Dermalogica is an American

personal care Personal care or toiletries are consumer products used in personal hygiene, personal grooming or for beautification. Products Personal care includes products as diverse as cleansing pads, colognes, cotton swabs, cotton pads, deodorant, eye lin ...

company headquartered in

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

. Its products include cleansers, exfoliants, toners, masques, eye treatments, and moisturizers, as well as an acne treatment line for teens. Dermalogica has primary operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, Pakistan and Ireland and is sold in more than 80 countries worldwide.

History

In 1983, Jane Wurwand, a tenured skin therapist and licensed instructor, arrived in Los Angeles, following a brief time in South Africa. Approximately six months earlier, her then-boyfriend (now-husband) South African Raymond Wurwand took a job as a sales representative for a company selling equipment to the skin care industry. Together, they hosted skin therapy classes in the company’s showroom to educate students and promote the equipment. Following the success of their educational programs, Jane and Ray Wurwand created a business plan to continue their courses. By the end of 1983, the couple had launched the school that became the first International Dermal Institute (IDI) in Marina Del Rey. Two years later, Wurwand set out to develop products free of common skin irritants, including

lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool yolk, wool wax, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically fo ...

, SD alcohol,

mineral oil Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum, as distinct from usually edible vegetable oils. The name 'mineral oil' by itself is imprecise, ...

artificial colors Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels, and pastes. Food coloring is used in both commercial food p ...

, and

fragrances An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavoring, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficiently vo ...

. This was inspired by student requests, as well as a lack of existing products that Jane Wurwand could use on her skin, which experienced

dermatitis Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can v ...

and chronic eczema. Dermalogica was created and premiered in 1986 as a skin care line, sold in concept spaces and in authorized salons, spas, and beauty supply stores. As of 2013, Dermalogica has more than 100,000 trained skin therapists around the globe and 22 concept spaces in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East; the concept spaces and/or hybrid learning centers worldwide are dedicated to bringing consumer and professional education, professional treatments, and retail sales together under one roof. Dermalogica continues to operate The International Dermal Institute (IDI), a provider of postgraduate skin care education. With 38 postgraduate training centers and 45 international affiliates, IDI trains more than 75,000 professional skin therapists every year. IDI is also responsible for the research and development of Dermalogica treatments and products. As of August 1, 2015, Dermalogica, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of

Unilever plc Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, ...

Controversy

In 2011, ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' published an article called "The Woman Who Started a Cult," referring to the brand's cult-like following and Germany's suspicion that Dermalogica was affiliated with

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The most recent published census data indi ...

. In the article, Jane Wurwand said, "We had to sign a document declaring we had never been affiliated with Scientology, because there were all these people smiling, saying the same thing so enthusiastically. They assumed we did a form of brainwashing. I suppose I can see why — we do talk about Dermalogica like a tribe on a mission."

Awards and media

Dermalogica has won awards and been recognized by publications, including ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only ...

'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', ''

New Woman The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, Irish writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article, to refer to ...

'',

Beauty LaunchPad Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes these objects pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, together with art and taste, is the main subject of aesthetics, o ...

Cosmetic Executive Women Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) is a trade organization for the cosmetics, fragrance and personal care industry. History CEW was founded in 1954 as a social organization for female executives working in the beauty industry. In 1975, the group expa ...

(CEW), '' Allure'', American Spa, American Salon, Shecky's, ''

Life & Style ''Life & Style'' is an American syndicated talk show that was geared toward young adult females. It was produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Television and lasted only one season, from September 2004 to March 2005. It is unrelated to the cel ...

'', The UK Beauty Awards, ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', Guild Awards of Excellence, and CoolBrands.

References

{{reflist, 40em Products introduced in 1986 Skin care brands Unilever brands American brands Unilever companies