Typically, I don't need to tell a dermatologist (or anyone else for that matter) that I have sensitive skin because, well, they can see it. My face marks easily, flushes pink in heat (or discomfort), and erupts into itchy hives at the merest suggestion of something it will not like (a fragrant chemical compound in a serum or anything more than a very sheer foundation — sometimes just the toxicity of a stressful day can set it off). In the botanical world, I would be what could be described as a hothouse flower — in anything other than the most specific conditions, my skin wilts.
And yet, time and city-living have caught up to me — a "sensi peel" (a chemical peel for sensitive skin, using 20 percent salicylic acid for a mere three minutes rather than the typically higher percentage of a stronger acid — like glycolic — at a longer time) promised to banish dullness and improve texture, something that I desperately wanted after a rocky winter. But how to transition my skin that screams when touched wrong after I've doused it in acid?
"After a chemical peel, I recommend steering clear of acids and retinoids, and being gentle with your skin the day of the procedure, but you can pretty much go about your routine as normal," says Dendy Engelman, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, who recommended a healthy application of hydration and sunscreen post-peel.
Enter, Kate Somerville's DeliKate collection: Gentle Cleanser, Recovery Serum, and Recovery Cream, a fleet of peptide complex and ceramide-loaded products employing ginger root as an anti-inflammatory, soothing redness, Tasmania fruit extract to calm any leftover burning, and rapeseed oil to give a massive boost of hydration to soothe even the most fragile of skin post-laser or chemical treatment.
According to Kate Somerville, DeliKate was born outside of the lab, and instead, in her Melrose Place clinic. After years of clients asking for gentle, fragrance-free aftercare products, the Los Angeles-based aesthetician began formulating (and testing) concoctions — a process that took around 18 months — until she landed on the final formulations, set to launch on April 28.
Lucky for me, I had the chance to try them long before and had no issues adding them into my regular routine. The Gentle Cleanser is just as creamy and gentle as you'd want it to be, and the Recovery Serum delightfully fragrance-free and refreshing, but the Recovery Cream is the standout star of the show.
A lightweight deeply moisturizing lotion, I found myself wanting to slather my whole body in it. Dazzled with the results of the peel, from which I most certainly did not notice any shed or flaky skin, it is the DeliKate Recovery Cream to which I am now a convert and will be taking up full-time residence in my medicine cabinet.
The Kate Somerville DeliKate collection is $38 to $85 at katesomerville.com and sephora.com on April 28.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
More on skin-care products:
- The Best Sheet Masks for Every Budget
- The 24 Best Face Masks of All Time, According to Allure Editors
- The 21 Best Bar Soaps to Lather Up With During Your Next Shower
Now, see our editor-in-chief's nighttime skin-care routine:
