Create Dramatically Great Skin with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + and Gel

As a child, I used to be fascinated by the sight of a frosted square bottle imbued with pastel yellow liquid that stood prettily on my mother’s dressing table. 

To a 12-year old child, the square bottle may mean nothing. Perhaps, just another “adult” thing has no significance to a child’s life.

When I turned 15, I could not help myself but to be attracted by it. Not just by the shape of the bottle, the frosted surface and the colour, but also the name – Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion – which sounded quirky, albeit mouthful, for a growing up avid reader like me. 

The more I stare, the more it seemed to call me, asking me to experience it myself. Without hesitating, I braved myself to press the pump and slather the yellow liquid it across my face.

The first sensation that I felt on my skin was smooth and cooling. Yet, I still could not get what is the function of the mysterious yellow liquid.  Subsequently, slathering bits of the yellow liquid on my face became a sort of post-bath ritual for me but came to halt a year later (and I can’t remember the reason). Nevertheless, it took me five years to realise that the frosted square bottle imbued with pastel yellow liquid was actually the key to attaining great skin — a famous subject that once became the crux of an article co-written by Beauty Editor Carol Phillips and New York dermatologist Dr Norman Orentreich for Vogue Magazine back in 1967.   

Created as part of the 3-step skin care regimen, a system pioneered by Dr Orentreich, the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion takes pride in being the first skin moisturiser to be developed by dermatologist. For many years, many women — and men, including yours truly — have sworn by its effectiveness in keeping the skin hydrated, especially for those who live in hot and humid climate region like the Southeast Asia.

While many people who are sceptical of its moisturising prowess are likely to assume that its quirky name may be more or less a branding exercise, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion actually lives up to its name. Are you looking for proof? Well, in the year 2012, a bottle of Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is sold globally at the surprising rate of every 4.87 seconds. What’s more, with a 1cm cubed ribbon of the amount of Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotions sold in the last 10 years, you could cross the Brooklyn Bridge 41,550 times, scale the iconic Burj structure in Dubai 91,602 times, run along the Great Wall of China 8.57 times, scale the Tokyo Skytree 119,685 times and yes, wrap the entire world 2.08 times! You can also fill in the Eiffel Tower 8.1 times with the same amount.

After 45 years of reigning supreme as the go-to moisturiser and part of Clinique’s legendary 3-step trinity, the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion underwent a little makeover, both inside and outside. 

“The world has changed. Skin care technology has changed. And so we have changed,” says Janet Pardo, Clinique’s Senior Vice President of Global Product Development.

As a brand that consistently conducting research on new ingredients and technology to modernise its products, whilst ensuring that the clients will receive maximum benefits, Clinique scientists had worked closely with the brand’s guiding dermatologists Dr David and Dr Catherine Orentreich, the children of Dr Norman Orentreich – the man behind the creation of 3-step. Currently running the Orentreich Medical Group in the swanky expanse of the Fifth Avenue, the Orentreichs, according to Pardo, have seen patients of all ethnicities and skin concerns coming in with “more and more with manifestations they described as redness, itching, burning, breakout, dryness and dullness."

“In other words, [it is] unhealthy skin. The dermatologists attribute these symptoms to one thing: a weakened barrier,” she adds.

Of course, as we are living in an age where everything has to be on fast pace, influences such as environmental aggressors, climate change, lack of quality sleep, excessive consumption of processed food and coping with daily life stresses are also seen as the major culprits to the above skin problems. 

While it might be easier for Clinique to scrape off the old formulation and start anew, Clinique has decided to reformulate the iconic moisturising lotion without forsaking the qualities that made it loved and particularly essential to men and women around the world. 

For a total of six and a half years, three formulating dermatologists, 53 researchers and two guiding dermatologists gathered and worked together to create the updated version of Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. Meticulous testing followed by 100 formula trials later, the new Dramatically Different Moisturizing+ was born.

Now, when Dr Norman Orentreich worked on the original formulation, he had insisted on using ingredients that work optimally with the skin. Continuing his legacy today, both Dr David and Dr Catherine have continue to advise using ingredients that are familiar to the skin as they are effective, least likely to provoke irritation and provide barrier strength and boosting the moisturising dexterity.

Retaining the same iconic yellow and silky texture, just as it was first conceived 45 years ago, the new formulation is packed with ingredients that are packed with moisturising punch – Hyaluronic Acid, an effectively proven substance that helps the skin to hold onto moisture for improved hydration; glycerine, a highly “hygroscopic” humectants that attracts moisture to skin; and urea that naturally occurs in the production of skin’s own natural moisturising factor known as NMF.

To impart resilience and resistance to the skin as it encounters constant environmental stresses, a blend of sunflower seed cake, barley extract and cucumber extract are added to fortify the barrier of the skin. 

While the possibilities of loyalists being cynical on how the new formulation would fare compare to the original one are always there, the feedback garnered from over 1,600 women from various ethnic backgrounds across five countries were absolutely impressive: smoother and softer skin; consistently comfortable and moisturised throughout the day.

Moreover, men and women with oily skin will be able to experience the moisturising prowess of the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, a lightweight refreshing gel with all of the superior moisturising benefits of its best-selling sister product. Soft-bodied and oil-free, the moisturiser glides easily on the skin and helps to replenish the skin’s natural moisture balance, hence providing a great platform for healthy looking skin.   

“You can have the best moisturizer in the world but if your barrier is not intact - moisture evaporates,” says Pardo.  “The two actions, moisturising and barrier repair, go hand in hand.”

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel are available now at all Clinique counters, Clinique.com and Sephora beauty emporiums. Both lotion and gel retail from RM50.00 for a 30ml, RM70.00 for 50ml and RM148.00 for 125ml.

*Images courtesy of Clinique

To locate your nearest Clinique counters or to purchase Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, visit Clinique.com.my today.