The Two-Minute Beauty Peel

Photo: Henry Leutwyler

There is a place in New York City that promises a dermatologist approved face peel in two minutes—with no down time. Which means you can head straight back to work or to the gym, and not even look red.

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As part of the Butterfly Studio services—where you can book a hair appointment, have your makeup done, or experience the BeautyRx peel ($39)—the two-minute peel is designed for the person who has no time. In reality, it takes longer than two minutes, and I know because I timed it.

Last week, I set the stopwatch on my iPhone at the exact moment I walked into Butterfly Studio, attempting to see how long it really took for this speed peel to happen (BeautyRx generally suggests the entire experience will take 15 minutes).

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Created by dermatologist Dr. Neal Schultz (who has been working with Botox, glycolic peels, and fillers for over 30 years), the Beauty Rx peel is comprised of lavender and willow herb (for their soothing and anti-inflammatory properties). Loaded with 40% strength glycolic acid, it works as a powerful exfoliator to break down dead skin cells on the top layer of your epidermis. It can also reduce wrinkles, acne scarring, and hyperpigmentation.

The peel itself provided excellent results, and that’s coming from a seasoned beauty editor who has the secret worry that I could end up looking like Samantha in that raw face/impulse freshening peel episode of Sex and the City. After cleansing, my face was swabbed gently with the peel, which tingled a little for the two minutes it was on my face. Once wiped off with a warm towel, my skin was notably softer and looked more vibrant. Breakouts on my chin were still visible, but the surrounding skin was significantly clearer of debris. The real surprise though, was that there was absolutely no redness. It just looked as if I had washed my face. And pleasantly, the excellent results continued for the next few days. My husband noted my skin was “glowier” and the few eruptions I did have seemed to reduce in size and visibility.

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In the end, the whole experience took 32 minutes, 17 seconds. But keep in mind that this included everything from putting away my coat and filling out a form (one minute and 30 seconds), chatting with the technician about my skin concerns (10 minutes), re-applying makeup (10 minutes), and retrieving my coat and checking out (three minutes).

I’ll be leaving a little more than 15 minutes for my next visit, but can certainly report that I’ll be encouraging my friends to try it.