Your favorite exfoliating powder just got a glow-up — but did it lose its cult-status magic? I’ve used the old formula for six years, so I side-eyed the new one like it owed me money.
The change isn’t just marketing fluff. The old version clumped in humidity like a drama queen; the new one stays fluffy even in my steamy bathroom. That alone almost won me over.
It’s still a rice-bran powder you activate with water, but Dermalogica swapped the formula to feel finer and dissolve faster. It’s $68 for 2.6 oz — same price, so at least they didn’t shrinkflation us.
Faster Activation
Turns milky in 3 seconds, not 10 — I’m impatient, so this matters.
Low-Suds Feel
No foamy nonsense — just a slick, silky slip that rinses clean.
Photo: Masum Rahimi / Unsplash
They kept the rice bran enzyme (the OG exfoliator) but added a fruit acid blend that does the heavy lifting. It’s a one-two punch: enzymes dissolve dead skin, acids smooth texture — but it’s less “gentle” than the label suggests.
- Salicylic Acid: Clears pores without nuking your barrier
- Papain Enzyme: Eats dead skin like a hungry little beast
- Rice Bran: Soothes redness and adds that powdery softness
- Niacinamide: Calms the flush so you don’t look like a tomato
Photo: Kaeme / Unsplash
It’s like rubbing silk dust on your face — not gritty, just a whisper of texture. Left it on for 60 seconds and my skin felt like a peach, not a grape.
By week two, my chin bumps (you know the ones) were gone. But it made my cheeks slightly pink if I used it daily — so I dialed back to every other day, and the glow came without the flush.
Photo: Content Pixie / Unsplash
My pores look smaller (they’re not, but they’re cleaner), and my makeup sits better by noon. But my dry patches? Still there if I skip moisturizer. It doesn’t fix everything.
Photo: Fleur Kaan / Unsplash
The new formula is better, not just different — smoother, faster, less finicky. But it’s not a gentle exfoliant, so respect it or it’ll bite back.