BUILT IN
CLINIC.
We are dermatologists who formulate products because the market failed our patients. That is the whole story.
01 — The science behind it
We started in clinic. The products came second.
Dermatica was founded in 1998 by a clinical dermatology practice in London. For the first eight years we did not make products. We treated patients and wrote prescriptions. What we observed, consistently, was that patients were arriving with skin conditions significantly worsened by their existing routines — not improved.
The problem was not the conditions. It was the products. Fragranced cleansers on reactive skin. High-concentration actives on disrupted barriers. Occlusive moisturisers on acne-prone skin. The market had no mechanism to correct this. We did.
We include what the evidence supports. We exclude what it doesn't.
Every ingredient in every formulation is present for one of two reasons: it has clinical evidence supporting its function at the concentration we use, or it is necessary for formulation stability. Nothing is added for fragrance, visual appeal, or consumer expectation.
We do not use fragrance — synthetic or natural. We do not use parabens. We do not use sulfate surfactants. These are not trends. They are decisions based on the incidence of contact sensitisation in our patient population.
Our actives are sourced from certified pharmaceutical suppliers. Vitamin C is tested for oxidation on receipt. Ceramides are verified for chain length. Concentration is confirmed by independent third-party analysis on every production batch.
Fewer products means less waste. That is not incidental.
The average skincare consumer owns between nine and fourteen products. Most are partially used. The environmental cost of that overproduction — packaging, freight, product waste — is significant and largely invisible in per-unit sustainability calculations.
Our model reduces consumption by design. When a patient leaves a consultation with three products, they stop buying the other six. The sustainability case does not require separate certification — it follows from the clinical logic.
All outer packaging is recyclable. We use post-consumer recycled material where supply chain reliability permits. We do not make claims we cannot substantiate. We will not use the word "sustainable" as a marketing adjective.