Comparative Review: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion v. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel

Just a few days ago, my dear fellow beautyholic and friend domncroxd penned an ultra-informative entry on Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel (DDMG).

Today, I’ll continue on the path she started on and compare my personal experiences with both of Clinique‘s bestselling moisturisers: Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel (DDMG) and Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (DDML).

What’s the difference between the two? Which moisturiser suits which skin type? Does weather have any bearing on which one works better? Answers after the jump!

Before I go on, I must begin with a friendly disclaimer explaining the history of my experiences with both DDMG and DDML.

I used DDML when I was living in Europe and Australia, after being recommended it by a Clinique advisor. At the time, I had just finished my first six-month course of Ro-Accutane and my skin was evolving from very oily to combination oily with patches of dryness in the cheeks and forehead, along the hairline. At the time, DDML worked great for me because of my changing skin coupled with the dry climate I was living in.

When I moved back to humid, warm Southeast Asia, however, my skin slowly became oilier once more – and not to my great surprise, DDML’s effectiveness began to rapidly wane. I then switched to DDMG, and my skin felt far better and more comfortable for it. DDMG was lighter, didn’t feel like it was suffocating my pores (DDML felt weighty on my skin in humid weather), and helped keep oil production reasonably well regulated. I continue to use DDMG as I proceed with my second course of Ro-Accutane: it keeps my skin comfortably hydrated during the day, and I supplement it with Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief at night.

That being said, here’s the lowdown in a table (forgive my geeky side!):

	DDMG	DDML
Targeted Skin Type	Combination/Oily to Very Oily (Clinique Skin Types 3 and 4)	Dry to Very Dry (Clinique Skin Types 1 and 2)
Texture	Gel: water-based, very light, oil-free	Lotion: mineral oil base makes it creamy, but not thick or greasy
Scent	None discernible, but if you sniff closely enough, slightly minty	None discernible, but if you sniff closely enough, slightly waxy (think unscented soap bar)
Ingredients	Water Purified, Dimethicone, Isododecane, Butylene Glycol, Bis-Peg-18 Methylether, Dimethyl Silane, Glycerin, Laminaria Saccharina (kelp/seaweed) Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate (a type of yeast) Extract, Cucumis Sativus (cucumber) Fruit Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (barley) Extract, Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) Seedcake, Caffeine, Trehalose, Sodium Hyaluronate (a type of hyaluronic acid), Tocopheryl Acetate, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria/camomile flower), Polysilicone-11, Silica, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Oleth-10, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp Copolymer, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Disodium-Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Yellow 5, Red 4, Yellow 6	Water Purified, Mineral Oil (paraffinum liquidum), Sesame (Sesamum Indicum) Oil, Propylene Glycol, Tea Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Petrolatum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Pros	Spreads easily,light and easily absorbed Cooling effect when applied to skin Does not feel sticky in hot and humid weather	Excellent for cold and dry climates Immediately feel a moisture barrier forming when applied to skin
Cons	Not enough of a moisture barrier for cold and dry climates Contains various silicones Contains added colourings	Does not spread as smoothly as its gel counterpart Takes a long while to absorb and tends to feel uncomfortable in hot and humid weather
Shared Pros	Good basic moisturiser for all purposes and seasons Great value for money – one 125ml bottle lasts ages
Shared Cons	Contains parabens No SPF Pump bottle packaging could use some revamping in order to eliminate wastage problem

From experience, I found that the effectiveness of both DDML and DDMG was very much dependent on the climate and the changes that my skin was undergoing given hormonal changes, age, skin sensitivity to different ingredients (for example, I know many of you girls have unpleasant reactions to silicones, but my skin seems to rather enjoy DDMG despite its high silicone content), and medication.

Ultimately, when it comes to picking which of the two would suit you better, it’s essential to consider all those factors.

Both DDMG and DDML come in two sizes: 50ml tubes and 125ml pump bottles (will update with prices in MYR and SGD once I’ve confirmed them). If you’re not sure about committing to a full-sized product, however, I’ve always found Clinique advisors to be quite generous with giving out samples – so don’t hesitate to ask them for one to test out beforehand!