Dermalogica UltraCalming - skincare for sensitised skin – tried and tested review

If you have sensitive skin prone to flare ups that often leave your face feeling sore, red and itchy, finding products that don’t aggravate it are hard enough, never mind finding ones that actually treat it.

Developed specifically for sensitive skin is UltraCalming, a skincare range from Dermalogica. Key active ingredients include acetyl tetrapeptide-15, extracts of red hogweed, oat kernel and ginger, plus bisabolol. Together they target inflammation, soothe skin, reduce redness and relieve irritation.

The range includes the four products pictured: UltraCalming Cleanser, UltraCalming Relief Masque, UltraCalming Mist and UltraCalming Serum Concentrate.

All four products featured in last year’s You Beauty advent calendar, which is how I came to acquire them. I have been waiting to test them with my Philips ReAura home Fraxel laser. I don’t suffer from sensitive skin but after every ReAura session my skin is left feeling very hot and sore, and extremely red.   

I finally got around to using the Dermalogica products this week. These are my thoughts:

UltraCalming Mist

I spritzed this on my face immediately after using the ReAura:
- this is my favourite of the four products
- instantly cooling and soothing
- more effective than the Avene Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water I normally use

UltraCalming Serum Concentrate

I applied this next:
- it didn’t feel particularly cooling or soothing on contact with my skin
- noted some reduction in facial redness after application

UltraCalming Cleanser

I applied this the morning after my evening ReAura treatment
- it’s a gel cleanser and felt nicely cooling and soothing on my skin (I applied to dry skin)
- I didn’t notice any difference in facial redness after application

UltraCalming Masque

I applied this 24 hours after my ReAura treatment, with my skin still feeling slightly warm from the laser.
- lotion-like in texture, more fluid than I was expecting or that I really like from a mask
- I didn’t find this particular cooling or soothing
- made no difference to my facial redness 

Final Thoughts:
For calming and soothing my skin after ReAura, Dermalogica’s UltraCalming isn’t as effective as my usual LightStim/Sqoom combination (see ReAura review). Granted UltraCalming is a range of pure topicals, while my Sqoom and LightStim solutions combine topicals with skin penetrating technology. But Dermalogica claims the actives in its formula work below the skin’s surface to interrupt inflammatory triggers that lead to sensitisation. I therefore felt it was fair to pit them against each other and compare.  

But despite my findings, I was very much impressed with the UltraCalming Mist and that is one product I can see myself forking out for in the future.

Dermalogica UltraCalming can be bought here, with prices starting at £26.90 for the 250ml UltraCalming cleanser.