Domain Due Diligence
Report for Dermstore.com
Why we think so
Dermstore.com is a long‑standing U.S.-facing online retailer (domain registered 1999) that sells dermatologist-recommended skincare and beauty brands. Traffic and technology signals look like a legitimate e-commerce site: ~2.1–3.2M monthly visits, mainstream payment processors (PayPal, Stripe, Adyen, AfterPay), and a professional marketing/analytics stack. However, multiple consumer complaint sources and a low Google Places rating point to recurring customer-service, refund, and fulfillment problems. Overall: an established business with real infrastructure, but notable reputation and service red flags — treat purchases cautiously and verify product authorization for expensive or medical-grade items. 🛡️
Risk Insights
Established retailer, shaky customer experience
No technical threats found
Contradictory Signals
Signals indicate a real business that nonetheless has recurring operational or customer-service problems; the technical integrity doesn't eliminate reputational risk.
Signal A: High traffic, reputable payment providers and industry news (supports legitimacy)
Signal B: Large volume of consumer complaints and a very low local rating (1.1/5) (undermines trust)
Category Scores
Red Flags & Warnings
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Multiple consumer complaint collections and review sites report repeated refund, delivery, and customer-service failures.
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Very low Google Places rating (1.1/5) for the corporate listing, which suggests recent local dissatisfaction or targeted negative reviews.
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Past Proposition 65 settlement (2020) over chemical exposure linked to some product kits, a legal compliance concern.
🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis
Domain age & WHOIS
Domain age & WHOIS
"Registrant details are privacy-redacted (common), but DNS, MX, and TXT records look consistent with an established retailer (mail via Mimecast, SPF records, site verifications)."
Reason: Domain registered in 1999 with normal registrar records and standard nameservers; long history supports legitimacy.
Traffic & engagement (SimilarWeb / Alexa)
Traffic & engagement (SimilarWeb / Alexa)
"Traffic is heavily US-weighted (~90%); direct and search traffic dominate, which is normal for a brand/retailer."
Reason: High monthly visits (~2.1–3.2M) and typical e-commerce engagement metrics (pages per visit ~3, time on site ~100s).
Technology & payment infrastructure
Technology & payment infrastructure
"Presence of multiple reputable payment processors and fraud-prevention/email providers reduces risk of simple scam storefront behavior."
Reason: Uses mainstream CDN, security and payment vendors (Cloudflare/Fastly, Adyen, Stripe, PayPal), indicating professional operations.
Customer reviews & complaint volume
Customer reviews & complaint volume
"SiteJabber/BBB-style complaints (summarized via search data) show many unresolved issues and low ratings; this is the primary reputational concern."
Reason: Significant negative reviews reported on aggregated consumer platforms describing refunds, delivery problems, and alleged deceptive practices.
Legal / regulatory flags
Legal / regulatory flags
"Settlement occurred with a supplier/party connected to Dermstore product kits; while settled, it is a material notice for product-safety buyers."
Reason: A 2020 Proposition 65 settlement related to DEHP exposure in some kits indicates a previous compliance issue.
Phishing / malware / blacklist checks
Phishing / malware / blacklist checks
"Absence of active malware or phishing flags reduces immediate technical risk for site visitors."
Reason: No Google Safe Browsing matches or crypto-scam blacklist hits were found in this scan.
Brand / trademark conflicts
Brand / trademark conflicts
"This was a narrow search; absence of a match is not a full clearance for all possible trademark issues."
Reason: USPTO quick query returned no direct trademark conflicts for the exact query string searched.
Contact & location transparency
Contact & location transparency
"Presence of press email, phone, and social profiles supports traceability, but local reviews are poor which lowers trust."
Reason: Site lists corporate address and phone; Google Places shows a physical office listing.
Business signals (news, acquisitions)
Business signals (news, acquisitions)
"Multiple news sources and PR items document corporate activity and partnerships."
Reason: Press and industry coverage— including THG acquisition reporting—support that Dermstore is a real retail business with industry presence.
Your Next Steps
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1Before purchasing, verify expensive or medical-grade brands directly with the brand (e.g., ask the brand if Dermstore is an authorized seller).
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2Prefer payment methods with buyer protection (credit card or PayPal) and keep receipts/screenshots; consider opening a dispute if a refund is denied.
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3Check multiple review sources (BBB, SiteJabber, Trustpilot) for recent trends on refunds and fulfillment for the specific product you want.
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4For high-value orders, test with a small purchase first to confirm fulfillment and authenticity.
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5If you encounter fraud (charged but no delivery, unauthorized charges), report to your card issuer, the platform where you found the listing, and to the FTC/consumer protection agency.
Evidence & Citations
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SimilarTech site profile for dermstore.com (traffic, tech stack)
Shows ~2.2M monthly visits, US-leading traffic, and payment/analytics vendors (Adyen, PayPal, CloudFlare).
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SimilarWeb domain analytics snapshot (dermstore.com)
Estimated visits 2.1M–3.2M (2025), bounce ~62.6%, top country US (~90%).
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WHOIS, DNS and SSL summary for dermstore.com
Registered 1999; registrar Key-Systems GmbH; valid SSL present; registrant data privacy in use.
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Site contact scrape: emails and phone numbers
Lists press@dermstore.com and a toll-free number; social links to Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/LinkedIn.
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Consumer complaints and reputation summaries (aggregated)
Aggregated complaints mention refund/fulfillment issues, low SiteJabber scores and BBB complaints; includes note of a Proposition 65 action.
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Google Places corporate listing for Dermstore
Corporate address in El Segundo, CA with a 1.1/5 rating from 56 reviewers and published phone number.
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News coverage: Dermstore business items (PR Newswire, WWD, Popsugar)
Press and editorial coverage confirming business operations and past acquisition by THG (industry reporting).
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No crypto blacklist match
Domain not flagged on crypto scam lists used in this scan.
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Google Safe Browsing check
No malware/phishing threats matched in the dataset returned.
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USPTO trademark quick query for 'dermstore.com'
No direct trademark registrations returned for the specific query string; search was limited in scope.
🕵🏻 Keep investigating
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