DRMTLGY: A Self-Funded Los Angeles Label That Skipped the Vowels

Say the name aloud and you will see why people stumble: drmtlgy is dermatology with the vowels taken out. The company is based in Los Angeles, launched in 2017 and has been fully self-funded, which explains why it feels so focused. The co-founders are Scott Futterman, the CEO, and Samuel Raoof, the COO. Its first physical retail launch came on December 26, 2025, in nearly all of a national chain's 1,400-plus stores, and its products are developed and made in an FDA-registered facility in Los Angeles.

What I like is the point of view. Sun protection sits at the center of the range. The Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46 and the Physical Tinted Moisturizer SPF 44 are the pair to look at first, since the name of each tells you exactly what it is: a tinted moisturizer with sun protection built in. SmrtSun Broad Spectrum SPF 45 is a clear facial sunscreen for anyone who wants plain protection, and Daydream SPF 40 is a hydrating daytime moisturizer with SPF, the one I would try for a simpler routine.

Two other products round out the set. The Needle-less Growth Factor Serum and the Water Crème Moisturizer are for the steps around the sunscreen. I would read the label on each and decide where they fit your routine, since they are the ones that are not about SPF.

Start with the tinted moisturizer on bare skin, use a finger's length for the face, and blend along the jaw. Check the color in daylight, not in the bathroom mirror, and keep a little on your neck so the edge never shows. That is the whole trick with anything tinted.

A tinted sunscreen has one job that ordinary sunscreen does not: it has to look like skin. That means the shade range matters as much as the SPF number, and the texture has to sit properly without pilling over moisturizer.

Tarte's BB blur is a matte tinted moisturizer with SPF 30, good if your face tends to shine by lunchtime. Milk Makeup's Hydro Grip Gel Skin Tint is the gel one, a hydrating skin tint. Dr. Jart+ Premium BB is an all-day tinted moisturizer with SPF 30, a familiar name in tinted moisturizers. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna's Hydra Vizor Huez is a mineral tinted moisturizer with SPF 30 that comes in 10 shades.

innisfree's Invisible Barrier is a sunscreen serum with green tea and hyaluronic acid, sheer and untinted, which is useful if you would rather add your own base. Tower 28's SunnyDays Skin Tint uses mineral zinc and SPF 30, and it is a skin tint, so think of it as a sheer wash of color rather than a full base.

How to test them: put a stripe on your jaw, blend it out, and go outside for a minute. If it turns orange, or leaves a gray cast, move on. The right one vanishes into your neck without a line.

Some mornings you want no color at all, only a good moisturizer that also protects. That is a different kind of product, and it is the one I use when I am not wearing any makeup.

Shiseido's Urban Environment Fresh-Moisture Sunscreen SPF 40 is a daily sunscreen with moisture, made for city days. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna's Hydra Vizor Refillable Invisible Face Moisturizer with niacinamide and SPF 30 is a clear one, and the refillable case is a nice touch. Paula's Choice RESIST Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 is a fluid texture with a high number, my choice for very bright days.

Saint Jane Beauty's pore-smoothing face sunscreen at SPF 30 is the one to look at if you like a smoother-looking base. Estée Lauder's DayWear is a 24-hour moisturizer cream with SPF 15 for normal to combination skin, and it is the lowest of the group on protection, so it suits days mostly indoors. Dior's Invisible UV Fluid is a hydrating face sunscreen in a fluid texture.

What I would skip: a moisturizer with a low SPF on a day you will be outside for hours. The number on the jar is a floor, not a promise, so for a beach day or a long walk, pick the higher one or layer a dedicated sunscreen over the top.

Apply it generously to face, neck and ears, and let it settle before makeup. If you are wearing it alone, add a little extra along the hairline and across the tops of the cheeks, the parts of the face that catch the most sun.

When I pick a morning routine, I choose one step I will not skip, and I let the rest be optional. For most people that is a tinted moisturizer with SPF, or a plain SPF moisturizer, plus a real sunscreen if the day is long.

Try one product for two weeks before you decide, and write down how your skin feels by mid-afternoon, since that tells you more than the first hour. Look at your skin near a window at noon, not just at 7 a.m. Reapply on a lunch break if you are outdoors, and use a fresh layer over makeup with a powder or a mist made for the job. If your skin reacts, or a mole changes, see a doctor. Sunscreen helps protect skin, and it works best with shade and a hat.