Sparkled Beauty

Family owned/ operated derma e is new to me but known for vitamin rich, high performance antioxidant skin care products - 100% vegan, cruelty free, eco friendly and GMO/ paraben/ petrolatum/ gluten/ Phthalate/ mineral oil free.

With the disastrous state of my skin lately, I was happy for the opportunity to try out 2 products from the newly launched Purifying line, meant for normal to oily skin.

The formula includes:
- Kimarine: potassium/ magnesium rich seaweed, protects skin against environmental pollutants (exhaust fume, cigarette smoke, etc.)
- Bladderwrack: antioxidant rich seaweed with water binding properties
- Activated charcoal: absorptive ingredient (100 - 200 times its weight in impurities), deeply detoxifies the skin
- Green tea: antioxidant, helps fight free radicals
- Aloe leaf: herbal remedy, moisturizes and soothes the skin.

The Purifying daily detox scrub is a gentle to medium exfoliant, depends on your tolerance toward exfoliating effects.

Since I have tried both ends of the scrub spectrum - super gentle vs. stronger/ harsh exfoliating, this scrub ranges about in the middle for me.

The product is said to be gentle enough for daily use but I use it 3 times a week on irritated skin. It gives me enough scrubbing action while cleaning and soothing the skin.

No harsh particles (see swatch below) nor beads to hurt the environment. It also removes most of my face makeup (I always use a different makeup remover for the eye makeup). I do follow it up with a toner.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Seed Powder, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate, Charcoal Powder, Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwrack) Extract, Undaria Pinnatifida (Wakame, Kimarine) Extract, Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (.1%), Menthol, etc.

The tube has 4oz/ 113g of product, retails $15.50.

The Purifying 2-in-1 charcoal mask would purge the pores of toxins and exfoliate away micropollutants, thanks to the detoxifying effect of charcoal (mentioned above).

Note the 2-in-1 part, since this is not a simple mask but also a scrub.

The product goes on very smooth at first and dries very quickly into a lighter mint colour. Then a massage with moistened fingertips will activate the exfoliating effect. Very cool!

I use the mask only once or twice a week, depending on how often I use the scrub above. I love the dual action on the product and how smooth the skin feels after.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Kaolin, Bentonite, Glycerin, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Seed Powder, Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwrack) Extract, Undaria Pinnatifida (Wakame, Kimarine) Extract, Charcoal Powder, Epilobium Angustifolium (Canadian Willowherb) Extract, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), etc.

Smaller tube of 1.7oz/ 48g on this product, $19.50.

Notice the fine particles in the scrub (left) which is not very visible with naked eyes and the light and smooth texture of the mask (right).

I am quite smitten with both products and how gentle they are on my breakouts. No scents detected on either one. The mask has my heart since it also exfoliates, but when I need a good scrub, I know where to look :)

derma e products are available on their website and US drugstores. For Canada, try the store locator to find a health food store near you, or go online at well.ca or foodsmiths.com.