Review: Dermalogica's UltraCalming line helps the sensitive skin

By April MacIntyre Jul 21, 2010, 6:42 GMT

The products I had experienced included botanicals and peptides that help mimic skin’s natural protective barrier, helping to strengthen skin cell structure against water loss and defend against dehydration-induced sensitization. There were no fragrances or dyes, and the line is paraben-free. Courtesy fof Dermalogica

If you regularly blast off your skin with retinol products, fruit acids, glycolic based skin refiners and other highly potent concoctions that are meant to keep fine lines at bay and refine skin texture, you will appreciate what I have found to balance these caustic anti-aging skincare treatments.

Dermalogica was a line of skincare I was vaguely familiar with, but never had used or really investigated. Last week I went to the Santa Monica, California Concept Space on Montana Blvd., and with the help of Dermalogica's Director of Global Information, Annet King, I dove headfirst into the experience. 

First glance impressions were that this company's ethos was steeped in clean and minimal for overall design of packaging and store installation, and based on how the sales staff and estheticians were presented, decidedly unfussy and straightforward. 

Ms. King explained to me how the company had expanded from their basic grey and white line to an array of specialty lines all organized in a linear segregation on the walls of the store.  Elevated above the main floor was a skincare Pod, which is where I was headed.

The Montana Concept Store in Santa Monica

Dermalogica was created by Jane Wurwand and Ray Wurwand, who launched the company in 1986 and base their privately owned skincare company in Carson California.  An Englishwoman, Jane Wurwand developed the products to better support the advanced curriculum she had developed a few years earlier for The International Dermal Institute, which she also founded.

Their company and the International Dermal Institute, a finishing school for already licensed estheticians, services the top cities of the world: Berlin, London, New York, Dubai, Mumbai, Auckland with product manufactured in the U.S.A.

The night was a private event to reveal their latest line of product custom made for people like me who assault their skin with strong anti-aging creams and serums to keep the skin looking super flawless, younger than the chronological years.

If you scream a bit when you apply your nighttime treatment, or are battling Rosacea or have recently had any work done (chemical peels, microdermabrasion, facelifts, injectibles) and are in a sensitive state, Dermalogica has a new line, UltraCalming System, that is a must-have for your beauty regimen.

My facial was with Courtney, a clear-skinned pretty young woman who was made up, yet I could see her healthy skin through the makeup she wore on her face, a good sign.   She introduced me to the UltraCalming line by beginning with the UltraCalming Cleanser and removed every bit of makeup on me.

Facials are wonderful for many reasons, but mainly when someone has you in a supine position in a darkened room and they are using proper facial massage technique (lymphatic drainage and pressure point stimulation) combined with light steam and lots of wonderful feeling product, you have a mini-vacation away from anything stressful. A regular facial is a splurge for many, but if you can trade your daily Starbucks for a week, you have the money for a treatment like this at Dermalogica.

Inside the Concept Store

Courtney then applied the UltraCalming Relief Masque that felt incredible, very cooling and hydrating, but not greasy in any way. This was further enhanced by the light steam hovering near my face. She followed this with a clarifying spray of UltraCalming mist, and since my time in the "chair," I have come to love this product the most. It is so versatile and rehydrates the skin in this arid climate of Southern California.

Next the UltraCalming Serum Concentrate was applied and Courtney used an electrical impulse type device to aid the absorption of the serum into the skin. It was prickly feeling, and that set me up for the finish of UltraCalming Barrier Repair, a lightweight moisturizer to seal all this hydrating goodness into my skin and make me look like I just knocked ten years off my face.

My complexion looked really fantastic and I needed just the most minimal amount of makeup in my T-Zone area (I fight mild Rosacea and am prone to redness around my nose).  The whole experience truly made a difference and benefitted my skin, more so than many facials I have had in the past.

Courtney prepared a Dermalogica "face mapping" outline for me that explained a plan of action for my concerns and skin type.

Annet then gave me the low down on why Dermalogica created this line specifically for sensitized skin.

"UltraCalming was a needed piece in the Dermalogica skincare offering, as so many people are opting for chemical peels and have sensitivity issues, we needed to present a complete system to help manage the multiple causes behind sensitized, inflamed skin, which can stem from a genetic predisposition towards sensitivity or as a result from environmental assaults," explained Ms. King.

Indeed. It’s tough out there for skin, with stress, pollution, climatic extremes, medical procedures and even the foods we eat wreaking havoc on our faces.  Annet explained to me based on figures provided by the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 50% of the American population claim skin sensitivity based upon itching, redness, heat, stinging and dryness, all of these symptoms of sensitized skin that can lead to premature aging.

Know your epidermal barrier.  Sensitized skin usually is the direct result of a compromised barrier layer where lipids (fats) normally protect your skin and seal in moisture.  When we over clean or use the powerful skin resurfacers that are meant to deeply exfoliate, we can cause immunogenic inflammation: When skin is under assault, localized skin cells are alerted and activated to fight off the “invader.” This allergic reaction in skin triggers redness, soreness, and itchiness.

Annet told me that Dermalogica was the first skincare line to deal with neurogenic inflammation: Whereas immunogenic inflammation is triggered by the immune system, neurogenic inflammation is set off by our nervous system.  This cascade effect can occur when an irritant chemical activates our nerve sensors.

All five UltraCalming products that Courtney applied to my skin featured the proprietary UltraCalming Complex. Ms. King shared with me that the multi-benefit complex includes active ingredients that mediate immunogenic and neurogenic inflammatory triggers for immediate and long-term relief of inflamed, sensitized skin.  Also perfect for those of us who must be mindful of our Rosacea triggers, the biggest offenders being sun and stress, also for some, diet and alcohol.

The products I had experienced included botanicals and peptides that help mimic skin’s natural protective barrier, helping to strengthen skin cell structure against water loss and defend against dehydration-induced sensitization.  There were no fragrances or dyes, and the line is paraben-free.

UltraCalming by Dermalogica is highly recommended to anyone needed a relief for their skin, and can be alternated with skin refining and anti-aging (or "Age Smart" as Dermalogica calls their line for skin with aging concerns) products. Also if you suffer from Rosacea and have given up, please consider this line to address the inflammation issues and to even out skin tone in texture and color.

Dermalogica products are made in the U.S.A. and are only available in select skin treatment centers on the recommendation of a qualified professional skin therapist, in addition to the brand’s concept spaces in Santa Monica, CA; New York, NY; London, England; Berlin, Germany; Auckland, New Zealand; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Mumbai, India.

During the course of my introduction that night, I learned that Dermalogica was used on the sets of some of my favorite smallscreen series such as “The Tudors,” “The X Factor,” “Skins” and “Ashes to Ashes.”  The line has many devoted beauties who are never without it, including "Damages” star Rose Byrne, Natasha Bedingfield and Victoria Beckham.

To learn more about Dermalogica® and the brand’s concept spaces, please visit www.dermalogica.com.