If you've been using chemical exfoliants and looking for a step-up, this may just be your holy grail. This stuff is strong!
Before this, I was new to the whole chemical exfoliant and have been using Nip & Fab's glycolic pads. At some point I think my skin's gotten tolerant and felt like perhaps the stuff I was using was just not really cutting it. I still use other forms of peeling solutions and more often than I would use this - this DECIEM product is more like a once a week thing, max twice a week thing for me right now
Ingredients
This product contains Alpha Hydroxyl Acids and Beta Hydroxyl Acid, which means it not only exfoliates the top layer, but also the underlayer of the skin to really clear the skin out. The AHAs in here are Glycolic, Lactic, Tartaric and Citric (30%) and BHA is Salicylic Acid (2%). Surely this is one of the strongest chemical exfoliants on the market at pH 3.6.
This product also contains Hylauronic Acid Crosspolymer, Vitamin B5, Black Carrot and Tasmanian Pepperberry, which explains the colour of the solution - it's red and has a strange smell (not too bothered by it personally), and you will look like you've just burnt your face when you apply it on til when you have to rinse it off
Usage
2 things you need to be conscious of before using this product: 1) your skin is tolerant to chemical exfoliants; and 2) your skin is dry.
I have yet to find out why chemical exfoliants only really work well with dry skin - I have used the Skin Food Pineapple enzyme peel before and had deemed it useless only to find out that I should have used it on dry skin instead of wet. I suppose you can only really strip away the skin when it's dry than when it is bouncy and replenished with moisture.
Using the pipette, take the product out the bottle and on to your skin. I spread it with my fingers but you can always use a brush. Warning - this stuff can be REALLY tingly and it's not recommended that you use this for more than 10 minutes. I usually go about 5 before I feel like I have to/want to wash it off. It will rinse off with water, but if you're like me and for some reason suck at all this, opt for a damp cotton pad and wipe of the excess.
Efficacy
This product is the real deal. Occasionally I don't know if it's worked but figured out that it's my wet skin rather than anything that I feel like it didn't work. The other day when I washed it off, my skin was reflecting light like no other. Although I could still see my pores and everything, under the light the skin looked so smooth, almost waxy. That's when I knew that this product has worked.
It is a little difficult to catch the effects of this (still trying to figure out lighting), but I have tried get an image of what my skin on the back of my hand (very dry) looks like exfoliated with this peeling solution than not. The exfoliated side was clearly brighter and smoother than the other side. Granted, some of it may be lighting, but I find it hard to argue with the effects of this product when it comes to skin on my face.
I am, however, still trying to get a hang of how to use this product, even though I'm half a bottle in. There is yet much that I have to research and test out other exfoliants that other people have recommended me - gentle yet effective. For the time being, this will always be one of my favourite exfoliants and I use this when I can take the time for a complete routine.
Just a warning though, this stuff can be really tingly - when I first started I wanted to scratch my face off within 2 minutes of having it on my face. If you are used to peeling solutions already, then you will be fine. This product has not broken me out, but perhaps it's the salicylic/acidic nature of it that is usually used to clear the skin and shed away dead skin. My face has been red but nothing a good mask session that follows can't help it.
The Ordinary line by Deciem has always been very reasonably priced. It is sad to see that Victoria Health will no longer stock Deciem products, but sites like beauty bay/cult beauty may have this, and they also have a store in London.
Total score for this product? 5/5 for me!
Have you used this and what are your thoughts? Do you have other chemical exfoliants to share? I'm always down to try different products so let me know your recommendations!