About Kate Somerville
Kate Somerville is known as the guru of glow and her skincare products are inspired by her experience as an esthetician to help cosmetic surgery patients recover faster through active ingredients. Through starting her own clinic based on this philosophy, she quickly became popular among many celebs who swear by her products. And lucky for us, we can easily get our hands on these miracle products from the Kate Somerville website or at Sephora!
Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment
What It Is
The Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment, an Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner, is a leave-on exfoliating AHA treatment gentle enough for daily use, that dissolves dead skin cell buildup. This chemical treatment also helps smoothen the skin and reduce pores.
Benefits
- Helps with uneven skin texture
- Fixes dullness in the skin
- Unclogs and minimizes the size of pores
Key Ingredients
10% Triple Acid Blend (Glycolic, Malic, and Lactic Acids): These acids exfoliates the skin from dead cells, smoothens out skin texture, addresses dullness.
Phytic Acids with Pumpkin, Papaya, and Pineapple Enzymes: Boosts exfoliation with glowing skin.
Skin Type
Normal, Dry, Combination, Oily
How To Use
After cleansing your face, you can apply the Liquid ExfoliKate. I usually put a little bit on a cotton pad and apply it like I do toner. Because I don’t want to risk irritating my skin, and as per instructions, I apply my moisturizer after. I did use The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA after the treatment a couple times and before my moisturizer, and I did not have any negative reaction.
Don’t forget to apply sunscreen during the day!
How Much To Use
Since the 30 ml Liquid ExfoliKate doesn’t come with a dropper, I put my cotton pad on top of the opening and turn it upside down quickly. I do this to just 2 spots on my cotton pad and I find that it’s enough for my entire face. With the larger size, it comes with a pump and I’m assuming you’ll need 1 or 2 pumps.
Product Texture
The texture of the treatment is just like a toner. It isn’t thick, but very liquid.
Product Scent
To me, it’s a very light acidic and citrusy scent. It doesn’t bother me at all and disappears very quickly.
Product Size
Standard Size – 120 ml
Mini Size – 30 ml
Product Packaging
The 30 ml Liquid ExfoliKate comes in a matte glass bottle with a twist of plastic cap. The 120 ml bottle also comes in a matte glass bottle, except it has a plastic pump which does make it a little more convenient to use for some people. I personally don’t mind the twist of top since I know I can use up every drop and not lose any in the pump as it dispenses!
How Long Does One Bottle Last?
At the rate I’m using my 30 ml bottle, I feel like I can finish it in about 2 months if I use it every day. But I will say that once you achieve your skin goals with this treatment, you don’t necessarily need to continue it. It is a treatment, so you can still have some leftover for when you have a skin emergency. This is what I used my bottle for!
How Much Does It Cost?
Standard Size – $60 USD / $79 CAD
Mini Size – $22 USD / $29 CAD
Where To Purchase The Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment
You can purchase this treatment at Kate Somerville or Sephora (online or in-store). Of course I always find it easier to purchase from Sephora because it’s in Canadian dollars, there’s free shipping and returns, and the stores are easily accessible.
My Results
Let’s start with why I chose to review the Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment. Now, I don’t normally have sensitive skin and I rarely react to any type of product that I use. But since I haven’t used any retinol products for a few years and had just recently started using the Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum, I didn’t allow myself enough time to ease my skin into it. That is, I used the retinoid serum for about 3 or 4 days straight instead of 2 days on and 2 days off.
I believe that continuously using the serum without giving my skin time to get used to it, caused my skin to start purging since I didn’t really change anything else with my skincare routine. I immediately stopped using the Sunday Riley Retinoid Serum since I started getting little acne-like bumps all over my forehead and cheeks, and a couple of annoying pimples. And boy did I want that fixed so naturally, I went searching for a solution. Clearly salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide treatments didn’t help, so I needed to find something else. I remembered reading somewhere that a resurfacing treatment will help get rid of all of these bumps and clear up my skin – I knew that had to be the answer.
What Is Skin Purging And Why Does It Happen?
When introducing a new skincare product into your routine that contains chemical ingredients like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) and even retinol, you might get an adverse reaction that causes your skin to breakout or become really dry and peel. The difference between breaking out and your skin purging is that skin purging will resolve in 6 weeks and it usually appears in the places where you normally have breakouts.
Basically, the product is expediting your cell turnover and pushing everything in clogged pores to the surface. Unfortunately, you can’t stop it but you can introduce the product slowly to your skincare routine and build up to it.
Remember to apply moisturizer and wear sunscreen to protect your skin as exfoliating can leave it more vulnerable to the sun’s damaging rays. Here’s A Guide To Sunscreen Use And Choosing The Safest One For You.
Luckily, I actually had a brand new 30 ml bottle of the Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment from a somewhat recent purchase in my beauty cabinet inventory. I can’t remember where exactly I got it from since I make so many purchases every month but it must have been from one of those beauty subscriptions or a set since I know it was a really good deal. This is an example of why it’s good to have things ready and available on hand for those just-in-case moments!
So I immediately starting using it once at night and literally by the next morning, my skin improved drastically. My pores were smaller, my skin was generally clearer and brighter, and those little acne-like bumps almost completely disappeared! I read that the Liquid ExfoliKate treatment was good and that people saw results overnight, so I had high expectations and it really did not disappoint! I was so excited that it worked so quickly and I used it for the next 7 days straight. By the 4th day, my skin was completely clear from any of those little acne-like bumps and my pimples greatly reduced in size.
In the future, I will definitely ease myself into using any type of retinol products and give my skin time to adjust!
Verdict
As you can tell from the effectiveness of the Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment through my results, I highly recommend this product. I haven’t even finished my bottle and I already felt the need to write a review on this product because it is that good! I am so glad I had this in my skincare inventory and will continue to purchase this to make sure I’m stocked up for any future skin emergency and if I want to improve my skin health and get clear, glowing skin. Plus, a small bottle is only $22 USD / $29 CAD. For overnight results, it’s 100% worth the purchase.
Our goal is to have clear and radiant skin – glass skin if you will – and if you’re looking to achieve this as well as fast results, this is it. Because really, who has time to wait these days?