This Medspa Skincare Brand You’ve Never Heard Of Is Shockingly Good, Especially If You’re Over 40.
by Audie Metcalf
We were introduced to this brand we’ve never heard of, during a recent facial.
We know you’re skeptical. Aestheticians are just trying to sell us crap! They make a commission! It’s a scam!
Yes. True.
Though we’re fine on them selling us stuff and making a commission. They have to make a living too. But here is why aestheticians, specifically independent facialists, are secretly the best way to discover excellent skincare:
The brand they choose has to work for sooo many people with every skin type under the sun. And so, if you have aging but sensitive skin, like us, this is a GREAT way to find effective products.
But the main point of difficulty is this: if they use 14 different things on your face, how do you know what’s what? If you saw your cheeks go brighter or your pores gets smaller, was is the serum? The oil? The mask? Do I really need to buy 14 things now?
And that, friends, is where they getcha.
But we are here today to tell you two secret pieces of information.
A deeply exciting skincare brand we’ve never heard of.
The 4 exact products to try.
The brand is called COSMEDIX.
And once we experienced its magic in person, we started to investigate. We discovered it was founded by nurse practitioners and aestheticians (love this already) who wanted to create effective, luxury skincare while being free of parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oil, PEGs, hydroquinone, synthetic fragrances and dyes. AND it’s 100% cruelty free. For true clean product seekers, it’s worth noting that some of their products do contain the confusing and oft-controversial ingredient dimethicone, a silicon that’s used in skincare products, which some speculate can contribute to over-drying or breakouts and, on a broader level, is bad for the environment. But luckily, the ingredients for each product are listed on the website for easy skimming.
And so, we made it our mission to try as many of their products (separately!) so we could understand what, exactly, was what. We did an insanely deep dive into the brand, and while a handful of products were sort of meh, we discovered these 4 can’t-go-on-without hero products that we bought with our own money, will buy again with our own money, and then keep buying them over and over again until we die.
And here they are.
1. Pure Enzymes Cranberry Exfoliating Mask
It’s first for a reason. A big reason. We’re about to say a really big thing here.
This is the most effective mask we’ve ever used.
It’s so jam-packed with exfoliating and softening ingredients that immediately after using, your skin will feel (and look) like you’ve had a professional peel. Lactic acids gently whisk away dead skin, superoxide dismutase (!!) reduces fine lines, and gluconic acid gives the skin a big, fat drink of water so that your glow is blinding.
To be honest, we’ve never understood masks. We have diligently used them, tried to force ourselves to see a difference in our skin, and forgotten about them in the backs of drawers and cabinets. But this mask now sits front and center on our vanity.
If you can’t (or won’t) get a professional peel, this is absolutely the next best thing.
Price: $57
2. Polish Dual-Action Body Scrub
A body scrub does not feel new. It does not feel revelatory or like it belongs on this list. How many dumb forgettable scrubs are sitting beside your bathtub right now? But this one is different. So very different. First, it uses 3 different exfoliators—pumice, jojoba beads, and EARTH—so the softness you’ll feel (and see) on your skin will rival one of those Korean spas where you leave 27 years of dead skin cells on the table. Second, it also uses a chemical exfoliant, lactic acid in this case, so you’re hitting the exfoliation from all possible angles. The scrub is serious, it is astonishing effective, and you’ll notice that all of your body creams and oils perform better after using it.
Price: $38
3. Opti Crystal Liquid Crystal Eye Serum
Incredible for extreme darkness or patchy/textured/bumpy skin. A tiiiiiny bit goes a long way, and we prefer to use it at night as it’s so unbelievably viscous it can be slippery under makeup. BUT The results are real, they are visible, they are fast. A pricey eye product to be sure, but when we find something this good, we’re not afraid to invest.
Price: $104
4. Peptide-Rich Defense Moisturizer With Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen
Possibly the best daily moisturizer with SPF 50 for super dry skin. If you like every “for dry skin” product just feels greasy, not moisturizing, your skin will soak this right up. Packed with squalane, treholose, amino acids, and vitamin e, this peptide-rich cream is a sort of all-in-one product that you can slap on in the morning with or without makeup. Your. skin. will. glow.
Price: $63
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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