SKINCARE | Derma E Vitamin C Instant Radiance Citrus Facial Peel

I thought that my first run-in with Derma E was when London Drugs started carrying it, but as it turns out, it was actually in an Ipsy Glam Bag six years ago with their Microderm Abrasion Scrub, which is one of their bestsellers! While Derma E is in the "realm of clean beauty", I have grown to like them for their plant-based approach to skincare while still focusing on efficacy. I have mentioned before that while most natural products seem nice and simple, as we hit our 20s and beyond, our skin needs actives and ingredients that peel, stimulate and target real skin issues beyond just hydration. In addition to ingredients, Derma E also has a number of environmental initiatives including making sure the ingredients used in sunscreens are coral reef safe and being aware of their carbon footprint as a company. I use so much skincare that sometimes it's hard for me to talk about it all, but for the last two weeks my skin has been craving clarity, but I didn't want to be too aggressive so I turned to a couple of products from Derma E and fell for the Vitamin C Instant Radiance Facial Peel! 

 PR gifted

I know that single product reviews can be a little boring for some and that round-ups are generally seen as more fun (hey, I love writing them too!), but if a product is interesting enough to me, I want to give it the attention it deserves like this one!

These first two weeks back at work have been rough in a few ways - the first being trying to get back into the swing of things after being completely absent for almost 2 months. As expected, I come home exhausted and I have fallen asleep a few times on the couch without realizing it. The second thing has been my skin. We have a lot of space at work to socially distance, but I do wear a mask with clients which on most days has been 4 hours at the longest and then sporadically for an hour or two throughout the day. While I have worn a mask before, I didn't do that much talking in one and now that I am carrying out long conversations, the irritation from the lack of airflow and what I feel to be overall "mugginess" inside a face mask has left me double cleansing my face instantly the moment I come home!

Ingredients: Purified Water, Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Peel, Glycerin (Vegetable Derived), Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate (Sugar Starch), Glycolic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C, Stay-C® 50), Phytic Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Extract*, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Lactic Acid, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Iron Oxides (CI 77492,CI 77491), Jojoba Esters, Orange Terpenes

I don't currently have an acid serum in my skincare routine so I have been using masks and weekly treatments to chemically exfoliate. Firstly, this facial peel looks good enough to eat and SMELLS like real oranges so right away, I know many of you will really enjoy it just from a sensorial perspective! I also like that this is a short mask at just 3-5 minutes. There is something off-putting about even 15 minutes where you sort of have to putter around for a bit before you can get going with the rest of your routine. Most importantly, when I saw the concentration of AHAs and vitamin C, the mask seemed promising and it was!

The texture of the mask is almost like a puree and is quite easy to apply with a slight tingle on the skin. Removal was best done with a cloth or by hopping into the shower right after time was up, but my skin looked fantastic each time! My skin looked fresh, "white" and had a much smoother texture both in look and feel. There was no redness and the results were instantaneous which I appreciate in a treatment peel such as this one. There is something so gratifying about washing everything off and seeing the effects right away. Ideally, I would be using a low concentration acid serum in conjunction with a mask like this to maintain my results, but for testing purposes I leave my skin alone and prefer to see how effective the mask at removing congestion and making me all bright and pretty again.

Final verdict: For just $29 at London Drugs, you get results that pretty much rival some of the really expensive brands you'd find at Sephora and Holts so just on that I would say "please get this acid peel now!", but then you have other qualities like a pleasant scent (with no synthetic fragrances), glass packaging and better ingredients in a higher concentration! I don't know why anyone wouldn't enjoy this product!

You can find the Derma E Vitamin C Instant Radiance Citrus Facial Peel at London Drugs, and www.dermae.com (US only).