Review – Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Peel

Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Peel was another product that I picked up when Cult Beauty was offering their Summer Goody Bag 2017 with a purchase of more than £110. I’ve been using this product for around 2 months plus and I’m ready to share my thoughts on it with you.

As usual, ingredients are below for your reference.

Ingredients

Water/Aqua/Eau, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, SD Alcohol 40-B, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Ethoxydiglycol, Retinol, Ferulic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Bisabolol, Soy Isoflavones, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Squalane, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Sodium PCA, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, BHA, Trideceth-9, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Sorbate, Benzoic Acid, BHT, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol

How does the Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Peel fare?

Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Peel is a peel (you’ve guessed it!) infused with a high-performance dose of retinol+ ferulic acid to accelerate skin renewal and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, loss of firmness, and for a more even-looking complexion. Unlike its Alpha Beta Peel counterpart, this peel is only done in one step. You’ll just need to swipe a pre-soaked pad all over clean, dry skin and carry on with the rest of the your skincare routine. It is recommended to be used 2-3 times a week for best results.

I was using the Alpha Beta Peel in conjunction with this product and found it to be a much gentler peel than the Alpha Beta Peel (On nights where I used this product, I do not use the Alpha Beta Peel). There was absolutely no stinging sensation even from the first use which was markedly different from my experience with the Alpha Beta Peel. For the first one month where I used this around 2 to 3 times weekly, I kept wondering if this product was actually doing anything cause the Alpha Beta Peel was so much stronger. However after using it for around 2 months plus, I came to the conclusion that this product is in fact a significant factor for the glowing state of my skin. One of the best things about this product is that its formula is well-balanced with moisturising ingredients like Urea, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Glycerin, thus enabling me to use this product even when my skin gets slightly sensitive while I was on my period. If you want a more layman comparison, I would say that the Alpha Beta Peel is like the strict parent who’s more abrasive in nature (using Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Ascorbic Acid etc.) and uses strong disciplinary actions to make sure that you do things right. On the other hand, the Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Peel is the kind of parent who’s slightly more gentle (using Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water etc.) and hands off but would “nag” you gently but persuasively to do things right.

I noticed that on nights when I used this product, my skin would have a calm gentle glow the next morning and it lasts till the whole day. In fact, I looked like I’ve gotten a glowing filter on my skin even when I do not use any foundation. I believe that even acid newbies should be able to incorporate this product into their skincare routine comfortably without too much fuss. This is a definite repurchase for me!

Where can you find it?

I bought this product from Cult Beauty Online. It retails at £77.00 (16 Treatments). 

Thank you for reading!

Review – Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta® Extra Strength Daily Peel

Source: Cult Beauty

Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta® Extra Strength Daily Peel is a product which I’ve been lemming over for the longest time. However, it’s pretty expensive and since I’ve already have so many unopened products waiting for me to use, I  really couldn’t justify buying it. BUT.. Cult Beauty had a summer goody bag promotion back in June 2017 and I AM A GONER! I clicked buy faster than you can say “Wait! Be rational! You only have 1 face!” What can I say? Skincare is my crack!

Anyway, let’s just check its ingredients below before we carry on with this review!

Ingredients
Step 1: Water/Aqua/Eau, Alcohol Denat. (SD Alcohol 40-B), GlycolicAcid, Potassium Hydroxide, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Salicylic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Lactic Acid, MandelicAcid, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Menthone Glycerin Acetal, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Copper PCA, Zinc PCA, Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Alcohol, Polysorbate 80, Fragrance (Parfum), Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzoic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate

Step 2: Water/Aqua/Eau, Sodium Bicarbonate, Resveratrol, Retinol, Ascorbic Acid, Ubiquinone, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Phospholipids, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Soy Isoflavones, Achillea Millefolium Extract , Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Copper PCA, Sodium PCA, Zinc PCA, Dimethicone, Lecithin, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol, BHT, PEG-30 Stearate, Octoxynol-9, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol

It contains a cocktail of almost all of the well known AHAs and BHA as well as Retinol AND 2 types of Vitamin C in the form of Ascorbic Acid and Ascorbyl Palmitate! This product is definitely not for those with sensitive skin or people who are newbies in using active ingredients!

How does the Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta® Extra Strength Daily Peel fare?

Dr Dennis Gross’ signature Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel combines five Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids with potent antioxidants (including Retinol, Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ubiquinone and Resveratrol), to smooth, refine and protect your skin. The patented two-step pads technology instantly improves luminosity and with regular use, minimises the appearance of fine lines and large pores, revealing a more even tone and texture. In a nutshell, this product is an acid peel which you can use daily at home instead of at your dermatologist’s clinic.

Below I’ve included a short clip in which the good doctor himself (Yes, it’s Dr Dennis Gross!) explain more about the product itself:

Another video on how you can actually use the product:

Anyway, I started using this product about one week before my period which was a mistake on my part. This is because my skin usually gets more sensitive and acts up during that period. However, I was so excited that I started using the product straight away once I’ve received it from Cult Beauty. When I first used this product, my skin actually felt a strong stinging sensation which surprised me since my skin was used to strong acids and tolerated them quite well. And what was more surprising to me was that this sensation carried on every time I used the product for at least a week. I was beginning to suspect that my skin at that time just wasn’t in the best condition to not only start using a new product but also a strong acid peel at that. However, after about one week, my skin got used to the product and there wasn’t anymore stinging sensation when I used it.

Side Note: I’ve read in an article before which states that it’s best to introduce new skincare products about one week after the last day of your period. That’s when your skin is supposedly at its most resilient condition.

Since I bought the product which contains only 30 treatments, I’ve already finished using it in around one month’s time. So.. What’s my verdict on it? Let me give you a clue.. My wallet is now wailing in a corner and cursing me right now.. Haha.. I LOVE IT SO SO MUCH!

If young Leo was my wallet…

After my skin got used to the product, it was just all smooth sailing from there. I usually take very good care of my skin but this product has pushed it to the next level! At that time, there was 2 areas on my face which bothered me – the right side of my cheek and my nose. I had 2 very persistently clogged pores on the right side of my cheek which refuses to go away despite me using my Lotion P50 religiously every night. Now don’t go rolling your eyes at me, it was really 2 big clogged pores. I tried to squeeze it out but it only resulted in one of the clogged pores “upgrading” itself into a red angry spot. Anyway, after I have already swiped Step 1 of the treatment pad all over my face, I used it again as a mini-mask by covering it just on the clogged pores for another 2 minutes before proceeding with Step 2. Lo and behold! The next morning while I was washing my face, the grits in those clogged pores were dislodged from my face! Yes, I was finally rid of those suckers!

Another quite visible improvement which I could see on my face is that the blackheads on my nose is very much reduced. Blackheads are one of the most irritating skin conditions for me. I used to go for professional facials where they would extract out the gunk from my nose every month but I haven’t got the time to go for a proper facial in months and they just kept multiplying on my nose! After I’ve used this product for around one month, I can definitely see that they have reduced around 50% or more.

Now the main reason why I really love this product is that my skin’s texture is completely changed from using this product. I usually try not to touch my face too much to prevent acne outbreaks but lately I’ve been noticing that my skin feels so so smooth, almost silk-like and this condition stays even after I’ve not used this product for one week or so (my repurchase is on the way!).

The only thing about this product which I need to caution you guys again is that it’s a strong exfoliant. In fact, I think that it might be a stronger exfoliant than my P50 lotion. Therefore I wouldn’t advise those with particularly sensitive skins to try this product. Even if you have normal skin, please remember to go slow with this product. I do not want you guys to experience the pains of over exfoliating your skin. I strongly recommend that you pair this product with a good moisture barrier repair cream or serum to help your skin better resist the actives (Stratia Liquid Gold is fantastic for this!).

Where can you find it?

I bought this product from Cult Beauty online. It retails at £70.00 (30 Treatments).

Note that I bought the version which is in a tub form. They also have those which are in sealed packettes for one time use and they are slightly more expensive at £73.50 (30 Treatments).

Thank you for reading!