As you know, one of my favorite skin care products is Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. I’ve only bought the product once, and it’s lasted me over two years, even though I use it about once a week. It’s worked wonders to keep my skin smooth, and it helps to keep it exfoliated, which helps to prevent acne. I’ve used lots of skin exfoliants, but this is my favorite by far.
Olay Microdermabrasion Treatment
Shortly after I bought the Philosophy kit for $65, Olay released a very similar product - Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System. Its ingredients are nearly identical to the Philosophy kit, but it retails for about $28 at your local drugstore. Well this week my Philosophy kit finally ran out, and I decided to try the Olay Microdermabrasion instead. It was on sale at Target for $23, and I figured if it didn’t work out, I could just return it, and go back to the Philosophy.
I’ve used it twice now, and the results it produces are nearly identical to the Philosophy. It really helps keep my skin smooth and radiant, and I would have a hard time telling the two products apart if I didn’t know which was which. The ph level of the Philosophy is a 2, while the Olay is a 3.6. In theory, I would gather that the Philosophy would work better to exfoliate the skin, due to its higher acidity level, but I think the results from the products are more due to the sodium bicarbonate (the scrub/crystals).
Since sodium bicarbonate is basically baking soda, I wonder what would happen if you used baking soda (mixed with some sort of gel alpha hydroxy acid product) to exfoliate your skin. I haven’t tried this do-it-yourself concoction, but for now I’m okay with paying $23 for the Olay product. I was also okay with paying $65 for the Philosophy version, since the results were so good.
(UPDATE: PLEASE DISREGARD THIS PARAGRAPH AND DO NOT TRY TO MIX YOUR OWN SKIN CARE PRODUCTS! A viewer told me that she tried mixing baking soda with an alpha hydroxy product, and the results produced a concoction that smelled like amonia. I am generally against do-it-yourself skin care, and mistakenly thought baking soda was harmless, but it turns out I’m wrong! It’s just too dangerous to try to make your own products.)
You can’t go wrong with either of these two products, in my opinion. It’s hard to say which is better, but given the price point, I’d probably start with the Olay, unless you have money to burn. And I’m sorry for not mentioning the Olay earlier, but since I hadn’t tried it til now, I was hesitant to recommend it.
Get
Savvy Skin posts via email!
April 18th, 2008 at 8:23 am
I have used the Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System and love it!
April 18th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I have also used the Olay system. It works very well.
However, Plain ol’ Baking Soda honestly works even better. It brightens my skin an incredible amount. Get a washcloth wet with warm water, and wring it out. Put about 2 tablespoons of baking soda in the center of the washcloth, and drizzle a little warm water on it to make a paste. Either use the washcloth to scrub your face, or use your fingers to pick up “chunks” of the paste and apply it as you would a masque, add a little water and rub in circles, and then wash off with a washcloth.
In addition, brown sugar mixed with a splash of coffee and some heavy cream makes a fantastic daily (morning) skin wash. The coffee tightens everything up and makes wrinkles disappear, the cream moisturizes. The sugar exfoliates on the first day, but if you make a jar of the wash, the sugar dissolves over 24 hours and simply preserves the other ingredients. Use it all up within a week to ensure it doesn’t turn rancid.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I haven’t tried either the Philosophy or the Olay kit, but I will definitely have to get one or the other, since I’m always trying to keep my skin as smooth as possible. The one exfoliating product that has definitely made a difference in my skin is MD Forte’s Glycolic Cleanser. It’s made my skin tone more even and even seems to have gotten rid of congestion beneath my skin’s surface.
Thanks for all the great skin information! I’ve tagged you on my blog! :)
May 1st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Do you think the Olay brand will last you as long as the Philosophy kit did? I noticed on the Olay site that it said it was 8 weeks worth of treatment (though I am not sure if that is for once or twice a week). Also, how’s the smell? I used to use Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Cream but that particular perfume smell used to make me nauseas for a few minutes after applying.
Thanks for everything!
May 4th, 2008 at 2:43 am
The Philosophy kit and the Olay one are the same size, so I would assume it would last the same amount of time. I usually did my Philosophy kit once a week, although I must have skipped several weeks at a time, because it lasted me probably two years! I can’t imagine it only lasting 8 weeks, even if that’s using it twice a week. The Olay kit has more fragrance that the Philosophy one. It doesn’t bother me at all, but it’s has an orange-like smell, and it’s sort of perfumy at the same time. It doesn’t smell at all like Olay Regenerist.