It is not a secret I love facial scrub. I think it’s the best product to get rid of all the dead skin cells and rejuvenate the skin, especially that I have acne marks to lighten. I’m trying to scrub lesser these days so that I don’t overdo it and causes my skin to get even more oilier. So yes, I stopped stocking up facial scrub since one year ago. What I have in my stash could last me for a good full year now that I do scrub my face lesser.

When I first tried The Microdelivery Peel at the media launch of Philosophy back in February 2014, I was literally having the ooohhhs and aahhhs moment because I was fascinated on how two products work as one. It’s interesting, I feel like a scientist, the product feels good on the back of my hand and this is not just any in-home peel but a Vitamin C peel system. I get to bring home a set, used it all up and this is my repurchase set 🙂

When you’re at Sephora, you will find this white huge box with lots of words on the top flap. Just look for one that says “The Microdelivery Peel”. The box’s top flap is removable. Well, not removable completely type of removable. You can actually open up the top flap to see the content on the inside.

The Microdelivery Peel set contain two products. On the left is the Step 2 product – a 60ml Lactic/Salicylic Acid Activating Gel and on the right is the Step 1 product – a 60g Vitamin C/Peptide Crystals. 60ml or 60g it’s all the same. Actually they should place the product the other way round according to sequence.

Philosophy, the peel expert said that regular exfoliation is a requirement and critical step to de-age the skin. I couldn’t agree on that more! Peel or scrub is important to remove the upper layer of the skin, which is mostly dead skin cells in order to push the newer skin on the bottom to the surface. So Philosophy created this Microdelivery line that is able to help brighten, reduce signs of aging, improve clarity, promote smoothness and to enhance the performance of skin care products applied thereafter. All these in 3 minutes or less. The Microdelivery collection consists of seven facial product and one body product. Six out of eight product bears the same “The Microdelivery” name. It’s not that confusing providing you read the label carefully. One thing I’m confuse with is the actual name for this The Microdelivery Peel. On the box it said The Microdelivery Peel but on Philosophy website it said The Microdelivery Peel In-Home Vitamin C Peptide Peel. But on the video on the product page, the lady mentioned The Microdelivery Vitamin C Peel. Which is which eh? LOL. One thing I know is that this is an anti-aging peel 🙂

So what does this Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel does? Simple. This is a two-step, in-home peel that helps to resurfaces and rejuvenates sun-damaged, hyperpigmented and aging skin. Unlike the conventional scrub or peel that only does exfoliation job, this peel system delivers Peptides and Vitamin C to the skin, while being rapidly exfoliated. When used as a set, the product resurfacing and replenishing the skin at the same exact same time.

Step 1: Exfoliation – Vitamin C/Peptide Crystals

The first step to a 3-minute skin makeover is exfoliation. There wasn’t any spatula or spoon provided so I’m using my own spatula to scoop the Vitamin C/Peptide Crystals out from the jar. The amount that was recommended for the whole face is a teaspoon. I’m actually using lesser than a teaspoon. Bear in mind this product is to be apply onto clean and dry skin. I usually skip my cleanser and use this instead because that’s the only time my skin is dry. The Peptide Crystals smell citrusy. It’s quite pleasant and not overpowering at all. This product is absolutely coarser than I thought. So I massage all over my face oh-so-gently for maybe 30 seconds or slightly more? I’m not too sure. But it is recommended to massage for 60 seconds. By all mean do avoid the eye area. It’s too harsh to be there at all. It is definitely a bit scary for delicate skin or sensitive skin. So what I suggest is for you to just apply without the massage if you do have a much more sensitive skin. As for me, I absolutely enjoy the massage. A bit ticklish but it’s all good.

Step 2: Replenishment – Lactic/Salicylic Acid Activating Gel

The second step is all about rejuvenating and de-age the skin. After massaging the Vitamin C/Peptide Crystals for 60 seconds (or less), still with my orangey hand, I would then squeeze out a teaspoon amount of Lactic/Salicylic Acid Activating Gel into the palm. I put both palm together quickly to get the product evenly on and apply onto the Peptide Crystals that was still on my face. What happen next was amazing. There’s this warming sensation as I massage the activating gel onto my face. Don’t worry that it will be uneasy. It’s just for a brief while. I wish it was longer! When this happens, white foam will appear. It means both product is working hand-in-hand together for product activation. After this step, you can either choose to leave the product on your face for 2 – 3 minutes or you can continue to massage the face for more exfoliation benefits. I usually massage more and then rinse. Sensitive skin user should and not advisable to massage further but instead you should just let it sit on the skin and rinse off after 2 – 3 minutes.

One thing that got me hooked onto this Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel is how smooth my skin feels after the rinse. It’s velvety smooth, as if I had some matte primer on or something. Like baby skin. It’s bouncy very bouncy. Face doesn’t feel like my own face because they’re a bit numb from the peel so it’s like touching other people’s face. Everytime I use the peel system I couldn’t stop touching my face thereafter because I couldn’t believe that’s my skin. You know what’s best to do after using Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel? Put on any hydrating sheet mask or cream mask on or even apply any powerful serum that’s your favourite. That’s what I usually do. Makeup on the other hand glides on smoothly and the finishing of it is flawless. You can use this before going out for an important event 🙂

Here is the ingredient list for both product.

Vitamin C/Peptide Crystals
peg-6, sodium bicarbonate, oleth-20, glyceryl stearate se, silica, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmitate, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil, beta carotene, isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate. rapid activation gel: water (aqua), lactic acid, hydroxyethylcellulose, linoleamidopropyl pg-dimonium chloride phosphate, polyquaternium 10, propylene glycol, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben.

Lactic/Salicylic Acid Activating Gel
aqua/water/eau, lactic acid, hydroxyethylcellulose, salicylic acid, linoleamidopropyl pg-dimonium chloride phosphate, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylyl glycol, polyquaternium-10. crystals: peg-6, sodium bicarbonate, oleth-20, glyceryl stearate se, silica, tocopheryl acetate, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylyl glycol, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, tocopherol, beta-carotene, retinyl palmitate, ethylhexyl palmitate, parfum/fragrance, palmitoyl oligopeptide, tribehenin, sorbitan isostearate, limonene, bht.

While I’m loving the baby soft velvety skin after the peel, however I can’t say the same for the steep price. No doubt this should last for a few months because you only use it once a week but then again I can easily get a facial scrub that cost at least half the price for the similar result. I do like the short 3-minute time spent in the shower and I can get everything done and out of shower with zero downtime. The two-step idea behind the kit is still what I like the most. I think it’s a brilliant way for skin rejuvenation. How awesome is that I get to do a Vitamin C peel at the comfort of my home? The price? Errrr not so awesome.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. I bought the product on my own.