Product Review: Skyn Iceland Arctic Brightening Serum
Skyn Iceland Arctic Brightening Serum ($65.00, Amazon.com) promises to act “like a time machine for your skin, helping to reverse the progression of stress-related damage…with adaptogen technology.” Since an adaptogen is merely a substance that helps the body rejuvenate itself after stress, many skin care products with active rejuvenating ingredients (antioxidants, chamomile, aloe, and the like) could be counted as having “adaptogen technology.”
So then what’s the secret behind Skyn Iceland Arctic Brightening Serum? The key ingredients are Arctic Root, Siberian Ginseng, Maral Root, and Black Tea. Arctic Root is another name for the herb Rhodiola Rosea. Although research on skin is limited, Rhodiola Rosea has been documented for years as to having cellular energy renewal properties, as mentioned in Life Extension Magazine. Siberian Ginseng has been noted in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicity for inhibiting the inflammation of mast cells in vitro, which is promising for inflamed or reddened skin. Finally, maral root is long established in Russia when used orally as a natural antioxidant, adaptogen (i.e., post-stress recovery aid), and tonic. Its use in skin care is not as well-established, and few reputable studies could be found.
My favorite ingredients in Skyn Iceland Arctic Brightening Serum, though, are actually the retinyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), and ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C), which have documented, well-established effects against fine lines and wrinkles and in favor of cellular renewal.
Worth a try, buy, or a sigh? I’d give this one a big fat “try.” Although there are many key ingredients, the most well-researched ingredients are towards the middle of the ingredients list, indicating that they are not in particularly high concentration. Skyn Iceland Arctic Brightening Serum does, however, get a big fat thumbs-up for its unique and new formulation. Who knows? Maybe Arctic Root, Siberian Ginseng, and Black Tea are the anti-aging ingredients of the future. Until research matches the hype, though, I’m sticking to my usual routine. Product rating: 7/10 (High concentration of proven ingredients: 2/3. Unique formulation: 3/3. Value for the money: 2/3. Sunscreen: 0/1).
***************
Hello Nicki,Great blog.Your Sept 8th report however had an error.Arctic Root is not another name for Rhodiola. It is a commercial brand name, a trademark, of Swedish Herbal Institute, the developer of Rhodiola 35 years ago, for their Rhodiola rosea. Please, can you edit out the use of “Arctic Root”? Does this actually show up on the Skyn brand product label? Wow, what an error if it did! One company should not use another company’s trademarks.Regards,Dave
