Kate Somerville has been nicknamed the “guru of glow.” The skincare maven is known for her celebrity clients such as Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore and Megan Markle. While Somerville has a clinic in Los Angeles, you don’t have to be a California based celeb to get some of that glow for yourself. Somerville also created a comprehensive skincare collection that includes everything from serums to moisturizers and sun protection. Here’s a closer look at Kate Somerville, the brand’s products and is it worth a try?
Who Is Kate Somerville?
Somerville grew up on a farm in California, and says that she battled a whole host of skin issues, including eczema, as a child. One day her mother added goat milk to her bath and Somerville says that her skin felt soothed. The goat milk experience spurred her to take a deeper dive into solving her skin issues and she studied esthetics in college. As she wrote on her website, “From a young age, I knew what it felt like to be uncomfortable in my own skin.” After college, she opened a clinic inside a cosmetic surgeon’s office before launching her own space in Los Angeles. Kate Somerville Skin Health Experts Clinic debuted in 2004 and it was a one-stop-shop for facials as well as dermatological treatments, all in a beautiful home-like setting.
Somerville quickly built a devoted clientele and subsequently launched a skincare collection which is meant to be like a treatment in a bottle. Today the Kate Somerville brand includes moisturizers, serums, masks and sun protection, and it is a firm favorite among celebrities and beauty editors.
What Is the Kate Somerville Skincare Philosophy?
Kate Somerville products are meant to be bottled versions of her clinic’s treatments. Somerville boils down the basics of an effective skincare routine to exfoliation, hydration and moisturizing. Her products are meant to visibly transforming skin, and Somerville has called achieving good skin “a life changing experience,” especially for anyone who has suffered with skin issues for years. Somerville is also a big proponent of goat milk.
What Does Kate Somerville Sell?
Kate Somerville sells a comprehensive collection of skincare products. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best sellers and key products.
Kate Somerville Moisturizers
Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer – Designed for oil prone skin, this daily moisturizer is lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin. The formula is spiked with algae to help tighten the look of the skin.
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Glow – This cream pulls double duty as a moisturizer and a gentle exfoliator. It leaves skin hydrated while alpha hydroxy and lactic acids work to gently dissolve dead skin cells.
Kate Somerville Nourish Daily Antioxidant Moisturizer – The key ingredient in this daily moisturizer is retinyl palmitate, which encourages cell turnover and helps soften the look of fine lines.
Kate Somerville Serums & Toners
Kate Somerville Wrinkle Warrior 2-in-1 Plumping Moisturizer + Serum – This combination moisturizer and serum is packed with hyaluronic acid, a moisture magnet, as well as Sichuan pepper to target wrinkles.
Kate Somerville D-Scar Scar Diminishing Serum – Powered by peptides and botanical extracts, this scar fading serum glides on with a rollerball applicator.
Kate Somerville Exfoliators & Masks
Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate – A blend of 10% AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) and fruit enzymes work to exfoliate skin by gently dissolving dead skin cells. The solution should be applied at bed time.
Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift + Retinol – The key ingredient in this treatment is retinol, which encourages cell turnover and helps skin look firmer and smoother.
Kate Somerville EradiKate Foam Mask – Most masks are made from creams, gels or clay but this one is foam based. It is formulated to clear up blemishes and unclog pores.
Kate Somerville Acne
Kate Somerville EradiKate – This acne spot treatment is formulated to help dry out blemishes, and the solution is powered by sulphur and zinc oxide.
EradiKate Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment – Salicylic acid helps to unclog pores and prevent acne, and it’s the key ingredient in this lightweight, overnight solution.
What is Kate Somerville Exfolikate?
Exfolikate is arguably Kate Somerville’s most famous product, and it’s been dubbed “the two minute Hollywood facial.” A cult favorite for more than 10 years, the facial scrub is a combination physical and chemical exfoliator. The bright green scrub is powered by lactic acid (a chemical exfoliator) as well as papaya and pumpkin enzymes, silica (a physical exfoliator), and salicylic acids. It is designed to leave skin smooth, soft and polished thanks to aloe vera, honey and vitamins A, C and E. When the product debuted on QVC in 2007, it sold out in minutes.
What Ingredients are in Kate Somerville Products?
Kate Somerville products are formulated with a mix of commonly used skincare ingredients, such as retinol, hyaluronic acid and AHAs and BHAs as well as botanicals and goat milk. The Cold Cream contains white honey to helps soothe the complexion along with jasmine, rose and daisy to soften the skin. The Dermal Quench Warrior, which targets wrinkles, contains three different sizes of hyaluronic acid along with Sichuan pepper, and polyglutamic acid to boost moisture. The Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser soothes the skin with milk proteins, along with jojoba and avocado oils.
Where is Kate Somerville Sold?
Kate Somerville products are sold at her LA clinic, online at her website as well as Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom and QVC.
How Much are Kate Somerville Products?
Kate Somerville products are on the pricier side, in line with department store brands. ExfoilKate is $85, and the Oil Free Moisturizer is $65. The Acne Clearing Lotion is $42, while the Dermal Quench Liquid Lift + Retinol retails for $98. Some of the lower priced products include the Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser for $38, and the EradiKate Acne Spot Treatment for $26.
Is Kate Somerville tested on Animals?
Kate Somerville was officially recognized as cruelty-free by PETA in 2018.
What do users thin of Kate Somerville products?
Deciding if a beauty product “works” is never black and white. One person’s miracle product may do nothing for you, or cause a breakout.
A little experimentation is always needed, as well as a dive into reviews.
Kate Somerville products have a strong customer and celebrity fan base, as well as industry recognition. In late 2019, Somerville will be recognized with an Outstanding Achievement in Skincare by the Daytime Beauty Awards. The EradiKate Acne Treatment was named one of the best beauty buys of 2018 by New Beauty magazine, and the Exfolikate Cleanser scooped up a 2017 Editor’s Pick nod from TotalBeauty.com. The EradiKate Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment is a 2019 Glamour Beauty Award winner. “When I think of Kate Somerville, I know I’m going to get products that really help with blemishes. This one is different because you use it all over your skin, instead of as a spot treatment, so you soothe any current issues or redness and actually help prevent breakouts from happening down the road, wrote Marianna Hewitt.
On The Derm Review (below) reviews were mostly positive. One person says: “I have been using kate somerville skincare for four weeks. I was first given a trial of exfolikate and liked it so I ended up buying many skincare products. This is my favorite exfoliator. Gentle but it gets rid of all the dead skin. The other one I like is kate somerville cytocell dermal energizing treatment, goat milk cream, kate somerville eradikate, kate somerville melrose, kate somerville dermalquench and kate somerville deep tissue repair. I do not work for Kate Somerville and are not affiliated with them in anyway.”
Elizaveta smelova Original review: Apr 03, 2021.
I’m crazy about moisturizer, I literally look 16 when I’m really 24, because of this moisturizer. I’ve tried so many, but there’s really only 1, and it’s by Kate, that made my skin feel at home. First of all, it does moisturize the skin. Point two , it’s seamless: it glowes but it doesn’t look oily, it looks like clean
skin. 3) it feels natural, there are no chemicals. This is truly an innovation.