Cold Plasma Sub-D Skin Care: My Review and Observations
Perricone Cold Plasma Sub-D
Perricone Cold Plasma Sub-D is an anti-aging product which targets the skin on the lower face and neck areas. Following are my observations on the product after using Sub-D for a three month period in late 2013.
My first exposure to Dr. Perricone came years ago when I purchased a copy of the book The Perricone Promise for a friend. So years later I wasn’t surprised to see Dr. Perricone on early-morning infomercials pitching his latest anti-aging products. He has always seemed to have a rather large and zealous following.
Cold Plasma Sub-D has been advertising on television infomercials for the last several years. Being a man in his 40’s that is obsessed with skin care (think Christian Bale in American Psycho), I was eager to give Sub-D a whirl in late 2013, when I first tried the product.
Subd.com is the official product website.
How Much Does Sub-D Cost?
Cold Plasma Sub-D is available for purchase locally and from the product website. I received free shipping and handling (S&H) when I tried the product in late 2013.
Below is a breakdown of costs as quoted from the Sub-D website as of November 2015:
- Face & Neck Firming Collection (Originally called the Basic Kit). 1 month for $49.95 per month plus free shipping.
- Doctor’s Choice (Originally called the Deluxe Kit). 1 month for $79.95 plus free shipping.
You are also given the option to purchase a 90-day supply at a reduced price. Keep in mind that regardless of which kit you purchase, you’ll be signed up for the dreaded auto ship program which will automatically charge the consumer for a three month supply of Sub-D every 90 days unless the order is specifically cancelled.
Purchasing a 3-month supply of Sub-D (basic kit) at a local store like ULTA, Sephora, or Nordstrom costs around $135.
Sub-D Review
Using Sub-D was one of my more expensive product evaluations, as I tried it for a total of three months. And unlike many other reviewers you’ll see online – many who are quite forgiving in their evaluations – I did not receive the product for free. I put my money on the line, and felt no need to evaluate it with kid gloves.
Below are my pros and cons for Sub-D, but if you want a quick bottom line for the product: I’d say that it did nothing at all, except maybe make me smell quite bad for three months and provide basic moisturizing.
Sub-D: Pros
- Moisturizing – Although the product isn’t advertised as a moisturizer per se, I did feel that it did a moderate job of moisturizing. I wouldn’t say it was better than the dozens of moisturizers available at a local CVS, but it was certainly acceptable.
- Free shipping – At least they didn’t tack on an extra $10 here.
- Available locally – You can now purchase Sub-D at local stores such as Sephora, meaning you don’t have to wait weeks for the product to arrive. If you’re lucky, you may also get a sales associate to give you feedback on the product.
Sub-D: Cons
- Smell – I’m rather sensitive to smells, and this product has a stench. Imagine taking lemon-coated salmon, letting it sit out for a day, and then rubbing it on your face. The smell alone rendered this product almost unusable to me.
- Price – A cursory glance at the ingredients tells you that there really isn’t anything in Sub-D that warrants such an exorbitant price. The two “kits” seem surprisingly overpriced at about $168 and $267 for 3 months. You can find comparable products for a fraction of this cost at any beauty shop or drug store.
- Effectiveness – At $200ish per order, I expected to look like a teenager after three months of Sub-D. In the end, I didn’t feel like it improved my skin whatsoever. I even feel I may have lost ground as I used this in place of my normal – and proven – skin care regimen.
Bottom Line
Perricone’s Sub-D didn’t do anything for me that proper skin care didn’t already do. My daily routine includes a simple application of aloe vera and Vitamin A enriched SPF lotion after my shower. I didn’t feel that Sub-D offered any advantage over this simple, but effective regimen. I also felt that that the “program” was purposely made to sound complex in order to justify the outrageous price of the product.
Updated November 21, 2015
Originally published April 2014
