RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex Review

Full out confession:  When I received a bottle of RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex for review from one of my favorite advertisers (SkinMedix), I was in an all-out panic.  First, coffee berry is found in concentrations up to 1.5% in RevaléSkin products, as in the Intense Recovery Complex.  The new RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex contains only 0.5% coffee berry.  Second, coffee berry is already brightening for the skin.  What could RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex have that would make up the difference?  The answer:

Methyl dihydroxybenzoate (MDHB)

And then, ahhh! – relief.  Turns out methyldihydroxybenzoate (MDHB) is a revolutionary ingredient in the fight against hyperpigmentation.  Most hyperpigmentation and age spot treatments work by inhibiting an enzyme called tyrosinase, which is important in the beginning of melanin (skin pigment) synthesis.   However, methyldihydroxybenzoate works at the end of melanin synthesis, preventing melanin from being deposited into the skin.

According to reports from Allergan, results with Vivité Vibrance Therapy (another cream containing methyldihydroxybenzoate) are similar to those from using a 4 percent hydroquinone cream.  In a company-sponsored eight-week study, two sets of women put Vivité Vibrance Therapy on one side of their faces and 4% hydroquinone on the other.  In one group, effects with Vivité Vibrance Therapy surpassed those of 4% hydroquinone, with 70% reduction from methyldihydroxybenzoate versus 63% reduction with hydroquinone.  In the second group, there was a 62% reduction for both formulas.

Other Ingredients

Faster than you can say, “Youth Code,” companies love slipping yeast (Saccharomyces ferment) into skin care products.   There are some who believe yeast (Saccharomyces) may stimulate DNA repair in the skin.  This is based on the fact yeast contains a sequence of DNA that is necessary for double-strand DNA break repair, a major finding that was published in the highly acclaimed journal Nature in 2000.

However, topical application of yeast has never been shown to promote DNA repair.  The DNA motif within yeast would have to penetrate through the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nuclei to reach the DNA within skin cells, and this simply is not likely.

Furthermore, even if yeast could reach our DNA, it wouldn’t be doing anything new.  Scientists love yeast because its genes are well-sequenced and relatively easy to manipulate, but its repair genes are similar to the ERCC1 repair genes already found within the human genome, according to the Annual Review of Genetics.

There is limited research to suggest yeast may stimulate wound healing or act as an antioxidant.  So it’s not to say yeast is detrimental to the skin.  It’s just not likely the DNA from topically applied yeast is reaching our own inner cell machinery.  And even if it did, the yeast genes introduced are nothing novel, as they are very similar to the DNA repair genes naturally occurring within the skin.

What I do love in RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex is the lactic acid.  The most hydrating alpha hydroxy acid, lactic acid brightens and refines skin all on its own.

Personal Use + Opinions

I used RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex every night for three weeks, in place of my normal peptide-and-niacinamide based moisturizer.  RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex is light, absorbs well into the skin, and looks great on smooth skin in lieu of foundation, thanks to the light-reflecting mica particles and sunflower oil-base.  I felt my skin did look a little brighter after use.

Bottom Line

Would I use RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex to combat severe hyperpigmentation, such as melasma after pregnancy?  No, I would visit my dermatologist and get prescription hydroquinone for that!   However, if my skin was looking a little lackluster and dull, I would definitely use RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex.  It brightens, provides the most potent antioxidant on the market to date, hydrates well, and prevents future sun damage and hyperpigmentation.  That, if nothing else, makes me feel brighter!

Ingredients in RevaléSkin Illuminesse Brightening Complex

Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Cera Albe, Persea Gratissima Oil, Saccharomyces Ferment, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Mica (Cl 77019), Silica, Bismuth Oxychloride (Cl 77163), Bisabolol, Coffea Arabica Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Methyl Dihydroxybenzoate, Punica Granatum Extract, Sucrose Stearate, Vaccinium Mytillus Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Phospholipids, Olea Europea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, and Beta-Carotene.