Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance Moisturizer
Product summary
"Dermalogica - Intensive Moisture Balance Moisturizer" is a well-rounded moisturizing product. To work well, any moisturizer needs to include a combination of water-binding and emollient ingredients. Dermalogica - Intensive Moisture Balance Moisturizer ticks this box. Humectants in this product (sodium hyaluronate, aloe barbadensis extract, butylene glycol and peg-8) help to increase the water content in the upper layer of the skin. (These ingredients do so by "capturing" water molecules from the outside air or from within the deeper layers of the skin). Emollients in this formulation (ceramide np, linolenic acid, phytosterols, dimethicone and ethylhexyl hydroxystearate) help to reduce the moisture loss from the skin. They also soften the skin surface and relieve the feeling of dryness and tightness.
Ingredient callouts
- As a plus, this moisturizer also contains ceramides (ceramide np 0.50% - 0.75%). Ceramides are a type of lipids that our skin produces itself. They are a building block of the skin's barrier. Ceramides used in skincare are synthetic or extracted from plants. They work well for softening the skin surface and "patch holes" in the skin's barrier.
Irritation risk
This moisturizer contains some common irritants, including those without a benefit for the skin. We assess the overall irritancy of this moisturizer to be medium. For a detailed overview of all potential irritants: click here
You can see the detailed formula review with the breakdown of all actives in the product and the full ingredient list with estimated concentrations in the tables below.
About the brand
According to Cruelty-Free Kitty "Dermalogica" is cruelty free, but its parent company is not.
Price
The product retails from 63.00$ up to 74.00$ in the United States.
For a detailed price comparison: click here.
Benefits
Promise: Anti-aging
What does the product description say?
Fine Lines and Wrinkles, Dryness, and Uneven Texture Highlighted Ingredients. . BioReplenish ComplexTM.
This product does not contain ingredients that are able to reduce fine lines and wrinkles or help with skin elasticity, but it can improve the look of the skin temporarily through moisturization. Well-moisturized skin might also be able to repair the sun damage better.
| Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| centella asiatica extract | MEDIUM |  |  |
| lactic acid | MEDIUM | | |
| sodium ascorbyl phosphate | LOW | | |
Promise: Moisturizing
What does the product description say?
Intensive Moisture Balance Moisturizer
This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.
The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water.
When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from
within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job:
sodium hyaluronate, aloe barbadensis extract.
This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: dimethicone, ethylhexyl hydroxystearate.
The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: ceramide np, linoleic acid
| Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| phytosterols | HIGH |  | |
| linoleic acid | HIGH | | |
| linolenic acid | HIGH | | |
Other benefit: Anti-oxidation
This product contains antioxidants (chlorella vulgaris extract, echinacea purpurea extract). In theory, they could help neutralize free radicals in skin and lessen the damage it gets from the UV light (sun), but there is no evidence that these ingredients can have a noticeable effect in skin.
| Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| chlorella vulgaris extract | LOW | | |
| echinacea purpurea extract | LOW | | |
| tocopherol | HIGH | | |
Honesty check
How honest is this product?
| Promise | Can it deliver? |
|---|---|
| Moisturizing | |
| Anti-aging |
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Potential irritants
| Ingredient | Irritancy | Skin Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| echinacea purpurea extract | | |
| rosa centifolia flower extract | | |
| peg-8 | | |
User reviews (0)
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| Irritancy | IRRITANCY
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Ingredients & concentrations
- lactic acid
- linoleic acid
- ceramide np
- Sunflower seed oil
- hydrolyzed sodium hyaluronate
- linolenic acid
- phytosterols
- sodium hyaluronate
- centella asiatica extract
- Vitamin E
- dimethicone
- ethylhexyl hydroxystearate
- +8 more
| Ingredient | Estimated concentration |
|---|---|
| 45% - 55% | |
| Plain old water | |
| 5.8% - 7.1% | |
| Helps soften the upper layer of the skin and reduce water loss from it | |
| 4.1% - 5.1% | |
| Used to create a nice product texture and help delivery of other ingredients. Might be somewhat helpful in attracting water to the upper layer of the skin | |
| 3.3% - 4% | |
| An emollient that helps soften the skin | |
| 2.5% - 3.1% | |
| 2.2% - 2.6% | |
| Helps oil and water mix together and works as an emollient | |
| 1.8% - 2.2% | |
| Used to create a nice product consistency | |
| 1.5% - 1.8% | |
| An emollient that helps to soften the skin and create a pleasant product texture and stabilize the formulation | |
| 1.3% - 1.6% | |
| A silicone that helps to reduce water loss from the surface of the skin. Can temporarily "fill in" lines and wrinkles, absorb oil, and create a nice product finish | |
| 1% - 1.2% | |
| Used to stabilize the product formulations and works as an emollient | |
| 0.9% - 1.1% | |
| Helps oil and water mix togehter and creates a nice product texture | |
| 0.6% - 0.9% | |
| One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Attracts water into the upper layer of the skin | |
| 0.55% - 0.8% | |
| Attracts water into the upper layer of the skin | |
| 0.5% - 0.8% | |
| A stable derivative of vitamin C. It is oil-soluble which means it is more likely to penetrate the skin compared to the pure form of vitamin C (which is water-soluble), but it is less bio-available and is way less effective in stimulating collagen and reducing wrinkles compared to the pure form of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) and its other derivatives (for example, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate). At the same time, this vitamin C derivative has been shown in studies to be effective in reducing acne, blemishes and clogged pores. It is less irritating then the pure form of vitamin C | |
| 0.45% - 0.7% | |
| A plant extract that can help to attract water to the upper layer of the skin and might have some anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties | |
| 0.5% - 0.75% | |
| A type of lipid similar to ceramides naturally present in skin. Helps to soften the upper layer of the skin and supports the skin barrier function to keep it hydrated. Can help to prevent inflammation in skin | |
| 0.5% - 0.75% | |
| Lipids that work as an emollient and can be helpful in repairing skin barrier function | |
| 0.45% - 0.7% | |
| A plant extract that has been shown to be able to reduce inflammation in skin, support restoration of skin barrier function, as well as support collagen production. Contains active compounds called centelloids: asiaticoside, madecasosside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. Might be helpful in preventing stretch marks. It can be itself be irritating though. | |
| 0.5% - 0.75% | |
| An excellent emollient. Helps soften the skin, restore its barrier function, and can help to calm down inflammation. It can be helpful to prevent blemishes and clogged pores | |
| 0.3% - 0.55% | |
| Plant extract that might have some anti-oxidant properties. Can be irritating | |
| 0.3% - 0.55% | |
| Traditionally used to treat sunburns, dermatitis and inflammation, but evidence for its effectiveness is lacking. The extract can contain humectants that help attract water into the skin | |
| 0.35% - 0.65% | |
| An emollient that is naturally present in skin and helps soften it | |
| 0.3% - 0.55% | |
| Helps oil and water mix together. Could be comedogenic | |
| 0.25% - 0.45% | |
| Contains essential oil. Can be irritating | |
| 0.25% - 0.5% | |
| An exfoliating and moisturizing alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). Typically causes less irritation than other AHAs, for example, glycolic acid. At high concentrations (about 15%), lactic acid can help reduce lines and wrinkles. Recent studies show that lactic acid can support the "good" bacteria living on skin's surface (healthy skin microbiome) | |
| 0.3% - 0.6% | |
| An emollient that helps soften the skin and calm down inflammation | |
| 0.3% - 0.5% | |
| Acts as a solvent for other ingredients. Speeds up the absorption of other ingredients into the skin | |
| 0.25% - 0.45% | |
| Pure form of vitamin E. Can help moisturise and protect the skin from free radicals. Often used to help stabilise other ingredients or the formula itself | |
| 0.25% - 0.5% | |
| Helps oil and water mix together | |
| 0.25% - 0.5% | |
| A great emollient due to its high linoleic acid content. One of the most effective plant oils in helping skin hydration and repairing skin barrier function | |
| 0.2% - 0.4% | |
| Helps stabilize the product formulation | |
| 0.2% - 0.35% | |
| A preservative | |
| 0.25% - 0.45% | |
| A non-drying alcohol that works to soften the skin and stabilize product formulations helping oil and water mix together | |
| 0.15% - 0.3% | |
| Helps create a thicker or gel-like product texture. It is not a surfactant but can be used in gentle cleansing formulations | |
| 0.25% - 0.4% | |
| 0.1% - 0.2% | |
| Used to adjust the pH in formulations | |
| 0.1% - 0.2% | |
| Used to adjust the product's pH | |
| 0.15% - 0.25% | |
| A preservative. It helps prevent bacterial growth in cosmetic products | |
Show more | |
Sources
- Amended Safety Assessment of Alkyl Esters as Used in Cosmetics
- Dimethicone as a protective ingredient in topical medications
- Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Dimethicone Copolyol
- Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging
- Hyaluronan (Hyaluronic Acid): a natural moisturizer for skin care
- Sodium ascorbyl phosphate shows in vitro and in vivo efficacy in the prevention and treatment of acne vulgaris
- Sodium ascorbyl phosphate in topical microemulsions
- Final report of the safety assessment of L-Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Ascorbate, Magnesium Ascorbate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Ascorbate, and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate as used in cosmetics
- Regulation of collagen synthesis in human dermal fibroblasts by the sodium and magnesium salts of ascorbyl-2-phosphate
- Comparison of clinical efficacies of sodium ascorbyl phosphate, retinol and their combination in acne treatment
- Application of l-ascorbic acid and its derivatives (sodium ascorbyl phosphate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) in topical cosmetic formulations: stability studies
- Sodium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate 5% lotion for the treatment of acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial
- Skin hydration is significantly increased by a cream formulated to mimic the skin’s own natural moisturizing systems
- Topically Applied Ceramides Interact with the Stratum Corneum Lipid Matrix in Compromised Ex Vivo Skin
- Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Titrated Extract of Centella asiatica in Phthalic Anhydride-Induced Allergic Dermatitis Animal Model
- Centella asiatica in cosmetology
- Triterpene Composition and Bioactivities of Centella asiatica
- Asiaticoside induction for cell-cycle progression, proliferation and collagen synthesis in human dermal fibroblasts
- Assessment report on Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, herba
- Centella asiatica in Dermatology: An Overview
- The Effects of a Standardized Extract of Centella asiatica on Postlaser Resurfacing Wound Healing on the Face: A Split-Face, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- The Permeability Barrier in Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency: Evidence for a Direct Role for Linoleic Acid in Barrier Function
- Digital image analysis of the effect of topically applied linoleic acid on acne microcomedones.
- Contact dermatitis as an adverse reaction to some topically used European herbal medicinal products – Part 2: Echinacea purpurea–Lavandula angustifolia
- The fatty acid profile of the skin surface lipid layer in papulopustular rosacea
- https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/docs/sccs_o_073_annex1.pdf
- Epidermal and dermal effects of topical lactic acid
- Dual Effects of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids on the Skin
- Vitamin E in dermatology
- Vitamin E and Skin Health
- Effect of Olive and Sunflower Seed Oil on the Adult Skin Barrier: Implications for Neonatal Skin Care
- Topically Applied Sunflower Seed Oil Prevents Invasive Bacterial Infections in Preterm Infants in Egypt
- Effect of topically applied lipids on surfactant-irritated skin