In our Dr. G Peeling Gel review, you’ll learn how it’s an amazing physical exfoliant for sensitive skin.
I like to think of skin care products like people on dating sites. I start by looking at the packaging (come on, I’m not going to deny it). If the packaging isn’t pretty, we’re already at a serious disadvantage—but it’s not the end of the deal. I then like to take a look at what the product says it will do, and all the benefits it promises for your skin. If I like the promises and think they’re a good fit for my skin, that’s a good sign. After all, both skin care and dating are about compatibility.
But—like men—skin care products usually hype themselves up more than reality. So, I take a deeper look and really dive into the ingredients. Just like I take a look at a guy’s Instagram, or his LinkedIn, I check the ingredients list on my skin care to make sure none of my red flag ingredients are there. If all those check off, I know I’m ready to give it a go. Then, I take the product home, and see if it really lives up to its promises in real life. With men, I’m usually disappointed. With K-beauty, I’m rarely let down. You can see where my priorities lie.
Such is the modern love story of how I fell in love with the My Skin Mentor Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel. I was introduced to My Skin Mentor Dr. G when Soko Glam curated the line. I hadn’t heard of the gel, but I was attracted to the packaging and the promises it made. I love a good physical exfoliant—there’s just something about the physicality of sloughing off my dead skin cells that is just so satisfying. So, it’s unfortunate that my skin is as sensitive as it is, because I have to swear off 90 percent of the physical exfoliants that come my way because they’re too harsh.
So when I learned of the cult following that Koreans with sensitive skin have for the Dr. G Peeling Gel, I was excited. Read below as I walk you through my love affair with this amazing product.
The packaging:
It’s hard to miss the Dr. G Peeling Gel—its seafoam green bottle makes it stand out from everything on the shelf. However, aside from the color, the bottle is rather unassuming. The bottle serves its purpose, but wasn’t excessively ornate, which I like. After all, I’m paying for the product, not the packaging.
I also loved that it came in a squeeze bottle, rather than a jar. Using a squeeze bottle is far more hygienic and they don’t take up as much space in my vanity. When I first used it, it was easy to squeeze out just the right amount of product, and the shape was easy to hold and use. So, good packaging? Check.
The promises:
The promises that were listed on the bottle sounded—as you would expect—too good to be true. It promises a physical exfoliation that deeply clears the pores, while being exceptionally gentle and mild. It also swears that after using the product, your skin will be visibly clearer and brighter. After all, it literally has brightening in the name. This all sounded perfect: clearer, brighter skin, and the satisfaction of a physical exfoliation that was gentle enough for sensitive skin. So, to see if I thought it could live up to its promises, I dove into the ingredients list.
The ingredients:
Other than the experience of using the product itself, the ingredients were the best part of the Dr. G. Peeling Gel. The ingredients list is so, so good. It has none of the red flag irritants I look out for, and every ingredient served a clear and defined purpose in the product. But what stood out the most were all the calming and soothing extracts. Packed with honey, black willow, and aloe, I knew this gel would nourish, moisturize, and protect my sensitive skin.
On top of that, the formula boasts both vitamin C and E, so I knew it would deliver on its promise of being brightening. And I couldn’t contain my excitement for the cellulose—I knew the feeling of the gel balling up into gentle clumps of cellulose would be so, so satisfying.
The test:
The moment this gel hit my skin, I knew I had found a keeper. The smell is heavenly—slightly minty, herbal, and so fresh. Using it in the morning woke my skin right up, and using it before bed was practically aromatherapy to lull me to sleep.
The gel has a slightly grainy formula, thanks to the cellulose. As you work it across the skin, it grates gently and starts to ball up into smooth lumps of cellulose. Spreading these across my face, I could feel it sloughing through all my dead skin cells and surface debris, but it wasn’t overly abrasive.
I could feel the other extracts going to work moisturizing my skin, and when I rinsed it all off, my skin didn’t show a hint of redness. It was the first time in my life I had the pleasure of using a physical exfoliant, without any of the dryness or irritation to follow. I found myself looking forward to using the gel, and decided to test using it three times in one week. Normally, this is too much for my sensitive skin, but it actually felt so good with this gel. It didn’t go over the top, and I got to indulge in a really good exfoliation more frequently than ever before.
The bottom line:
I’ll put it this way: I’m still waiting on the perfect guy, but I’m no longer waiting for the perfect exfoliator. Every step of the way, the My Skin Mentor Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel lived up to or exceeded its promises, and my skin loved every moment of it. The ingredients list is stellar, and the experience of using it is so pleasant (which is rare for skin as sensitive as mine). I will certainly be adding this gel as a staple in my routine, and will be looking forward to each and every use.
