Dermalogica is a Skincare Brand Icon—Here's Why

With hundreds of beauty brands on the market, there are some that manage to cement themselves as legends in the industry. Dermalogica is one of those legends. Not only is it one of the most sought-after skincare brands, it is also one of the must trusted, owing to its roots in skincare education. Nowadays, it’s still a leading professional skincare brand around the world, touted by more than 100,000 skin therapists in over 100 countries.

At its heart, Dermalogica is a brand founded on education. Founder Jane Wurwand (who, by the way, wrote a book chronicling her own journey and which is chock full of inspiration on how to launch your own) arrived in Los Angeles from the UK in 1983 with $2,800 and a mission to shore up the sorely lacking state of skincare education in the U.S. Her first move was to create The International Dermal Institute (IDI) in Marina Del Rey, CA, where she offered post-grad training to licensed skin therapists. The institute was a success, and three years later in 1986, Wurwand launched the Dermalogica skincare line. At the time, she saw a market dominated by overpackaged, overhyped products teeming with artificial colors, fragrances, and potential skin irritants, and jumped at the opportunity to create skin health-focused products that embodied the high standards of the International Dermal Institute.

The Dermalogica experience was—and still is—guided by three core principles: education, personalization, and human touch, resulting in an ever-evolving line of professional-grade skincare products along with education and services to both skin therapists and customers alike. This gives consumers who use Dermalogica products the chance to understand what their product is doing and why it’s helping their skin, cementing that personal, human touch the brand cherishes. 

An expert from Dermalogica explained that the brand has never sought to be about beauty, luxury, or pampering, but rather achieving healthy skin with quality products and trusted ingredients. “Dermalogica doesn’t make ephemeral promises of youth, perfection, and status; rather the brand celebrates the uniqueness of every person’s skin and their journey to skin health,” they said. To that end, Dermalogica offers various products and categories to suit the unique skincare needs of consumers ages 16 to 50-plus, from the teen-focused ClearStart line to the anti-aging Age Smart collection.

Keep reading for our favorite Dermalogica products.