With so many skincare brands out there, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to put on your face, even for a seasoned beauty editor like me! But it is still one of my favorite categories, so I try to narrow it down by focusing on things that I gravitate toward, like ancestral ingredients and a meaningful ethos that centers nature and sustainability. This is why I was instantly drawn to DamDam, a Japanese skincare brand that launched at Sephora in 2021.
According to co-founders Giselle Go and Philippe Terrien, DamDam is made up of four pillars: simple beauty rituals, high-efficacy formulas, time-honored ingredients, and planet-friendly practices—all the things I look for in a beauty brand. One of these beauty rituals honors osoji, the traditional deep cleaning of a home that is done at the end of the year. “In Japan, the practice of cleansing is the foundation of everything,” explains Go and Terrien. When you apply it to your skincare routine using DamDam’s products, it’s through a double-cleanse regimen, followed by a detoxifying mask at least once a week. When it comes to formula, the brand uses ingredients that have been used in Japanese skincare and wellness rituals for centuries. “One of our hero ingredients is shiso, a Japanese mint historically used in kampo medicine. It is a plant rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids,” says Go and Terrien. “Another hero ingredient we use is konnyaku, a Japanese tuber used in detoxification and cleansing since 710 AD.”
With this in mind, I decided to try out DamDam’s entire line to see if it was right for my over-40, acne-prone combination skin. Keep scrolling for my honest opinion.
