Now that the year is coming to an end, it’s time for my annual round-up of the products that I used this past year.
Here is a list of my 2015 skincare favorites. These products either made the biggest impact on my skin (outstanding results) or products that I especially enjoyed using (e.g. great texture, comfort, ease of use, packaging, scent, etc).
This list does not include samples (for example, foil packets or sample-sized tubes/jars) that I tried. Everything here is new except for a few old favorites that are so outstanding, I had to mention them again (noted with an asterisk *).
You’ll notice several brands appear more than once. This is because I spent time getting to know a few professional lines very well this past year: Revision Skincare, Lira Clinical, iS Clinical, and a few others. All of them are outstanding skincare companies with advanced and results-driven formulas.
You’ll also notice the vast majority of my ‘skin time’ was on professional skincare. The world of professional skincare is large and diverse, just like the retail skincare world. Each year I like to explore a few new professional lines in depth to find excellent corrective solutions.
I also enjoyed getting to know a few organic and green beauty brands and a few Asian brands. If I had more skin on my body, I would enjoy experimenting with more brands in this part of the beauty world. But right now, it’s hard enough keeping up with professional skincare! Especially since there are professional skincare companies in international markets (outside the U.S.) that I’m eager to discover.
2015 Skincare Favorites
CLEANSERS & MASKS
There are no exfoliants on the list this year because I did not try that many new ones (for retail), and nothing I did try stood out.
Cleansing Balms/Oils
- Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse – A cleansing ‘balm’ that is fluid enough to be pumped out (love this – much more convenient than scooping), so easy to spread, rinses off well. This was neck in neck with Emma Hardie’s at one point. But the more I used it, the more I came to favor this one, which is currently my top pick for cleansing balms.
- Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm – A balm that performs well on every measure.
- Banila Clean It Zero – A sorbet texture that melts into oil, spreads with no effort, excellent emulsification, very cost effective (cheap compared to most).
- The Organic Pharmacy Carrot Butter Cleanser – The rich oils in this balm are very comforting to dry or irritated skin. Doesn’t emulsify (normally a deal breaker for me), but when wiped off with a wet sponge or cloth, skin still feels clean and looks visibly brighter. If they reformulate this balm so that it emulsifies well, it will be an amazing product.
Note: *Dermalogica Precleanse (not shown in photo) is still my favorite cleansing oil (in a liquid oil format). I didn’t include it here because it was on last year’s list, and I have raved about it many times in previous posts. But after this post was published, one reader asked me if it had fallen out of favor. Oh no, definitely not! 🙂 This remains one of my favorite skincare products, an essential staple in my cabinet. You can read more about Precleanse in the Double Cleanse post here.
Cleansers (Water-Based)
- Circadia by Dr. Pugliese Amandola Milk Cleanser – A gentle, milky cleanser that exfoliates and leaves skin feeling very clean without being dry. Outstanding – the best exfoliating milky cleanser I have ever tried.
- Clear Choice Hydrating Cleanser – A milky cleanser that is soothing without leaving a residue.
- iS Clinical Cleansing Complex – A gel cleanser that is mildly exfoliating. Cleanses pores without leaving skin dry. Good for all skin types, oily or dry.
- MooGoo Skincare Milk Wash – A milky wash that is excellent for dry skin or dermatitis on the body. Can be used on the face too. The reasonable price makes this an affordable wash for the body.
Masks
- Revision Skincare Black Mask – A clay mask that deep cleans without leaving skin feeling tight while it’s on or dry after it’s removed. Comfortable while it’s on. High quality clays are used.
- Eminence Organics Brightening Masque – A creamy mask that truly brightens skin right away, wonderful mask texture, like all Eminence masks.
TONERS, SERUMS, TREATMENTS
Toners
- Cosmedix Benefit Antioxidant Prep – An anti-inflammatory toner that is moisturizing without feeling heavy or sticky. A great alternative to witch hazel toner for sensitive skin.
- Bioelements Power Peptide Toner – A peptide-rich toner that is super lightweight, great for hot summers and oilier skin types.
Age-Fighting Serums & Treatments
- Lira Clinical PRO C4 Retinol Serum – Truly outstanding Vitamic C serum combined with retinol. Fast results (smoother skin, more even tone). Super easy to apply, feels great, priced well.
- Lira Clinical Firming Serum – Wonderful texture almost like a thin gel that is very easy to spread. Application is seamless, even, and efficient. Most firming or lifting serums are blah and forgettable to me. This one is a pleasure to use.
- iS Clinical Youth Serum – Immediate tightening around my eyes. The only product that successfully and quickly reduces my under-eye puffiness. My skin is much flatter than before. The serum is intended for the whole face, but I like to use it around my eyes.
- *Revision Skincare Vitamin C 30% Lotion (old favorite) – A terrific, potent Vitamin C serum with 30% THDA (huge!) that is easy to incorporate into a routine, either as a lotion serum for dry skin or as a standalone moisturizer on combo or oily skin.
- *Revision Skincare Revox II Serum (old favorite) – The best neuropeptide serum in my book. The gold standard by which I compare all others. This is one of the few serums I keep replenishing. Have seen it work consistently well on many people of all skin types.
Brightening Serums & Treatments
- Lira Clinical Lite Serum – A botanically based serum that is very hydrating and soothing. I love pairing this with a Lira Vitamin C serum. While this is a targeted lightening serum, everything in the Lira line is incorporated with brightening ingredients.
- iS Clinical White Lightening Serum – An exfoliating serum (potent) that provides accelerated brightening (through faster exfoliation of pigment). One of the few serums that actually helps fade my stubborn dark spots.
- Mesoestetic Cosmelan 2 Cream – A fading treatment cream for which I have some ambivalence because of its steep price tag ($300+ per jar, which I think is way over-priced). This is not the easiest cream to use (leaves a dark orange color on skin), but it has worked very well at lightening a cystic scar and diminishing its size.
- Tatcha Deep Brightening Serum – Beautiful serum texture that feels good on skin. The scent is therapeutic to me. I feel a sense of calmness right away.
- Guuam Black Pearl Conchiolin 35 Whitening Serum – A fluid gel serum with a beautiful light texture, not too sticky or syrupy. While it’s intended for brightening, this doubles up as a lightweight hydrating serum. Great dropper, possibly the best dropper I have ever used for a gel serum (just the right amount comes out, easy to use, non-messy).
Other Treatments
- ScarGuard Physicians Formula – A silicone gel treatment that prevents thick scar tissue from forming. It truly helped my skin when it was burned, and when I got a giant, inflamed cyst that developed thick scar tissue afterward.
- ScarLight – A lightening treatment (2% Hydroquinone) which was effective on my body. I don’t use this on my face, just on body parts that have been injured (e.g. a cut or wound that turned dark after healing from PIH). This successfully lightened those areas.
EYE TREATMENTS
- iS Clinical C Eye Serum – My latest, rockstar, go-to eye serum. 7.5% ascorbic acid in a gentle, hydrating gel formula that won’t irritate eyes.
- iS Clinical Youth Eye Complex – My other rockstar, go-to eye treatment. This is an outstanding eye cream – both in terms of results and texture (sinks right in, wins on best texture among all my eye creams).
- Sesha Advanced Eye Restore – A moisturizing, age-fighting eye treatment with staying power.
- Nia24 Eye Repair Complex – A moisturizing, age-fighting treatment that scores high on emollience. Easily spreadable too.
- Revision Skincare Teamine Eye Complex – An eye cream that is specifically designed to treat dark circles. May also be used on the upper lids. While dark circles is very hard to eradicate (much of it is biologically beyond our control), this cream helps.
MOISTURIZERS
Age-Fighting Moisturizers
- Lira Clinical Lift Creme – Wonderful, pillowy soft texture that layers well with other Lira products or other brands.
- Lira Clinical Retinol Creme – A whopping 7% retinol cream that actually doesn’t irritate or dry out skin AND works!
- Revision Skincare DEJ Face Cream – The newest moisturizer in the line. While I like their other moisturizers (Firming Night, Restorative Night), this is a more advanced formula. The texture is nicer, and it’s in a pump bottle (clean and efficient).
- iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion – Beautiful, soft texture. Skin looks radiant afterward. Makes an excellent primer before makeup (in fact, was designed in collaboration with a makeup artist).
- DNA Renewal DNA Intensive Renewal – An age-fighting lotion that improved the overall quality of my skin AND felt great too. The tube packaging is conveniently small for travel. Love the brightly color-coded line.
Brightening Moisturizers
- Circadia by Dr. Pugliese White Veil Brightener – Just the right ‘weight’ for me – not too light, not too heavy, spreads and absorbs well, packed with advanced brightening ingredients.
- M.A.D. Skincare Daily Illuminating Moisturizer – A lotion that feels comforting and moisturizing on skin, one of the few creams high in silicones that works for me (generally not a fan of silicone textures). Gives skin a glow like the name claims.
Barrier Repair/Post-Procedure/Healing Moisturizers
- Meg 21 Smooth Radiance Cream – A rich moisturizer that I use for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties, also helps prevent glycation of collagen.
- iS Clinical Sheald Recovery Balm – A post-procedure moisturizer that is lightweight and doesn’t clog pores. Called a balm but not a balm in the traditional sense of the word (not heavy or thick). Rarely do I like post-procedure or barrier repair creams, mostly because they’re too heavy or lack elegance in texture. This is a light and smooth one.
- Lioele Intensive Time Reversing Snail Cream – Love how light and silky this cream is. It has made me a fan of the Lioele brand. Excellent for summer. While it’s not marketed as a healing cream, I find it to be healing (the snail mucin is regenerative).
Oils
- Odacite BI+J Blueberry Jasmine Oil – There are many great face oils, but this one stands out to me because of the scent. I like the exotic oils used by this brand.
- Wonderland Organics Balance Serum – The oils are fresh, pure, and organic. This is an honest, unpretentious, new brand that I have enjoyed getting to know.
Other
- SteamCream – An airy, soft cream that was originally an impulse purchase. This is my decollete cream because the fluffy texture is ideal for spreading over large areas. I enjoy the lovely, clean scent.
OTHER TREATMENTS
- Revision Skincare Nectifirm – One of the few neck creams that actually works. The neck isn’t the easiest area to rub due to its concave contours. So a cream with the right texture can make all the difference in terms of ease of use. This one makes spreading a cinch.
- Rodin Lip Balm – Many lip balms out there. Although over-priced, I like the quality and choice of oils in this balm. Just the right amount of emollience for me. Plus, it’s packaged in a cool glass case.
Rita, this is a great post as always. I was just curious as to whether you are still using Dermalogica multi active toner. I recently discovered their antioxidant hydra mist and am so in love! xoxo
Thank you very much Surleen. I am still using Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner. Love it! It’s a staple in my cabinet, on regular rotation with other toners. The Antioxidant Hydramist is great too. I’m so glad to know you like it! You’re in good hands – Dermalogica makes great toners.
I haven”t seen you mention DMK products anywhere on your site… have you tried them? Wondering what your opinion is.
I haven’t tried DMK, so unfortunately, I can’t provide an opinion for you.
I’m surprised that you havent tried that one, I have been doing some research and when I look up ‘paramedical skin care” or “transdermal skin care” this company seems to be the only one that comes up every time, so I compared a lot of the brands on the list in regards to the research behind the products and only a handful of them do have biochemists and/or dermatologists that have formulated the products. Have you tried Image skincare, it also seems to have lots of research behind it and really good reviews. One of my friends raves about the Image treatments she has had.
There are many professional brands, and as much as I would like to try every one, there’s only a certain range that I can use on my own skin. Not enough skin or time 🙂 I already use many more lines than most other professionals.
I am located in the U.S. I see you are located in Canada? DMK may be more prevalent where you are.
Image Skincare is a good line. I have used some of their products.
Something to keep in mind – dermatologist brands are not always formulated by the dermatologist. In many cases, formulation has been outsourced to a contract manufacturer or an independent cosmetic chemist, and the line is branded with the doctor’s name.
A dermatologist brand isn’t necessarily better. The notion of “better” also depends on what you care about. Some of the most innovative skincare lines (utilizing the most advanced ingredient technologies) are found in spa lines, not doctor lines. But if you’re looking for a line that caters to a certain skin condition – for instance, sensitive skin, you may find a simple but effective doctor line more suitable.
All professional and big brand retail skincare lines are formulated by cosmetic chemists who are chemists or biochemists by training.
Rita, thanks for the post. I found it was really useful in guiding me choosing products. I was wondering which Lightening Serum you found the most effective in lightening the brown spots. I have some light ones on my cheeks. I couldn’t find review on Lira online and iS Clinical is more expensive compared to it. I wondered which one works the best.
Thanks
The iS Clinical serum is a lot more expensive, but it will also last a lot longer than the Lira serum. The reason is that it’s a very thin fluid – you only need a few drops for the entire face. The Lira is a light emulsion, so you will end up using more product for the face. Both are good. Lira is more gentle. I would pick the texture that you prefer.
Thanks Rita for getting back to me.