I was recently asked to review some skin care products from Darphin, a skin care company that I’ve been really curious about for years. I’ve only had the products for a short period of time (I’ll be posting an update after my typical six week trial period), but so far I’ve really been liking the products!
I started using the products two weeks ago, right as the cold(ish) winter weather was suddenly giving way to mid-70 early summer weather? What was up with that? And it was a challenging time of the month for blemishes. So, from several perspectives, these products have already been through some skincare-challenging times.
Azahar Cleansing Micellar Water
This was a completely different skin cleanser for me. It looks like water, but you basically use it like a toner. Which means you apply with a cotton round and don’t rinse it off. It did remove all of my makeup without issue, including mascara and eye liner. Since Darphin says to not rinse afterwards, I was worried about residue, but there wasn’t any. I had no after wash irritation or redness. It seemed to just get the job done and to be very gentle. Darphin says that this product has been formulated to be ultra-gentle and suitable even for those with rosacea.
Age-Defying Dermabrasion
I’m super picky about scrubs, particularly if they will be used on my face. My phobia stems from a comment made by one of the faculty during a lecture when I was in medical school. They showed a picture of the skin surface after using a scrub. It was full of deep scratches, and while they weren’t visible to the naked eye, it really it looked horrible. It made most of us cringe. I had a few tubes of the same scrub stockpiled in my bathroom at home, they were promptly thrown out! The problem? The grit was unevenly sized, sharp and there wasn’t enough of it. To compensate, most women really scrub with the scrub, resulting in skin injury.
This scrub really does have all of my ideal scrub qualities. When looking for a scrub I look for grain that it small, uniform in size and not at all sharp. The grit (silica, pearl and lava powders) is small, consistent in size and I haven’t had any issues with sharp edges. There’s just enough grit to spread around and get every little bit of skin. With light washing I found that this scrub has a good balance between being gentle enough to use a few times a week and still get a nice exfoliating effect.
Ideal Resource
Ideal Resource is the real star here, the anti-aging cream. Sure, it has the usual suspects such as anti-oxidants (Tocopheryl Acetate), my beloved sqaulene and sodium hyaluronate are there for some hydration, and there’s even caffeine for some added temporary skin tightening. But, you’ll also find some new ingredients here such as Centella Asiatica, Knotweed, and White Hibiscus.What exactly do these things do? Truthfully, I was a bit confused by the paperwork sent to me by Darphin on these ingredients. (What exactly does “increased oxygen resource” mean?) The MD in me needed more info, so I dug some up.
Centella Asiatica: According to Darphin, Centella recharges the dermo-epidermal junction with oxygen resources by stimulating cutaneous microcirculation, resulting in an increased “glow.” What does this mean? It took me a while to figure out because that term “oxygen resources” was confusing me. What I can figure out from that sentence is that the underlying levels of the skin see improved oxygen delivery because their microcirculation is better, essentially because there are more blood vessels in the area. Is it true? A quick search for this ingredient over in Pubmed found that it is used in a wide array of applications, and this reference in particular mentioned decreased edema, anti-oxidant properties, anti-inflammatory actions, collagen modulation to prevent scarring, and yes effects on blood vessel creation in the area. I even found quite a few references about wound healing (2, 3, 4). Perhaps more encouraging was the effects on fibroblasts, preventing them from early death (reference 5).So, overall there are quite a few ways that this little extract could fight aging, and the increased “oxygen resource” claim is true as there is evidence in the literature for improved microcirculation in the area.
Knotweed: Knotweed extract is rich in Resveratrol, the amazing wondrous anti-oxidant found in red wine. Preventing damage from reactive oxygen species will help fight the signs of aging, but in particular premature aging due to sun exposure (reference).
White Hibiscus: Here’s another claim that I was confused by when reading the info sent to me by Darphin. White Hibiscus is present to “recharge the epidermis with cellular vitality resources by stimulating keratinocyte renewal” and the “epidermis is transformed progressively, and skin surface imperfections are removed.” Which I think means improved cell turnover and maybe improved cellular life so that the cells are around to improve that skin surface.White Hibiscus was a bit harder to find information about, and surprisingly enough a lot of what I initially found was about insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia (1 and 2).
What was more interesting about those references was the potential for anti-oxidant activity, which was then confirmed in reference 3, and then in reference 4 there was event discussion of specifically improving White Hibiscus for topical application. I’m not certain that what I found matches what was in my paperwork, but it does sound promising as an active ingredient in skin care.
So, get to the pointAfter all of that, how did I actually like the cream? I really like it. It is thick, light ivory color, and it has a subtle floral scent. It feels really, really good going on. It seemed like it should have been much too heavy for my combination skin, in particular once the weather turned so warm. But it really wasn’t. The cream absorbs within 1 or 2 minutes and there wasn’t a residue left behind. I can use it at night or in the morning since it doesn’t interfere with makeup application at all. And since it is so hydrating it seems to just make me glowy. All sorts of glowy goodness is going on. And there were no issues with blemishes, despite some hormonal issues and weather changes. So far I really like this cream!
I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!
The cleansing water appeals to me since I like to use a toner after cleansing at night and in the morning. These products sound quite nice.
I've taken care of my skin since I was in my 20's so I was glad to find your blog. I didn't know about the scrub, now I have to read what mine says on the label! I'd love to try these products! I'm now a follower and I'll be adding you to my blog list!
Rondell
This sounds wonderful. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
I'd like to try the anti-aging cream. Not that I'm opposed to aging; I'd like to continue doing it for a long time. I just don't want to look like I've been aging for a long time.
Roxanne
The Good Luck Duck
whotookmybucket at gmail dot com
The anti-aging cream looks fab! I would love to try something that's packed with so many good antioxidants!
youremakinmeblush@hotmail.com
This looks like it would be a fun win. I'm always looking for a good anti-aging cream. Darphin has quality stuff.
i'd love to try the Dark Circles and De-puffing Eye Serum
karinaroselee at gmail dot com
I'd love to try the anti-aging cream!
Wow, the darphin cream sounds amazing. I definitely look forward to this sweepstake! Thank you!
panglu.xiong@gmail.com
Intral Redness Relief Soothing Serum is my choice. I have sensitive skin prone to redness, and I have a lot of trouble finding effective products for my condition.
The Ideal Resource looks great! I know that the Stimulskin line is fantastic. love Darphin!
blowens32 at hotmail dot com
I would love to try Darphin’s Clear White Brightening and Soothing Serum. I have very visible age spots and the brightening serum sounds amazing and might help with my issue.
Amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted about this giveaway: https://twitter.com/#!/uTry_it/status/196503174239105025
Amy [at] utry [dot] it
I keep seeing and hearing about Darphin products,thanks for this opportunity!!
lunrei at yahoo dot com
The cream sounds absolutely lovely! I've been wanting to try Darphin for quite some time now.
Shannon
lipstickdiva at comcast dot net
http://bit.ly/Ijt3FI — Tweeted!
the microdermabrasion! thanks!
nesssf at gmail dot com
I've wanted to try Darphin products for a while. Thanks for a great giveaway!
kittylitter1 at gmail dot com
I've had Darphin samples and they smell lovely. They also work in the gentle, non irritating way that I like.
I'd like to try the Wrinkle Corrective Eye Contour Cream for my fine lines problem.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/tcarolinep/status/196820892918091776
I'd like to try the Age Defying Dermabrasion and Ideal Resource cream. Love seeing the ingredient references from PubMed, but I'm geeky like that!
I want to try the Dark Circles and De-puffing Eye Serum to reduce the appearance of my dark circles
elena150980@yahoo.com
https://twitter.com/#!/ElenaIstomina/status/197108279451717634
elena150980@yahoo.com
I would like to try the Stimulskin Plus Rejuvenating Lifting Serum because I would love to even out my skin tone.
eugeniewu at gmail dot com
tweet; https://twitter.com/#!/wizardewu/status/197143690664349696
eugeniewu at gmail dot com
I would LOVE to try Darphin skincare! It's one of those brands that I always gaze lovingly at in magazines, but have never had enough cash to purchase a whole system. valhoff 3 at yahoo dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/mamavalveeta03/status/197190348580196353
i would be happy to try any of the products, but ideal resource sounds just heavenly
misslilad@mac.com
oh yes, PLEASE bless me with the chance!
kytah00@yahoo.com
2nd entry tweet! https://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/198728864367783937
I would love to try the Clear White brightening and hydrating creme to even out my skin tone
I want to try the Dark Circles and De-puffing Eye Serum
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/ChelleB36/status/199365780326985728
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Wrinkle Corrective Eye Contour Cream because I need help with my wrinkles
merleandtina@yahoo.com
https://twitter.com/#!/HappyTina0115/status/199929284574445568
merleandtina@yahoo.com
I'd really like the cleansing water, since I'm constantly on the hunt for a new toner.
I want to try the cleansing milk to see if it helps with my blemish problem. Thanks for the review and giveaway.
songyueyu at gmail
tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/syytta/status/201438357564305408
songyueyu at gmail
Mandatory Entry:
STIMULSKIN PLUS REJUVENATING LIFTING SERUM
Thanks for the opportunity!
Email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/anashct3/status/201508669949612032
Thanks for the chance to win!
email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com
I'd like to try the INTRAL Redness Relief Soothing Serum.
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/KerryBishop/status/202219869645713410
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net
I would ADORE the opportunity to try Darphin! *crossing my fingers!*
(my Email address is sheckpatricia at yahoo dot com)
I would love to try the De-puffing Eye Serum to help with my aging eyes!
I get some redness around the eyes so I'd love to try the Intral Cleansing Milk.
eugeniewu at gmail dot com
I wold like to try Darphin’s Clear White Brightening and Soothing Serum.
The main thing I do is moisturize and stay out of the sun. I'm starting to see some signs of aging anyway though at age 47 so I'd love to try Anti-Dark Spots Perfecting Treatment!!! Thanks for a chance to win and have a great day!
kmassmanATgmailDOTcom
i tweeted here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/205153692498935808
debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com
i would like to try the Dark Circles and De-puffing Eye Serum – i'm always looking for a good product for dark circles
debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com
i tweeted here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/205161695113527296
debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com
Fabulous blog post about these products! Your writing style is highly informative while still remaining personable and fun. I'm sold. I'll definitely be checking them out, and I'd love to enter the sweepstakes!
CLEAR WHITE Brightening and Hydrating Cream sound like it would help me.
purple_lover_04 at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/205507644193128449
I would LOVE to try the Ideal Resource Anti-Aging Cream!! Darphin products are wonderful! I have used their Vitaserum 40 for (12) years. It is amazing product that shriniks puffy, swollen and baggy eyes. It is the BEST product I have ever found for that.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR OFFERING THIS!!!! 🙂
starseeds88 (at) yahoo dot com
I'd really like to try the HYDRASKIN LIGHT Gel Cream. My skin needs a lot of hydrating and this looks like a great way to do it.
willitara [at] gmail [dot] com
Next month I turn 51 and some of these products would help out alot.