably perfect for someone with teenage or early 20s who are new to chemical exfoliants, where they can start with something more gentle and can be used on a daily basis. If you are more experienced with the use of BHA, maybe you should keep to what you are currently using unless, you are like me, who wants to dial down the BHA and swap for higher strength in something else, you could give this a go.