Since adding this new face serum to my everyday skincare routine, the compliments have come flooding in.
As a beauty editor of over a decade, I have learned a lot about skincare from some of the world's most knowledgeable experts. After 12 years of absorbing every morsel of expertise, I have learned one very important lesson: the best skincare product doesn't miraculously transform your face.
In fact, I'd argue that the best serums of all time are not the strongest, most potent formulas, but rather scientifically advanced formulas that focus predominantly on hydration and overall skin health.
It is for this reason that I have grown to understand the single best compliment you can receive on your skin is as simple as "you look great" or "you look well". And this, as it happens, is something I have been hearing a lot of recently—most specifically since I've been using Dermalogica Futurecode Booster .
I'd like to caveat here that it is incredibly rare for one skincare product to earn me compliments like this. People might compliment my facial tan or my glow, but a general compliment on looking "well" is something that doesn't come around all too often.
You see, these sorts of compliments tend to encompass different elements—they suggest my complexion is clear, radiant, plump and generally embodying signs of health. And a complexion like that requires one very impressive, does-it-all serum.
Key Ingredients: Teprenone, niacinamide, sunflower sprout extract), acetyl zingerone, rosehip oil, rosemary, tara fruit extract, red algae, biomimetic phospholipids, hyaluronic acid
Let me start by explaining why this new serum from Dermalogica is, in my opinion, such an unsung hero. The formula does not focus on any one thing—it simply puts longevity and the appearance of healthy-looking skin first. This means it tackles an array of things (and is largely tolerated across all skin types and tones).
The basis of the formula is what Dermalogica calls its Renew Complex, a concoction of ingredients that support NAD+ levels in the skin. What is NAD+, I hear you ask?
Essentially, it is a coenzyme that exists in our cells and supports cellular repair, as well as collagen proteins. In layman's terms, this complex works to smooth, firm and even out skin tone after any DNA damage that naturally occurs as a result of ageing, UV exposure, stress and other environmental aggressors.
Together with an impressive antioxidant blend to defend skin against further damage and a myriad of skin-barrier-supporting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and lipids, the overall result of Futurecode Booster is a healthy-looking, glowing, plump, generally revitalised complexion.
It's worth noting here that this serum is marketed as a "booster"—something I don't particularly love. In my opinion, a face serum is a face serum, and I want a brand to tell the consumer the best way to use it.
Instead, Dermalogica says that a single dose can be either smoothed over skin morning and night or mixed in with another skincare product (like a moisturiser ). I personally, have no patience for confusion or faff, so committed to using it alone on freshly cleansed skin morning and night, before applying my moisturiser.
The texture is lotion-like and creamy, feeling deeply hydrating and generally pleasant to use. My biggest and only gripe with the actual use of Futurecode Booster, however, is the dispenser.
It has been specially designed to protect the product and measure out the perfect dose. However, it requires a five-second "drawing up" process, which for my impatient ways, proves fiddly and unreliable.
That being said, the results have been so good that I've finished the entire bottle—so I can't have found it that annoying in the grand scheme of things.
I don't say this lightly, but I have truly never had as many compliments on my skin as I have over the past couple of months since using this serum. I have refrained from jumping the gun and writing this review too quickly.
Instead, I patiently waited to finish the entire bottle and sat on my thoughts for a further two weeks. Since I've stopped using this serum, I have noticed that my skin appears to be missing it.
The plump glow that I have worn so proudly over the past eight weeks seems to be diminishing, and you better believe I'm about to restock so that I can get it back.
Shannon Lawlor is the beauty director at Who What Wear UK. With over a decade of experience working for some of the beauty industry’s most esteemed titles, including Marie Claire, Glamour UK, Stylist and Refinery29, Shannon’s aim is to make the conversation around beauty as open, relatable and honest as possible. As a self-confessed lazy girl, Shannon has an affinity for hard-working perfumes, fool-proof makeup products and does-it-all skincare.