Darphin Age Defying Dermabrasion!

Advantages: Exfoliates brilliantly whilst still gentle on skin, smooths skin, basically it does what it says it will.

Disadvantages: Price.

Darphin is a French company that was established in 1958 by Pierre Darphin. He is said to have revolutionized professional beauty care with unique, luxurious aromatic-plant based formulas and his personal belief was that pleasure is a critical catalyst to enhancing personal beauty.

These days Darphin say that they integrate breakthrough cosmetic and dermatological technology with extracts and essences of aromatic plants by using exacting combinations of these finest aromatic essences. They also still maintain the belief that pleasure plays a bit part in beauty; that feeling beautiful and looking beautiful are inextricably bound which is why they design every product to be delightful to use both in the feel of the product but also the scent – which is where the extract and essences come into force. Aromatherapy seems to play a big part in this company’s ethos.

 

I decided to try this product because on paper it ticked a few of the requirement boxes: exfoliating – check, anti ageing – check, still gentle on the skin – check! As you may have noticed with some of my reviews I am on a bit of an anti-ageing mission, trying to find good products to help my skin fight off those nasty horrible lines and wrinkles as I get older so that I can try to prevent rather than cure them further down the line; so this really appealed to me as my skin can be quite dry and needs a lot of exfoliating usually. A lot of exfoliation products can be quite harsh on the skin so I was very interested to see how this fared, whether it would still be quite harsh but exfoliate well, whether it would be gentle on the skin but not exfoliate well or whether it would just do as it claims it would.

From the box: 

‘Institute-inspired, anti-aging dermabrasion rejuvenates as it polishes skin to perfection. Natural exfoliants (Silica, Pearl, and Lava) make this delectable, creamy complexion-slougher gentle enough for sensitive skin; powerful enough to help reduce the look of pores, age spots, discolorations and to visibly smooth lines and wrinkles. Scoop a small amount on fingertips and massage in circular motions over damp skin (or dry skin for greater exfoliation). Avoid eye area. Rinse off with luke warm water. For optimal results: follow with application of the Youthful Radiance Camellia Mask. Dermatologist tested.’

Inside the box there is the jar of product itself, a little spatula to ensure the product stays as sterile as possible, a consumer card that you can send to Darphin to receive beauty advice (if you want it) and a leaflet stating other Darphin products (peels and masks) and short snippets of information about each of them.

  
The texture of the product feels very gritty (like a very fine grit though) when you rub it between your fingers (and on your face) but not so gritty that it hurts to use it. It’s also quite creamy though, which I think is partly what stops it being too rough for your skin.

I tend to apply it to my dry skin with slightly damp hands so that the product gives maximum exfoliation but is also able to be spread across my face easily; thus using a little less product but also so that the products goes on easier. I spend about 5 minutes massaging it into each bit of my face in an upwards circular motion, getting into all areas including around the nose especially to make sure that all parts of my face get the benefit of using this product.

 

Rinsing this product off is easy but you need to make sure all remaining product is removed and no gritty residue is left on there.  

 
After using this product for the first time my skin was a little bit red for about 10 minutes after but it felt so smooth, and so healthy. I used my Eve Lom day cream to moisturise after and then applied my makeup as usual. I noticed that my makeup went on a lot easier, probably because there was no longer any dead skin loitering around ready to ruin any foundation and powder I applied.

 

After using this product continuously (twice per week) for about 4 weeks I noticed my skin felt in much better condition overall, it seemed plumper and more refreshed too. The difference in using this compared to a normal exfoliating face washes was huge, as normal ones to me always seemed to leave my skin feeling like it could still take a bit more exfoliation but not anymore use of the face wash as they always felt quite harsh and made my skin quite sore.

I found some of the claims on the website and have decided to respond to each one individually in order to show how the product lives up to each of them.

 

Refines skin texture: I think the texture of my skin has improved dramatically since using the product. I don’t think it has felt so smooth since before I was in my teens.

Visibly reduces the appearance of wrinkles: I didn’t really have any wrinkles to start with, I do have a few fine lines threatening to appear though and whilst it hasn’t made them disappear, I do feel that my skin condition has improved enough overall to make them a little less noticeable. 

Diminishes the appearance of dark spots: I didn’t have any dark spots (that I could see anyway), but my skin can be quite blotchy at times and this seems to have diminished somewhat since using this product.

Promotes a luminous complexion: My skin is much more luminous these days; it no longer looks dull because of dead skin cells that are still there that regular exfoliating face washes have left behind. 

The product does cost a lot more than I would usually pay for this kind of product at £48, but I really think that sometimes you do need to spend a little bit more to get the kind of effect that you are aiming for; especially when it comes to skincare as you only get one chance to keep your skin naturally in good condition. It is currently being sold on jasonshankey.co.uk for £43.20 for a small saving.