My Honest Review Of Dieux’s Sold-Out Deliverance Serum

Truth be told, I’m not sure if this is going to come across as a love letter to Charlotte Palermino (i.e. one of the main minds behind Dieux Skin), or to the brand’s already-sold-out new serum: Deliverance. Honestly folks, they both make me feel some type of way — Palermino because she’s taken the time to make me feel seen and heard, despite having legions of followers on social media and multiple businesses to run. And Deliverance, because, well, unlike the majority of skin care products on the market these days, it does exactly what it promises to do. I would know, considering I was lucky enough to try out the serum ahead of its launch this past May and haven’t been able to stop reaching for it since.

Long story short, I knew I had to get my hands on Deliverance when I saw an Instagram Story of Palermino’s in which she revealed that it helped heal a dermatitis reaction she’d had. For context: I have a rare genetic skin condition called Netherton syndrome that weakens my skin barrier, making me super-prone to redness, irritation, and adverse reactions to just about anything and everything. For this reason, I’m always eager to try products that claim to soothe and strengthen the skin — especially, that is, when they’re recommended by someone I trust vehemently, like Palermino. After DMing back and forth about the serum and how it works (more on that soon!), the brand’s co-founder told me to expect a package in a week or so.

Sure enough, Deliverance showed up on my doorstep a week and a half later, and naturally, I didn’t waste any time putting it to the test. After all, my skin was feeling more irate than usual with the weather changing from spring to summer, and I was desperate for a calming fix.

It was still morning when my bottle arrived, so I did my usual cleansing routine using iS Clinical's Cleansing Complex and then slathered on a dime-sized dollop of the serum while my skin was slightly damp. My first takeaway was that the milky-gel formula felt deliciously cooling, which in my experience, has almost always been a good sign. I then applied a generous amount of my favorite moisturizer, Weleda’s Skin Food, and proceeded to wait 15 minutes before looking in the mirror again. When I finally did, my first thought was: “Damn, Charlotte. You guys did it again.” It had been less than 30 minutes since I applied Deliverance, and my skin had done a near-180; the blotchiness was completely gone, and my complexion was glowing in a way it hadn’t in months.

So it was definitely an excellent first impression, there’s no doubt about that, but I was even more blown away a few days later when it helped calm my skin from a severe allergic reaction to a new sunscreen I’d tried. I gently washed my face to ensure all the SPF was gone and then drenched my angry skin in Deliverance. It took a little longer this time around — maybe 90 minutes or so — but my reaction had disappeared almost entirely by dinnertime. And for me, who’s had bad reactions last days, that was pretty damn incredible.

Now to get into the nitty-gritty of the formula, which was crafted by the brand’s co-founder and chief chemist, Joyce de Lemos. “We made Deliverance because we're a team of co-founders that all have variations of sensitive skin,” Palermino tells me via email of the label’s inspiration. “Ultimately it delivers actives that have incredible data, like peptides that help smooth out skin, and niacinamide which can help strengthen skin, along with both a cannabinoid complex and a water lily complex that help soothe irritation.”

Palermino explains that the team specifically included soothing ingredients in the formula because of how harsh the environment is. “You have pollution, allergens, and weather, so using something that calms the skin while also gently delivering actives really matter,” she says. “We want it to feel like a hug for your face.” (I can confirm that is does.) It’s worth noting that Dieux actually did a clinical study on the efficacy of cannabinoids and their ability to calm skin, as there isn’t an overwhelming amount of data currently available.

“We studied cannabinoids, as we knew there was potential around their calming and soothing properties, but there was little data to go off of,” says Palermino. “The lack of therapeutic windows, stability testing, and the idea that full spectrum CBD is ‘best’ was deeply confusing to us. We wanted to shed light on this space while also acknowledging how much hard the war on drugs has been on individuals, particularly Black and brown communities.” (On top of a monthly contribution, $1 of every sale of Deliverance goes to the Floret Coalition, which is an anti-racist collective of small businesses in the cannabis and cannabis-adjacent space.)

I’ve been using Deliverance in my daily skin care routine for over a month now, and I can sincerely say it’s my favorite step. More importantly, though, I’ve definitely noticed a difference in the overall look and feel of my skin. It’s smoother, less easily aggravated, and actually feels stronger, like it can hold up against all the aforementioned elements (weather, pollution, and so on).

Suffice it to say: If you also struggle with sensitive skin, consider trying Deliverance. While the $69 serum is currently sold out, you can sign up to be added to the waitlist here.

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