What is DHC Skincare?
DHC (standing for Daigaku Honyaku Center) is a brand of beauty products marketed by the DHC Corporation, a Japanese skin care company launched in 1972. DHC’s founder, Yoshiaki Yoshida, discovered in the 1970s that the oil of ripe, plump organic olives could effortlessly melt off makeup and benefit your skin in many ways. That’s why olive oil is a key ingredient throughout the DHC Skincare collection, and is the main ingredient in the cult-favorite DHC Deep Cleansing Oil.
What are the Best Skin Care Products of 2022?
DHC Skincare created their Deep Cleansing Oil based on the centuries-old ritual of double cleansing to achieve a clean, fresh, soft complexion. The oil-based cleanser is used to break down all makeup, oil, and dirt, followed by a foaming cleanser to rinse away the rest. In this review, we’ll discuss the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and several other best selling products, key ingredients, DHC Skincare reviews from real customers, and more.
What Are The Top 5 Best Selling DHC Skincare Products?
While DHC Skincare is most well known for their Deep Cleansing Oil, the brand actually sells a variety of skin care products for each step of your routine, including lotions, moisturizers, eye care, lip care, masks, serums, treatments, and more. Let’s take a closer look at the top 5 best selling DHC Skincare products.
Deep Cleansing Oil The brand’s most popular product is the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. In fact, the brand sells 1 bottle every 10 seconds worldwide! This original Japanese first step oil cleanser melts away makeup and dissolves impurities based on the scientific premise that “like attracts like.” When you apply the DHC Deep Cleansing oil to your dry face with dry hands, the olive oil binds with lipid-soluble impurities, such as sebum, makeup, sunscreen, and dirt. Then, the water-soluble formula rinses away with zero oily residue. In addition to olive oil, this formula contains vitamin E and rosemary leaf oil.
Extra Nighttime Moisture DHC Extra Nighttime Moisture is a skin-renewing facial moisturizer that is ideal for chronically dry skin, but can be used by all skin types. It contains emollients like olive oil and squalane, antioxidants like vitamin E, and hydrolyzed collagen to help reduce signs of aging.
Velvet Skin Coat DHC Velvet Skin Coat is an antioxidant-rich makeup primer that is said to instantly minimize the look of pores, fine lines, and imperfections for a smooth, matte look all day long. It is a clear, powder-gel formula that has a velvety feel when applied to the skin. The formula contains silica to absorb excess oil and sweat, as well as olive oil to nourish the skin and provide antioxidant benefits. You can apply DHC Velvet Skin Coat before foundation or wear alone as a skin mattifier for all day wear.
Super Collagen Cream DHC Super Collagen Cream is a nourishing face moisturizer that is said to promote a firmer, more youthful-looking complexion. The formula contains the brand’s patented dipeptide-8 to deliver the highest concentration of micronized collagen to your skin’s top layer. The cream also contains a complex of organic olive oil, rapeseed oil, and jojoba oil to improve skin’s hydration, while vitamin C derivatives brighten and vitamin E protects skin from free radical damage.
Concentrated Eye Cream This DHC eye cream is said to target fine lines, crow’s feet, and dark circles while also soothing the skin thanks to cucumber and ginseng extracts. Like all DHC Skincare products, this formula contains organic olive oil and vitamin E to protect skin from free radical damage.
What Are The Key Ingredients in DHC Skincare?
As we mentioned above, DHC Skincare uses two key ingredients throughout their line of skincare products: olive oil and vitamin E. Below we’ll give you the details on these two ingredients so you’ll know how they are affecting your skin and what benefits you can expect to see.
DHC Skincare obtains their olive oil from the organic olive groves in Baena, Spain, where the Flor de Aceite (flower of the oil) is carefully extracted from the crush before the first cold pressing, then ultra-purified in the brand’s state-of-the-art factories in Japan. Olive oil not only helps to remove excess oil and other impurities, it can also provide several benefits to the skin.
Olive oil contains several different fatty acids, but is mostly composed of oleic acid (65 to 85%). Oleic acid is an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty that functions as a penetration enhancer. A publication in the Journal of Controlled Release states, “Penetration enhancers such as oleic acid (OA), which increase skin permeability, appear to act selectively on the extracellular lipids representing the principal regulatory channel for the penetration of small molecules.” This is not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, using oils high in oleic acid can help other beneficial ingredients penetrate into the skin. Plus, it is quickly absorbed and leaves no greasy feeling.
The other fatty acids found in olive oil are linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. These fatty acids should help to support the skin’s barrier function. Maintaining a strong, intact barrier is important to keep harmful things like allergens, bacteria, and irritants from entering the body through the skin while simultaneously keeping moisture inside the skin so it can remain hydrated and smooth.
Like we mentioned above, vitamin E is another key ingredient found in almost all DHC Skincare products. Vitamin E is a “chain-breaking” antioxidant because it can hinder the chain reaction induced by free radicals. Specifically, vitamin E works by delivering a hydrogen atom to free radicals, which minimizes their damaging effects. Since vitamin E is lipid soluble, it is incorporated into cell membranes in order to protect from oxidative damage. This is important because free radicals contribute to signs of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
Another function of vitamin E is to help the skin retain moisture by strengthening the skin’s barrier function. When vitamin E is delivered to your skin through the sebaceous (oil) glands, it improves water-binding capacity and hydrates the stratum corneum (the uppermost layer of skin). Therefore, the combination of olive oil and vitamin E in DHC Skincare products should help to keep the skin hydrated and smooth.
Where is DHC Skincare Sold?
DHC Skincare is sold on the brand’s website, as well as several third party online retailers such as Dermstore, Skinstore, Target, Amazon, and more.
What is The DHC Skincare Return Policy?
The DHC Skincare return policy states, “The DHC Guarantee is our promise to you: If you’re not 100% satisfied with your order, you can return the items within 60 days of your order date for an exchange or a refund of the purchase price, even if they’re empty. No hassle, no obligation—ever.”
Is DHC Skincare Cruelty Free?
DHC Skincare is not cruelty free because DHC Skincare products are sold in mainland China where animal testing is required by law. The brand’s animal testing policy on their website states, “We at DHC USA never test products on animals or ask others to do so on our behalf, and neither does the founding company DHC Japan. However, the DHC affiliate operating in China is required to perform a certain amount of animal testing on some of the products offered in that country to comply with local laws. DHC Corporation and its affiliates strongly disagree with China’s position on animal testing and support the international efforts to convince China that animal-free alternative testing methods are available to ensure safe products.”
DHC Skincare Reviews
DHC Skincare Reviews are overall very positive, with nearly all of the products receiving four and five star ratings. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil reviews are almost all 5-star ratings, which is pretty impressive. Customers who love this product say that it works well to clean the skin while also keeping it soft and moisturized. For example, one review says, “I’ve been using the Deep Cleansing Oil for over 15 years! Is the best cleanser on the market. I have normal to dry aging skin and it works perfectly. Leaves my skin so clean. I love the feel of giving my face a massage when using it. I’ve found no reason to try any other!”
While there aren’t very many negative DHC reviews, we did find a few from customers who experienced negative reactions to these products. It seems as though some customers find the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil to strip their skin, leaving it very dry. Some customers even experienced breakouts after using this cleanser.
For example, one DHC Deep Cleansing Oil review says, “I started using this product this summer since I wanted to start double cleansing. It does take your blackheads out, so at first I was happy with it. However, it strips the rest of your skin too. I’ve always struggled with minor hormonal acne (1-2 pimples a month) but aside from that my skin was generally nice and not sensitive. I used to have clear glowing skin that looked good without foundation. But this DHC oil RUINED my skin. All summer, my face has been dry, flaky, sensitive, irritated, dull, and worst of all, I broke out in cystic acne all over my cheeks and chin. I had to start wearing foundation to cover it, which obviously only made it worse.”
What Are Some Alternatives to DHC Skincare?
Overall, we think that DHC Skincare products are formulated well, and the popular DHC Deep Cleansing Oil can be a good option if you want to try double cleansing. One thing this cleanser cannot do, however, is exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation is important to remove excess dead skin cells from the skin’s surface in order to prevent clogged pores and dull skin. If you’re looking for a cleanser that will remove makeup and other impurities while also exfoliating the skin, we’d recommend Formulyst’s Clarifying AHA Cleanser.
The Clarifying AHA Cleanser is formulated to gently cleanse and exfoliate the skin while removing dirt and makeup. It contains glycolic acid, a type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), to help refine pores, control excess oil, and smooth away any surface-level roughness. The formula also contains ingredients to moisturize and soothe the skin, such as rosehip seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and chamomile flower oil. Overall, Formulyst’s Clarifying AHA Cleanser can help your skin to feel clean, clear, and beautifully refreshed.
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References: 1. Journal of Controlled Release Vol 37 Issue 3 Dec 1995 Pages 299-306
