My step-mom recently bought some products by DDF (Doctor’s Dermatologic Formula) and she loves them and I can tell a difference in her skin already! No lie. I thought I’d share with her and my readers what Paula Begoun says about this brand, now owned by Proctor & Gamble.

 

Remember, you can read Paula’s full reviews and advice in her book Don’t Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 7th Edition by Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron [Publisher: Beginning Press] [www.cosmeticscop.com]).

 

Review of DDF – Doctor’s Dermatologic Formula:

This skin-care company’s Web site has it right with the statement that “before the beauty world discovered dermatologic skincare brands, there was DDF.” Launched in 1991, well before it became common practice for “known” dermatologists to create their own skin-care lines, pioneering dermatologist Dr. Howard Sobel began and is still behind this brand. This is a long-standing line that has the backing of a dermatologist (and later that of nutritional consultant Elaine Linker), so you would expect DDF to be just what the doctor ordered. In some respects, it is. However, more often than not, products from dermatologists are just as prone to outlandish claims, exorbitant prices, and use of unproven ingredients as products from any other cosmetics line. A founder’s medical background isn’t a guarantee that every product he or she creates will do exactly what it claims or even be sensibly formulated. In that sense, DDF falters more than it succeeds. Sobel’s credibility for creating treatment-based skin-care products is diminished when inappropriate ingredients (alcohol, menthol, and others) are included in products positioned as prestige products with a medicinal slant. Still, there are some very impressive options available (particularly in the moisturizer and serum categories) that, price notwithstanding, are worthy of consideration.

 

The line’s success has not gone unnoticed by larger companies eyeing the growing trend of anti-aging skin care and the popularity of niche lines. It will be interesting to see how things shake out for DDF now that it is owned by consumer product giant Procter & Gamble. P&G released a statement that they intend to “infuse the line with a steady stream of innovation, add marketing expertise, and level its global reach and go-to-market capability to drive future growth” (Source: http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/news). They certainly have the money and staff to accomplish these goals, but it’s worth mentioning that P&G’s Olay brand, although mass market and at a lower price point, features many products that rival the best of what DDF offers, and with far fewer missteps. For more information about DDF, call (800) 437-7546 or visit http://www.ddfskin.com.

 

**Strengths**

Several good water-soluble cleansers; every sunscreen includes sufficient UVA-protecting ingredients; some truly state-of-the-art moisturizers and serums; a few good AHA and skin-lightening options; a good benzoyl peroxide topical disinfectant.

 

**Weaknesses**

Expensive; products designed for sensitive skin tend to contain one or more known problematic ingredients; several irritating products based on alcohol, menthol, or problematic plant extracts; more than a handful of average moisturizers, many in jar packaging.

 

Now, on to the specific review of what my step-mom is using and the key to the review:

 

🙂 * $$$ = Excellent; product that exceeds expectations and goes beyond the criteria for a product in its category with minimal to no concerns, but is unreasonably priced.

 

🙂 * = Very Good; a great product that is highly recommended because of its performance or impressive formulary characteristics.

 

🙂 $$$ = Very Good; a great product that meets and/or surpasses the criteria set for that category of product but is unreasonably priced.

 

😐 = Average; an OK but unimpressive product, or an OK product that can cause problems for certain skin types. I often use this face to portray a dated or old-fashioned product formulation.

 

😐 $$$ = Average; an ordinary, boring product whose excessive price makes it ludicrous to consider.

 

😦 = Poor; a product that is truly bad for skin from almost every standpoint, including price, dated formulations, performance, application, and texture, as well as potential for irritation, skin reactions and breakouts.

 

Brightening Cleanser 🙂 $$$

$32.00/8.45 oz

Claims:

A blend of six natural skin brighteners in a foaming glycolic and salicylic gel to help minimize uneven skin tone and hyperpigmented spots. Excellent for face and body as part of an overall hyperpigmentation program. Also effective in minimizing post blemish discoloration. Licorice scent.

Review:

Brightening Cleanser is similar to DDF’s Blemish Foaming Cleanser, except the azelaic acid is replaced by glycolic acid and the plant extracts are those known (at least in vitro) to have a skin-lightening effect. However, none of these ingredients will be helpful in a cleanser because it’s rinsed from the skin before the ingredients can affect pigmentation. This won’t lighten, brighten, or exfoliate skin, but it’s a good water-soluble cleanser for normal to oily skin.

 

Glycolic 10% Exfoliating Moisturizer 🙂 $$$

$46.00/1.7 oz/pH ~3.6

Claims:

Reduces the appearance of fine lines and other signs of aging. Helps increase hydration. Recommended for all skin concerns but very oily. pH balanced for optimum results.

Review:

Glycolic 10% Exfoliating Moisturizer contains 10% glycolic acid at a pH of 3.6, making it an effective exfoliant. The lightweight, silicone-enhanced lotion base is suitable for normal to slightly dry skin. Although it contains some great antioxidants and the packaging will keep them stable, the amount of each is so small as to be almost nonexistent.

 

Cellular Revitalization Age Renewal 😐 $$$

$125.00/1.7 oz

Claims:

For mature or damaged skin in need of cellular repair. A proprietary complex of proteins and peptides that activate the mitochondria (cells’ energy source) for firmer skin tone and texture. Formulated with Vitamin B complex, Copper, Flax Oil and Phyto-estrogens for cellular nutrition at the deepest level.

Review:

Cellular Revitalization Age Renewal makes all manner of cellular repair claims tied to the company’s proprietary complex of proteins and peptides. However, there isn’t much of those high-tech ingredients in this emollient moisturizer for dry to very dry skin, and several of the beneficial ingredients will be compromised by jar packaging. The phytoestrogen ingredients in this product cannot control skin symptoms associated with menopause. If you were intending to explore the potential antiwrinkle benefits of copper, this product contains barely a dusting of it.

 

Daily Protective Moisturizer (SPF 15) 🙂 * $$$

$36.00/1.7 oz

Claims:

A fragrance-free daily moisturizer that protects from environmental damage and has a lightweight, comfortable, non-greasy feel.

Review:

Daily Protective Moisturizer SPF 15 combines zinc oxide with other sunscreen actives, including 0.5% avobenzone (which is interesting because, as of this writing, these actives are not permitted for combined use by the FDA, although they are routinely combined in sunscreens sold outside the United States and a proposal is pending that may grant such a combination stateside). In contrast to the other DDF sunscreens, this superior option has a larger concentration of antioxidants. The base formula is best for normal to slightly dry skin, and this sunscreen is fragrance-free.

 

Mesojection Healthy Cell Serum 🙂 * $$$

$80.00/1 oz/pH:~3.6

Claims:

Mesojection Healthy Cell Serum is a topical substitution to one of Europe’s most advanced injection therapies called Mesotherapy. The continuous-release technology delivers anti-aging peptides and over 85 times more potent antioxidant activity to the deepest layers of the skin’s surface, while creating a mesh to lock in the nutrients for up to 24 hours. The resulting anti-aging restorative and preventative benefits increase firmness and brightness, and visibly diminishes fine lines and wrinkles related to UV damage.

Review:

Mesojection Healthy Cell Serum is sold as a topical substitute for a procedure known as mesotherapy. This treatment, which is not medically sound but is most commonly used to dissolve fat and improve cellulite, is based on receiving injections that are either homeopathic or pharmaceutical. Strangely, there isn’t necessarily any consistency, and the cocktail of ingredients can vary from practitioner to practitioner, which makes this treatment very hard to evaluate (and just because something is popular in Europe doesn’t mean it’s the global standard. After all, many Europeans still relish sunbathing). The most typically used substance is phosphatidylcholine, but it can also be combined with deoxycholate. A handful of studies have shown that this can successfully reduce fat when injected into the skin, with one study demonstrating this for the under-eye area. Theoretically, the reduction of subcutaneous fat may be caused by inflammatory-mediated cell death and resorption. What does any of this have to do with skin? DDF is hoping the association with injecting potentially helpful substances will correlate with topical application of this water-based serum. They state that this product’s technology allows for 85% more potent antioxidant activity to be delivered to the deepest layers of skin’s surface (which really isn’t that deep, but sounds impressive, doesn’t it?). There is no published research to confirm that this antioxidant serum delivers great benefits, but the good news is that it does contain impressive amounts of several antioxidants, in a base that is suitable for normal to dry skin. The second ingredient, methylpropanediol, is a glycol that also functions as a penetration enhancer. That also has nothing to do with mesotherapy, but it’s likely this will help the antioxidants travel farther into skin than they would in, say, an alcohol or oil base. The amount of salicylic acid is below efficacious, although this serum has a pH that would allow it to exfoliate if more was used. Interestingly, several antioxidants appear after the preservative, so they don’t count for much. But what precedes them further up on the list is more than enough to make this a worthy contender for those looking for a well-formulated (despite wacky claims) antioxidant serum.

 

Aloe Toning Complex 😦

$30.00/8.5 oz

Claims:

A unisex toner for all skin concerns. Rich in Sodium PCA, a natural moisturizing factor found in healthy skin. Great after cleansing to rehydrate or as an after-shave toner to soothe irritated skin. Contains no alcohol or fragrance.

Review:

Aloe Toning Complex contains an amount of comfrey extract that makes it potentially problematic for all skin types. Several studies have shown that comfrey extract can have carcinogenic or toxic properties when taken orally. It is a major problem for the body when consumed orally because of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These compounds occur naturally in every part of the comfrey plant, and are absorbed through the skin, where they cause problems when the liver attempts to metabolize them. It is these metabolites (referred to as pyrroles) that are highly toxic (Sources: http://www.naturaldatabase.com; International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2002, pages 948–964; and http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/

alkaloids/pyrrolizidine.html).

 

Topical application of comfrey has anti-inflammatory properties, but is recommended only for short-term use and only then if you can be sure the amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is less than 100 micrograms per application—something that would be impossible to determine without sophisticated testing equipment, making comfrey an ingredient to avoid. The alkaloid content makes it a potential skin irritant (Sources: Chemical Research in Toxicology, November 2001, pages 1546–1551; and Public Health Nutrition, December 2000, pages 501–508).

 

Moisturizing Photo-Age Protection SPF 30 🙂 **

$28.00/4 oz

Claims:

Protects skin’s barrier function and fights early signs of aging with a lightweight moisturizing sunscreen. Great with or without make-up. Contains DDF Redox Antioxidant Complex for enhanced free radical protection. Proper use may reduce the chance of premature aging of the skin and skin cancer.

Review:
Moisturizing Photo-Age Protection SPF 30 is similar to DDF’s Matte Finish Photo-Age Protection SPF 30, except this version is preferred for slightly dry skin and contains more antioxidants and at higher concentrations. The lightweight moisturizing base will work well under makeup, and this product is fragrance-free.