Product Review: Kiehl's Epidermal Re-texturizing Micro-dermabrasion

Also available on Amazon.

And so, after months of using the Kiehl's Ultra Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturizer, I was quite contented with it's performance and went again to the store to buy another jar. The saleslady was nice enough to recommend me some other products within the store. Since she found out I was using a bit of makeup, she introduced me to a facial scrub. I got some samples and was excited to try them out, including the scrub that she was so eagerly recommending.

The facial scrub is actually called a micro-dermabrasion - sounds fancy and expensive right? The product is indeed expensive, but Kiehl's fans seemed to be unbaffled by the high price of this product, as a real micro-dermabrasion session would cost even more. Plus, it's always a wonderful idea to be able to have a micro-dermabrasion session right at the comforts of home. 

If you're new to the entire skincare regimen concept, here's an article on Skincare 101 that might enlighten you on the subject. To roughly summarize, cleansing, toning, and moisturizing are the common steps that the majority of the skincare enthusiasts strictly adhere to. Aside from these, exfoliating the skin is also part of the routine but not on a daily basis. Once or twice a week should be enough for the fairly sensitive skin. For the more sensitive skin types, exfoliating the skin is omitted from the regimen. 

The purpose of exfoliation is to remove the dead skin cells that all humans normally shed by sloughing the top layer of skin. Most of the dead skin cells get stuck in our skin's surface, thereby clogging the pores - leading to acne, and giving the skin a dull appearance. Exfoliating the skin can be done in several ways, and micro-dermabrasion is one popular yet pricey method. It uses a high-speed rotating wheel or brush that gently removes dead skin cells and is usually done in a skin clinic. Crystals are used along with the equipment as abrasives and only a thin layer of skin is removed, leading to softer and brighter skin.

Although Kiehl's micro-dermabrasion is no rotating brush equipment, it is labeled as such perhaps due to the micro-dermabrasion crystals present in the product - which is similarly used in micro-dermabrasion treatments in clinics. Going back to the product at hand, here's a quick overview of Kiehl's micro-dermabrasion:

Product name: Kiehl's Epidermal Re-texturizing Micro-dermabrasion

Price: Php 3,045.00 / 75ml (Kiehl's Philippines)

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water, Alumina, Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii/Shea Butter, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Solum Diatomeae/Diatomaceous Earth, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Epilobium Angustifolium/Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Algin (according to cosdna.com, hydrolyzed algin is comedogenic)

Descriptions:

• An advanced treatment that has a highly effective abrading quality on skin’s surface.

• Affords an immediate skin-smoothing effect and with regular, tri-weekly use, helps to visibly minimize discolorations and small marks on face, hands, and décolleté.

• Over time, the look of facial lines is reduced and skin texture is significantly smoother and clearer, while the appearance of pore size is diminished.

• As skin is re-texturized, it helps to facilitate the absorption of topical skin treatments to maximize their efficacy.

• Formulated with “diatomatious earth”– crushed microshells derived from ocean sand – as well as a powerful ingredient used by dermatologists to perform micro-dermabrasion procedures.

• Helps to soothe skin with an herbal blend and nurturing sea algaenates. 

- Source: Kiehl's official website

Review:

I've only used this product a few times but the small sample I've got is a reasonable amount for me to see the product's impressive performance. The saleslady from Kiehl's instructed me to use this scrub two to three times a week, but my rule of thumb is, any type of mechanical exfoliation I will only use once a week. And with a relatively lower frequency in a week means that it would take the product a long time to be used up. 

I've tried a number of exfoliating products before, and this by far is my most favorite. The abrasives of the scrub are very tiny and comfortable on skin. Of course, it doesn't mean that I could freely scrub this rigorously on the face. As with any type of scrubs, I use this gently and slowly. So those with heavy hands, be extra careful!

I use this in place of the facial wash once a week, although the saleslady said that I can use this together with my facial wash for a more thorough cleansing. I think a one-step cleansing step is already enough for me. After using it, I notice my face becoming brighter and softer. It is working well with my oily and acne-prone skin.

The abrasives of product is non-irritating to my skin, although I"ve read a few reviews from Makeupalley users stating that it did irritate their sensitive skin. But so far, majority of the votes still favors the product, and I agree with them. If you have super-sensitive skin type though, perhaps using any type of exfoliant should be avoided, or try a small patch test first before trying this out on the entire face.

Pros:

- non-irritating to most people

- contains moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin and shea butter

Cons:

- very expensive

Verdict:
I am so loving the results the Kiehl's Epidermal Re-texturizing Micro-dermabrasion had on my skin, and so does my sister! The sample we've got is almost used up, but since it was so expensive, we decided to put off our purchasing plans in the meantime. 

Update (December 5, 2015): I am having a bad skin problem for the past few months and so I finally decided to buy this product. We'll see if this would help solve my skin issues.

Rating: 4.5/5

Last Updated: December 16, 2015