Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel Review
Hey Dreamers and Creators!
What products do you like to use to exfoliate your skin? Scrubs? Peeling gels? Chemical exfoliators? Others? I find that my skin seems to like peelings gels the best. Although, I have been planning on testing out some chemical exfoliators, baby steps though.
My first peeling gel was Cure, otherwise known as the best selling peeling gel in Japan. Cure is wonderful with just one tiny problem. Its price. Cure can be very expansive. I got my first bottle back in the day for almost $40. Yeah, that is a lot of moolah. It made me wonder if there are other peeling gels on the market that are just as good without the hefty price. After a bit of research, I found Secret Key's Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel. So, today's review will be on the Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel, courtesy of Memebox. It's like they read my mind because I've had this sitting in my cart for a while now (trying to build the perfect haul~).
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| Product comes with outer plastic wrap. |
120ml, $10
Product Description: A gentle peeling gel formulated with lemon water, lemon fruit extract, and other botanical extracts. The peeling gel works to remove dead skin cells and care for pores while maintaining moisture on the skin leaving it feeling fresh and smooth. With its botanic extracts such as aloe and chamomile, the peeling gel can help soothe irritated skin. This product follows the 5-free system which means no paraben, no mineral oil, no Benzophenone, no phenoxyethanol, and no artificial color.
To Use: Make sure the skin is dry before using this peeling gel. Take an adequate amount of the peeling gel and gently massage it onto the face. Keep massaging until skin residue forms on the skin. Massage for at most 5 minutes then rinse off with lukewarm water.
For sensitive skin types, it's best to use this product once a week. Make sure to massage gently and stop using it if it irritates the face.
For dry skin types, it's best to only use this peeling gel once a week and to use a moisturizing cream after. Make sure to massage gently and stop using it if it irritates the face.
For oily skin types, it's best to use this peeling gel twice a week for optimal sebum and pore care. Make sure to massage gently and stop using it if it irritates the face.
Ingredients: Purified Water, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cellulose, Propylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 80, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Water (90ppm), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract (10ppm), Althaea Rosea (hollyhock) Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Algae Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Zanthoxylum Piperitum (Sichuan pepper) Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Fragrance.
Please Do Not use if: you are sensitive to fragrance or any of its ingredients.
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| Expiration date at the top of the package. Mine expires in 2017. |
I thought I'd share the little blurb on the front with you guys. It says: "Fresh lemon leaves is rich in vitamin C moisturize the sensitive or problem prone skin caused by external environment or imbalance between moisture and oil to keep it soft, supple, refreshed and healthy. And Lemon D-toc peeling gel remove dead skin layer and helping skin turn over." Let's just leave it at that.
Scent: I expected this Lemon D-Toc to smell like, well, lemon and it does, sort of. It does not smell like fresh lemons and I seriously smelled this product for 5 minutes to try to get the scent right. It does, in some parts smell like lemon. It's got that sour lemony smell, but that's it. Whatever lemon smell this product has it is trying to cover up a chemical scent. Both scents are not super strong, although they are more than mild.
Texture: Like most gommage peeling gels, The Lemon D-Toc starts off as a gel and turns liquidy once applied onto the skin. After it has been massaged on the skin for a bit, it will ball up with dead skin cells on the skin and turn to visible residue.
Color: The D-Toc has a milky color that's opaque.
My Thoughts: Think of this Lemon D-Toc as a cheap dupe for Cure. That's how I see it. It's much cheaper than Cure and works pretty well. The main down side of this is the fragrance, which might not be suitable for everyone. Cure doesn't have added fragrance by the way. I'm not the biggest fan of the scent, but it's something I can deal with. The Lemon D-Toc, like Cure, does not leave the skin feeling dry after each use. The gel works easily to remove dead skin cells and does not irritate my sensitive skin, as long as I don't over use it.
With every new product, I start by patch testing it. Patch testing is so important for people with sensitive skin like mine. I think I talk about how I patch test in almost all my skin care product reviews. Seriously though, patch testing has saved me a lot of potential irritations and headaches. Anyways, when I patch tested this product I found that I don't need to massage the gel for 5 minutes. 2 minutes max is good for my sensitive skin, although I sometimes stop sooner because the dead skin residue are already visible and ready to be washed off. I also found that a little goes a long way for this product. That amount you see below is enough for my entire face.
Somewhere on the internet I found the 'Plate Test' which peeling gel companies use to show that their gel actually works. Why was such test created? Well, because some people think the balled up residue seen after using the gel is not dead skin cell but rather the gel balling up itself. So to prove those people wrong, they created the 'Plate Test'. Plates don't have dead skin cells, so if a peeling gel only ball up dead skin cells, that means there would be nothing to ball up on the plate.
So, out of curiosity, I put Secret Key's Lemon D-Toc peeling gel to the test. In the image above you can see how much peeling gel I used for the test. The result? It didn't ball up on the plate. I wore a plastic glove, so my fingers didn't touch the plate directly and I rubbed for 5 minutes. You can see in the image below that there's no balled up residue. It just looks like I rubbed the gel around. So Lemon D-Toc pass!
In terms of brightening, I don't think there is too big of a change after each use. I did notice a little bit of brightening effects on my skin sometimes, however, they do not last. The peeling gel also claims to soothe irritated skin, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I haven't found it particularly soothing when my skin is irritated but I am happy that the gel doesn't irritate my skin either.
I think this Lemon D-Toc would be great for people who are looking for a dupe for Cure. As long as you are not sensitive to any of its ingredients and don't mind its fragrance.
Pros:
-remove dead skin with ease
-doesn't dry the skin
-can brighten the skin a little
-inexpensive
Cons:
-fragrance might not be suitable for everyone
-doesn't soothe irritated skin like it claims
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| That's the dead skin balling up. Ew, I know. |
Final Thoughts: Secret Key's Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel is a pretty decent product. It's got some flaws, such as its fragrance and that it doesn't soothe irritated skin like it claims, however, it's not bad for its price. The peeling gel works great at removing dead skin and doesn't leave the skin dry after each use either.
Would I repurchase this product in the future? Still debating. I actually have another peeling gel that I got recently that I have yet to try. It's a bit more expensive than the Lemon D-Toc but not as expansive as Cure. I want to see how well that works before deciding if I want to reurchase the D-Toc or not. Would I recommend this product? Definitely. If you don't have any sensitives to any of Lemon D-Toc's ingredients, then this peeling gel is worth a try!
Where to purchase:
-Yesstyle.com (new version)
-Amazon.com
Check out my codes and deals page for more discounts!
Until next time!
~Michelle
IS it okay for people with acne? I've been debating if i should buy this especially for my acne scar,but i still can't review about it, i'm interested in this product because it has gel texture
ReplyDeleteYes, it should be okay. I have acne and sensitive skin as well and it hasn't caused issues for me yet. Although, it looks like Secret Key has changed the formula of this product and it's now a sparkling peeling gel. I haven't had the chance to try the new version yet, so I can't say much about it.
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