Is it just me or is the word “facial” getting thrown around a little too casually these days? Suddenly everything from a weekend sheet mask to an overnight cream is being billed as a facial (at-home and in-a-jar, respectively). But the worst appropriation of the facial has to be the beauty counter version, where a three-step routine (aka sampling) suddenly gets tossed around like it’s a professional treatment.
Of course, leave it to Sephora to take the concept of an in-store facial and make it actually legit—as in a true spa-grade treatment that’s usually only available at professional offices. The retailer just announced a partnership with HydraFacial (yes, that dermatologist-loved treatment) to bring its PERK hydrating facials to more than 100 Sephora stores across the country.
The Sephora Hydrafacial: How to Get a Free Hydrafacial Perk Treatment
Image/Sephora
Much like its parent company, HydraFacial, PERK’s two-part system starts with suction exfoliation and ends with a tailored serum infusion. A lactic acid solution is combined with five settings of varying vacuum intensity to dislodge everything from surface oil to deep blackheads. After a thorough exfoliation, skin is drenched in an antioxidant serum packed with vitamins A and E, hyaluronic acid and natural extracts. The results: a clear complexion, immediate brightening and a clean so deep you can see the extractions before they’re poured down the sink. The whole treatment takes 10 minutes with no downtime and can be tailored to the eye area, lips or full face.
Image/HydraFacial
If this all already sounds amazing, the next part will blow your mind. A PERK treatment on its own costs anywhere from $30 (eyes) to $50 (full face). But at hundreds of Sephora locations nationwide (and in all the new Sephora Studio locations, starting with the newly opened Hoboken store), the treatment is completely free with the purchase of $75 worth of skin care from any brand. Sephora may not exactly recommend this tactic, but you can bet we’ll be pacing our skin care purchases from now on, just so we can also enjoy a PERK facial every month.
