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After over a week of sales, Dermstore is wrapping it up today, Cyber Monday. The beauty e-tailer is a must-shop during the holiday because all of the pricey, dermatologist-recommended beauty products become a bit more budget-friendly. The site is also well-curated and well-stocked. It’s one of my go-tos for product discovery and restocking longtime favorites like 111Skin’s depuffing mask, which I slap on before big events and after sodium-heavy dinners.
There’s also lots of Strategist-tested and -approved picks — like Avene retinol (which we’ve said is the best for dry skin) and Slip’s mulberry-silk pillowcase, a dermatologist and celebrity favorite that we’ve written about before. Like previous years, there are good deals to be had, with lots of products being discounted up to 30 percent. Some brands are also offering triple points on every dollar, which you can redeem for Dermstore dollars later on. I have a few things on my shopping list this year, but I’m most looking forward to diversifying my scent wardrobe. Status-y heritage candlemaker and fragrance house Trudon (the brand has been around since the reign of King Louis XIV) is 25 percent off, and with its full-size perfumes on sale for a little over $200, right now they’re a very good deal.
Below, you’ll find the best of the Dermstore sale. All of the products are Strategist-tested or -approved, meaning they’ve been recommended by dermatologists, our beauty columnist Rio, and even Vanderpump Rules’ Lala Kent, who says the Goldfaden MD facial scrub (currently 30 percent off) gives “the perfect glow.” The sale starts today and continues through Cyber Monday, November 28, so you have a few days to compile your cart. And in case you have more shopping to do, check out our Cyber Monday hub, where we’ve rounded up the best deals on everything from bedding to winter boots.
This is our final Cyber Monday update, so deals might change or prices may fluctuate throughout the night. If you want even more sales coverage, sign up for our email newsletter to stay in the loop.
Face creams
Whether you’re new to retinol or have dry skin, Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, owner of Dallas-based practice Houshmand Dermatology, recommends this retinol from Avène, which is one of the brand’s best-selling products at Dermstore. It’s moisturizing and contains pro-elastin peptides, which Houshmand says help with fine lines, and vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects against sun damage and helps to fade discoloration over time.
When we asked beauty obsessives about the skin care they’re excited to gift and receive, beauty writer and content creator Hajar Mohammed mentioned an Elemis gift set that has seven of the brand’s most popular products. That includes the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, which uses botanical and marine extracts to firm up and hydrate the skin. It also contains SPF 30, which offers an added layer of protection in addition to your sunscreen. You can snag the full size at 30 percent off, bringing the luxe moisturizer down to $92. If you spend $100 on Elemis, you’ll also receive a Elemis x Rixo gift set from the brand that includes a few of the brand’s most popular items and a custom, co-branded bag.
If you’re ultrasensitive (or trying to repair a compromised skin barrier), the oft-recommended Senté Dermal Repair cream is 20 percent off. Facialist Candace Marino made the case for the splurge-worthy moisturizer in our best night-creams story and the best products for sensitive skin: “It hits heavy with moisture, without the weight you feel with most creams,” she says. “It promotes deep hydration, decreases inflammation, and stimulates collagen and elastin production.”
Sunscreen
A two-pack of our favorite sunscreen, which comes recommended by dermatologists for virtually every skin type. It uses both physical (zinc oxide) and chemical blockers to protect skin, along with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and lactic acid to hydrate and even skin tone.
Despite all of the warnings about what not wearing SPF can do to our skin, many of us fall short, especially with reapplication. Powdered sunscreen is a solve for this, especially if you wear makeup. Stock up on a three-pack of our favorite brush-on option, which uses mineral protection (titanium and zinc oxide) and comes in a few different shades that can be easily dusted on your face, neck, and chest throughout the day. Our experts like that it doesn’t get messy or leave any residue on your fingertips.
For a makeup-sunscreen hybrid, there’s this BB fluid from Exuviance, which first popped up on our radar when former Strategist writer Chloe Anello investigated blue-light-specific skin care in 2020. It has an ultralight “universal” tint that evens out skin tone, along with green tea and vitamin E to further shield skin from environmental damage.
Cleansers and Exfoliators
Avène is generally known for its soothing, hydrating products that work well for dry and sensitive skin. This mineral-infused thermal water is one of them. It’s a favorite of both Rio and Elle Magazine beauty director Kathleen Hou, who says it “delivers a mist fine enough to water an orchid.”
It’s common for people with oily skin to also deal with acne, which is why we like face washes that do a bit of exfoliating while cleansing the skin. This one was recommended to us by Dr. Jessie Cheung of Cheung Aesthetics & Wellness, who said the willow bark in the formula “helps break up oils, exfoliate skin, and tighten pores.” To offset the chemical exfoliant, it also contains chamomile and centella asiatica, which soothe and prevent free radicals from damaging skin.
Face serums
If you’re already a fan of Skinceuticals C.E. Ferulic but deal with dry skin, dermatologist Rhonda Klein, of Modern Dermatology of Connecticut and PURE BioDerm, recommends this vitamin C serum from Obagi Medical, which contains many of the same ingredients with an added boost of moisture in the form of hyaluronic acid.
Sunday Riley’s Good Genes is one of those products that continues to be popular regardless of whatever else is on the market. It’s a winning cocktail of ingredients: brightening licorice, soothing arnica, and exfoliating lactic acid, which tends to be tolerated by varying skin types, sensitive included. There’s also a bit of lemongrass, to further fade hyperpigmentation and dark marks.
Skin tools and devices
Rio first alerted us to the NuFace in 2018, when she tried it after seeing it transform someone’s face shape on Instagram. Since then it’s blown up, due in large part to its popularity on TikTok. It also comes recommended by skin-care professionals. “I have yet to see anything surpass the efficacy and design of NuFace Trinity where you can switch out the applicator so you can target different concerns in different parts of the face, and it only takes about five minutes a day, but you can help define and contour,” says Dr. Corey L. Hartman, who spotlighted it for our story on the best skin-care devices. And if you need any more convincing, Lana Condor’s an evangelist too.
Slip makes some of the softest silk products on the market. I’ve been wearing its scrunchies and sleeping with the sleep mask consistently for the past few years, and can attest that they’re worth the cost. I’m far from alone in this — we’ve been covering the brand since 2017, and it’s popped up periodically since. The silk pillowcases are a standout (we dubbed it the best luxury option), but they’re very expensive (it’s $89 for one), so this sale is as good a time as any to try one out (or stock up).
Face masks
Celebrity stylist Alexander-Julian Gibbson (whose clientele includes Lucky Daye) discovered this skin-brightening mask back in 2016 while he was working at GQ and stuck with it because it gave him impressive results after just one use. It contains vitamin C, antioxidants, shea butter, and dimethicone — a moisturizing, discoloration-fighting cocktail that will give you facial-like results in just a few minutes. And if you’re a fan of the brand (or in the mood to splurge), you’ll get a complimentary Age Defying Duo gift set from the brand when you spend over $350.
Celebrities (and me) love 111Skin and its fancy masks. Christine Quinn of Selling Sunset fame swears by the Depuffing mask, while former Pussycat Doll front woman Nicole Scherzinger likes the rose-gold one, which now comes in a set with the brand’s eye masks. “I primarily use them to prep my skin and get it in a really wonderful place before putting on makeup,” says Scherzinger. “It’s calming, tightening, and gives me a glow.”
“Addicted,” says Taraji P. Henson of the Peter Thomas Roth hyaluronic-acid-infused gel eye patches. She used them all throughout filming Empire, and has been using them since. “I can literally see the difference: I can see the puffiness shrink in the morning. I’ve even put one on one eye — because I’m a Virgo and I’m crazy — and left the other eye without it, and I could see the difference right away.”
During Prime Day in 2019, this was the top-selling product on day one — and for good reason. It has all the trappings of a good eye gel: firming, depuffing, and fine-line-smoothing. Rio likes to wear them while traveling. “They help hydrate and bring circulation to my under-eye bags, which are always worsened on long-haul flights,” she says.
Hands and feet
Rio discovered the Patchology foot mask during the early days of quarantine, when her feet were uncommonly dry. The mask took a bit of time to kick in, but once it did, her feet started shedding like a snake. “After two weeks, my feet were absurdly, silkily smooth, with no cracks or dry patches at all,” she says. Its main exfoliating ingredient is salicylic acid, but it also contains antioxidants and panthenol to hydrate and protect your skin.
Hair
Olaplex makes some of our favorite hair products, especially for color-treated hair. Its shampoo is a hairstylist favorite. “This sulfate-free shampoo will rebuild the bonds damaged through coloring, gradually transforming dry, broken, and brittle hair back to a healthier state,” says Blackstones colorist Patti O’Gara.
In our roundup of best dry shampoos, we dubbed Klorane Oat Milk the best overall pick because it’s both lightweight and versatile. Hairstylist Benjamin Talbott said that it’s especially good for very oily hair because the oat milk in the formula acts as an astringent and soaks all that extra grease up.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.