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Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant ingredients: is it worth it?
Gentle daily enzyme exfoliant with solid brightening actives, but low BHA concentration and essential oils drag down efficacy for anything beyond mild polishing.
Gentle daily enzyme exfoliant with solid brightening actives, but low BHA concentration and essential oils drag down efficacy for anything beyond mild polishing.
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Efficacy score of 3.9 reflects effective rice enzymes and Salicylic Acid in powder-activated format ideal for daily use without over-exfoliation, but deducts for undisclosed low Salicylic Acid levels (likely <1% for gentleness), no pH optimization data, and basic surfactant base lacking penetration enhancers; safety at 4.6 penalizes Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Oil for potential irritation in sensitive skins despite soothing oatmeal.
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DemythSkin rates Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 3.9/5 for efficacy and 4.5/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Microcrystalline Cellulose, Magnesium Oxide, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Disodium Lauryl Succinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Allantoin, Papain, Salicylic Acid, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Zinc Gluconate, Poppy Seed Powder, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Lauryl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Copolymer, Maltodextrin, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Citric Acid[1][5]
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (7)⌄
- Salicylic Acid
- Exfoliant, anti-acne, unclogs pores
- Papain
- Enzyme exfoliant, dissolves dead cells
- Colloidal Oatmeal
- Soothing, antioxidant, calms irritation
- Allantoin
- Soothing, promotes healing
- Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract
- Skin brightening, evens tone
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil
- Anti-acne, antimicrobial
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract
- Abrasive scrub, brightening phytic acid
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Salicylic Acid: Superstar exfoliant per INCIDecoder[5]
Colloidal Oatmeal: Goodie soothing agent, INCIDecoder[5]
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper exfoliant with a similar formula
A partial ingredient match (40%), not a close dupe.
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant: common questions
Is Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant worth it?
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant scores 3.9 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.5 out of 5.0 for safety (Very Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Gentle daily enzyme exfoliant with solid brightening actives, but low BHA concentration and essential oils drag down efficacy for anything beyond mild polishing.
What are the key active ingredients in Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant?
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Salicylic Acid.
Does Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant as documented irritants: Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil.
How is Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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