The Best And Worst Of Dr Sebagh Skincare

Ever wondered what are the best Dr Sebagh products? When Dr Sebagh started his career as a facial plastic surgeon 30 years ago, all he could do was give his patients a face lift. There were no fillers. No cosmeceuticals actives – like Vitamin C – in skincare products. Heck, people didn’t even use sunscreen.

Since then, things have changed (thank goodness!). We now have lasers, fillers, OTC retinoids and all kinds of new ingredients and technology that can help us age better – if not reverse the clock yet. 🙁

Dr Sebagh didn’t hesitate to offer all these new breakthrough treatments in his clinics. Sadly, the same can’t be said for his skincare line. As I was going through the products for this roundup, I was disappointed to see how basic his line is. They’re all super moisturising but the lack of antioxidants is staggering. Even the best products have barely one active. The rest of the formulas is just moisturisers or fillers.

What happened to all the new innovative ingredients that have been discovered in the past 30 years? If the products were cheap, I wouldn’t mind (much). You have to cut corners somewhere. But charging premium prices for basic skincare ins’t cool, Dr Sebagh.

Still, some of your products are just about worth it – if money isn’t a concern for you. Here’s a review of the best, worst, and average Dr Sebagh products, so you can invest in what works and ignore the rest:

About The Brand: Dr Sebagh Skincare

Raised in France, Dr Jean-Louis Sebagh began his career over 30 years ago after becoming a qualified Cosmetic Facial Surgeon. He has since worked in Los Angeles, Paris, and is now practicing in London, where he pioneered the use of Botox, hyaluronic acid fillers and vitamin injections. He coined the term “Ageing-Maintenance” to describe how he uses all his techniques to keep skin young and vibrant without surgery. He has since gained a loyal celebrity following. In 1994, he created a skincare line that promises to make you look younger without surgery. Unfortunately, most of the products are gimmick and overpriced.

What Are The Best Dr Sebagh Products Worth Your Money?

Best For Anti-Aging: Dr Sebagh Retinol Night Repair (£72.00)

According to Dr Sebagh, this serum contains the “highest recommended percentage of retinol,” but won’t say exactly what that is. Still, there’s more than enough here to do the wrinkle-fighting job. Retinol reduces and prevents wrinkles by boosting collagen and fighting free radicals. Plus, it also reduces dark spots and acne. The catch? Retinol can be irritating, especially when you first start using it. This serum has an oily base to moisturise skin and counteract the drying effects of retinol – but it can aggravate acne in oily, acne-prone skin.

Available at: Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges, and SpaceNK.

Best For Preventing Wrinkles: Dr Sebagh Supreme Maintenance Youth Serum (£125.00)

It’s not the “ultimate rejuvenating serum” nor does it contain ” the highest percentage of active ingredients of any skincare product currently available.” That’s marketing. In reality, this serum uses Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, a derivative of Vitamin C, that can fight free radicals before they give you wrinkles and that brightens skin. Plus, hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate skin. When skin is well-hydrated, it looks smoother, plumper, and takes on a dewy glow. Together, they give your skin that “my-skin-but-better” look.

Available at: Harrods, Liberty, and SpaceNK.

Best For Oily Skin: Dr Sebagh Skin Perfecting Cream (£72.00)

An oil-free cream enriched with urea and hyaluronic acid, two humectants that attract and bind water to your skin. In other words, it hydrates skin without adding more oil and clogging pores. Plus, calamine and zinc help to keep oil production under control, so your skin doesn’t get all shiny again after one hour. It’s a simple formula, but it does the job. Not a huge fan of the jar packaging, but there’s nothing here that can spoil when exposed to light and air.

Available at: Harrods and Selfridges.

Best For Dry Skin: Dr Sebagh Vital Cream (£64.00)

This moisturiser uses macadamia oil to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier and make even the driest of skin types softer and smoother. Plus, it has a sprinkle of antioxidants to fight premature aging and silicones to minimise the look of the wrinkles you already have. It makes a great base for makeup and does everything a moisturiser should do: give you a softer, smoother, and brighter look. I’m not a fan of the jar packaging because it exposes antioxidants to light and air and that may spoil them. To avoid this, close that lid quickly!

Available at: Dr Sebagh.

Best For Brightening: Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask (£62.00)

Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask is loaded with lactic acid, the gentlest member of the AHAs family. AHAs are exfoliants: they dissolve the “glue” that holds skin cells together. When you get rid of the superficial damaged cells, your skin looks smoother. Wrinkles looks smaller. Your whole face is brighter. The best part? Lactic acid is gentle enough even for sensitive skin! Oh, it hydrates skin, too. P.S. there’s also a version for sensitive skin, but it contains the same active ingredients and fragrance, so won’t make much of a difference which one you choose.

Available at: Liberty and SpaceNK

Related: Glycolic Acid Vs Lactic Acid: Which One Should You Use?

Best Cleanser For Dry Skin: Rose de Vie Cream Cleanser (£32.00)

A gentle, oil-based cleanser that quickly removes every trace of dirt and makeup while moisturising your skin at the same time. Its texture melts into your skin, leaving it both soft and clean. There’s not much else to say. It does what every cleanser should do – and does it well.

Available at: Harrods and Liberty.

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What Are The Average Dr Sebagh Products That Work Ok, But Not Great?

• Dr Sebagh Supreme Eye Serum (£95.00): There’s nothing supreme about this eye cream. Dr Sebagh says it gives you “smoother, younger, firmer-looking skin – without surgery – and within five minutes of application.” This may be true, but it does so by using a mix of silicones that fill in crow’s feet and film-formers that adhere well to your skin, creating a film that gives it a tight feel and look. But its effects are only temporary. For this price, this should provide more than a temporary cosmetic effect, known what I mean? Available at Liberty, Selfridges, and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Serum Repair ($72.00): A solid hyaluronic acid serum that holds up to 1000 times its weight in water to deeply hydrate and plump up your skin. But.. that’s pretty much all it does. There’s nothing here that can repair anything. Not even collagen. It’s too big to penetrate skin, so it stays on the surface and moisturises it. If your skin needs an extra bout of moisture and you’re not bothered by the price tag, you’ll like this. But if you were hoping it would repair damage, sorry, no can do. Available at Liberty, Selfridges, and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Pure Vitamin C Powder Cream (£88.00): This is literally a powder that turns onto a cream upon application. I don’t really get the point of it. The pure form of Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) fights free radicals, boosts collagen, and fades away darks spots, but it’s very unstable and goes bad quickly in water-based products. But this serum contains Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (SAP), a derivative that’s does everything L-Ascorbic Acid but on a smaller level. SAP is stable, so you can add it to products without it spoiling fast. So why go through the trouble of creating a powder that turns into a cream when you can add it to a cream? Available at Harrods, Liberty, Net-A-Porter, and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Supreme Day Cream (£145.00): A rich cream with shea butter that deeply moisturises skin, strengthens the skin’s protective barrier, and makes dry skin softer and smoother again. It also has a sprinkle of antioxidants to prevent wrinkles. Antioxidants go back more quickly when exposed to light and air, so close that lid quickly every time you use it. Available at Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges, and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Supreme Night Secret (£195.00): A nourishing (and terribly overpriced!) night cream with a sprinkle of antioxidants to minimise wrinkles, moisturise skin, and give you a fresh look in the morning. The jar packaging won’t keep the antioxidants stable and effective for long, unless you close that lid quickly after every use. Available at Harrods, Liberty, and Selfridges.
• Dr Sebagh High Maintenance Cream (£98.00): Another basic moisturisers with silicones to fill in fine lines, film-formers to tighten skin so that wrinkles look smaller, and oils to moisturise skin. It does reduce the signs of aging, but the effect is only temporary. Available at Liberty and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Extreme Maintenance Cream (£98.00): A richer version of the High Maintenance Cream, it’s enriched with shea butter to nourish and moisturise dry skin. It reduces the appearance of wrinkles, but it’s only a temporary cosmetic effect. Available at Dr Sebagh.
• Dr Sebagh Replenishing Cream (£72.00): Another basic moisturiser with emollients, hyaluronic acid and silicones to make skin softer and smoother and temporarily minimise the look of wrinkles. It has a couple of comedogenic ingredients that may cause breakouts in oily skin, but dry skin may appreciate their moisturising power. The jar packaging isn’t ideal, but there aren’t many antioxidants here that can spoil when exposed to light and air anyway. Available at Harrods and Selfridges.
• Dr Sebagh Rose de Vie Hydrating Mask (£74.00): A simple hydrating mask that makes skin softer and smoother and gives it a pick-me-up before a special occasion. Available at Selfridges and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Skin Perfecting Mask (£46.00): A clay mask with kaolin to absorb excess oil and keep breakouts at bay. It’s also enriched with natural oils to moisturise skin while clay does its job, but it could be comedogenic for some skin types. Available at Harrods, Liberty and Selfridges.
• Dr Sebagh Breakout Foaming Cleanser (£28.00): A simple, no-frills foaming cleanser to remove dirt and excess oil. Ideal for oily skin. Available at Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges, and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Foaming Cleanser ($32.00): A stripped down version of the Breakout Foaming Cleanser, it removes dirt and impurities quickly. But it contains fragrance and irritating preservatives that may bother sensitive skin. Available at Selfridges and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Instant Fix Eye Lift Gel (£52.00): You don’t need eye cream. But if you want to use this, this one contains a mix of silicones and film-formers to tighten skin and feel in fine lines and wrinkles, so they look smaller. It’s a temporary effect, but it does make your eye area look younger for a while. Available at Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges, and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Firming Eye Cream (£48.00): It doesn’t firm skin. Eye creams can’t do that. But it’s loaded with moisturising ingredients that makes the eye area softer and smoother. Available at Harrods, Liberty, and Selfridges.
• Dr Sebagh De-Puff Eye Treatment (£56.00): A hydrating cream that plumps up fine lines and wrinkles so they look smaller. The freshness can help with puffy eyes, but the cream won’t do anything for dark circles. Available at Harrods, Liberty, and Selfridges.
• Dr Sebagh Sun & City Protection SPF 50+ (£60.00): A mineral sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection from UV rays without irritating skin. Unfortunately, it leaves a white cast on the skin, which is why it’s in the average, not the best, category. Available at Liberty and Selfridges.
• Dr Sebagh Breakout Spot-On (£38.00): This spot treatment uses calamine and zinc to dry out pimples and shrink them. It doesn’t work as fast as strong spot treatments with sulfur or benzoyl peroxide, but if those are too harsh for your skin, this is a good alternative to consider. Available at Selfridges and SpaceNK.
• Dr Sebagh Breakout Cream & Powder (£95.00): The breakout powder contains calamine to soothe skin and zinc to dry out pimples and shrink them. You’re meant to mix it with the cream, a basic concoction with moisturising and soothing ingredients. Together, they calm down inflammation, one of the main causes of acne. I personally don’t like to mix my skincare products (I’m lazy like that), especially because I don’t believe this combo is as powerful as other anti-acne treatments, like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. But if those are too irritating for you, give this a go. Available at Dr Sebagh.

What Are The Worst Dr Sebagh Products To Avoid?

• Dr Sebagh Rose De Vie (£132.00): I’m usually a huge fan of rosehip oil. This moisturising oil strengthens your skin’s protective barrier, has a bunch of antioxidants (including Vitamin A) to prevent wrinkles, and even helps treat mini pimples. But, there’s not much rosehip oil here. Instead fragrance (one of the most irritating ingredients in skincare) is pretty high on the ingredient list – and anything that comes after that usually has no benefits for skin.
• Dr Sebagh Platinum Gold Elixir (£395.00): This serum is so overpriced because it contains gold and platinum – but they do nothing for skin! There’s only one sprinkle of antioxidants or peptides to fight aging. If smooths out imperfections and make you look younger only thanks to a mix of silicones to fill in fine lines and wrinkles, and film-formers to tighten up skin and minimise wrinkles. But the effects are only temporary. It’s like putting a plaster on a wrinkle. You can’t see it, but it’s still there.
• Dr Sebagh Signature Serum (£475.00): I’m sure you’re starting to sense a theme here. It’s the silicones and film-formers that temporary minimise wrinkles that make your skin look great – and you don’t need to pay a fortune for that. Dr Sebagh says it ” includes a pioneering active ingredient that combats the ageing of the cell’s nucleus—encouraging it to behave like a young cell and so delaying the metabolic and nucleus senescence,” but if it did this, it’d be classified as a drug, not a cosmetic, and would need to undergo much strict testing before being added to a serum.
• Dr Sebagh Supreme Neck Lift (£120.00): First of all, you don’t need a neck cream. Just extend your facial routine to your neck. Plus, there’s nothing special here. It’s just a basic moisturising skin with a sprinkle of wrinkle-preventing antioxidants. Same as your facial moisturisers, basically.

About Gio

Hi, I'm Gio. I'm a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever - every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what's worth the splurge and what's best left on the shelf - using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.