Make space for peels and purifying masks in your skincare routine.
By SHIRLY AXLRODE (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
The following article was published originally in December 2023. We are sharing it now for your perusal, but take into account that the following information may be outdated.
Feeling gray inside and out? It’s time to introduce a peel into your routine. While it won't cure constant malaise, it can help brighten your complexion, offering a small but pleasant improvement. Liat Halpert-Flisser, VP of Education at Dermalogica Israel, recommends incorporating a peel into your regular skincare regimen. "The role of a peel is to remove dead cells that have completed their lifecycle, making room for new cells. The rate of cell turnover varies based on factors like age, weather, and even mental state. Stagnant cells cause dullness, rougher skin, and block active ingredients from working effectively. Everyone needs a peel—the question is what type, how often, and in what dosage."
It's important to note that the composition of the peel is crucial. The skincare market is full of aggressive ingredients, and "red and burning" does not yield results; it actually delays them. There are daily, superficial peels for home use and professional-grade products for use under supervision in a clinic. "It's also important not to use acidic cleansers in conjunction with peeling products," adds Halpert-Flisser. She recommends starting with treatments 2-3 times a week and gradually increasing based on skin response.
Our testers applied, waited, dried, and washed off the peels in circular motions, adding masks to purify the skin and inject some vitality. Here are their recommendations:
Dermalogica's Liquid Peelfoliant
(credit: PR)Dermalogica offers the LIQUID PEELFOLIANT, known as the "pink peel" because of its pretty pink bottle. The brand claims it delivers results equivalent to a clinic treatment but is safe and user-friendly for home use. A tester with extreme anxiety and very sensitive skin, usually avoiding peels, decided to step out of her comfort zone and try this peel. She applied it with the pipette on her face and décolletage, waited no more than 5 minutes, and rinsed with cool water. "I felt no tingling or adverse reaction, not even on the delicate skin of my décolletage. I saw initial results after three weeks and about 7 treatments—mainly a more even skin tone and significantly lightened sunspots. I plan to continue using it."
NIS 324. Available on the brand's website.
Dr. Lehavit Akerman's Derma Lotion
(credit: TAL TERRY)Dr. Levit Akerman’s brand offers a daily renewal cream suitable for normal, dry, and combination skin. This concentrated booster with active ingredients is recommended for nightly application on clean skin, face, neck, and décolletage, without rinsing. A tester with grayish, dull skin and several imperfections used it daily for 3 weeks before seeing results. "The skin looked more even, and the tone improved, appearing healthier and more radiant. To smooth the texture and get rid of small scars I’ve had for years, I’ll probably need consistency or deeper treatment."
(credit: PR)Kiehl’s offers a peeling cream for refining the outer skin layer, recommending use three times a week on the face, hands, décolletage, and any area with wrinkles and uneven tone. The tester suggests using it no more than once a week, warning of a highly effective grating experience—the tiny but sneaky granules provide a thorough and deep polishing. Expect soft, smooth, and clean skin, albeit slightly red for a short time—it’s worth it for the excellent results. It also works for cleaning burnt rice from the bottom of a pot.
NIS 239. Available at brand stores.
Origins’ Pore Clearing Charcoal Mask
(credit: PR)Like a Dyson for the face, the tester poetically described her experience with Origins’ white clay mask. It not only sucks out the gunk clogging pores but also significantly improves their appearance and the overall look of the skin, addressing small imperfections without drying out the skin. Despite its relative gentleness, it’s recommended mainly for skin with imperfections and pores that need shrinking. Pro tip: Place a warm towel on the face for a few minutes before applying the mask for miraculous results.
NIS 125. Available at Be, Hamashbir Lazarchan, Terminal X, and Glam 42.
Clinique’s City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask
(credit: PR)Clinique offers a highly effective clay mask suitable even for very delicate skin that needs a thorough scrub and detox. A tester with dry, sensitive, and dull skin who uses it regularly says there’s a noticeable difference before and after using the mask. Apply it to clean, dry skin, avoiding the eye area. After a few minutes, when the mask dries completely or turns light blue, rinse it off with warm water—the granules do their work, leaving even hopeless skin looking clean, fresh, and healthy. Recommended use: apply before a shower and rinse during it to minimize sink and shirt mess.
NIS 189. Available at brand stores and authorized retailers.
Lierac’s The Scrub Mask
(credit: PR)The vegan option: Lierac offers a similar product, also vegan—a combined cleansing and scrub mask with algae and oil-absorbing components. A tester with normal, balanced skin, the only normal and balanced thing in her life, was satisfied. Those who don’t need uncompromising pore suction will enjoy a pleasant cleanse that doesn’t leave the skin tight and dry, suitable for frequent use.
NIS 169. Available on the brand’s website.
Pola Blik Dayan’s The Pearl Mask
(credit: PR)Pola Blik Dayan’s private brand, specializing in advanced cosmetics and natural medicine, offers a pearl mask for improving skin texture, suitable for normal skin and particularly for oily, acne-prone skin. There’s nothing not to love about pearls, and it turns out the mask is also great—the thick texture soothed the tester’s stressed, blemish-prone, and reddish skin after just one use. The complexion appeared brighter, more even, and regained flexibility lost after a few sleepless nights and too many drying products.
NIS 400. Available on the website, at the clinic (4 Zrytski St., Tel Aviv), at Duty-Free, and on El Al flights.
Sacara’s Peeling Soap and Mask
(credit: PR)On a tight budget, you can get an all-in-one product from Sacara—a 3-in-1 mask, soap, and peeling, with hyaluronic acid for moisture and salicylic acid for renewal. The product is supposed to suit all skin types, but a tester with thin, sensitive skin who used it twice passed it on to her teenage daughter. The peeling felt too aggressive, and the mask was drying; the young daughter tried it in several versions, eventually settling on the mask, and even then, only as a targeted treatment for pimples.
