Viva - Collagen & Kojic Acid Radiant Cream

Product Notes:

(Note, ^this is re: an earlier version that also contained flour & MSM)

Dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and discolouration caused by UV damage and other stressors are common skincare concerns beginning in our forties. Until recently, hydroquinone was the 'go-to' skin-lightening or depigmenting agent for specific areas, but it not only has cancer risks when used long-term, but sometimes backfires in high doses (producing "exogenous ochronosis," or blue patches), so it's now only available by prescription in Canada and the USA (particularly in higher concentrations).

Fortunately, there is a much safer alternative to hydroquinone available, particularly in lower concentrations: Kojic Acid, which arises as a natural by-product of fermenting rice (to make sake, e.g.), soy, or mushrooms. It even works in much the same way: not by lightening, per se (it's not a bleach!), but by preventing the production* of melanin, the pigment in our skin that causes tanning and forms the freckles or sun/liver/age spots or discoloured (especially brown or gray-brown) patches on the face ("melasma"). *(They do that by inhibiting the activity of an enzyme called tyrosinase that's needed to produce the melanin - no spark, no fire.)

Kojic Acid has other benefits, too: it also has antioxidant properties, so helps protect against UV damage (as does the Zinc Oxide in this formula, but don't forego the sunscreen, especially while you're using something that dampens melanin production); plus it has anti-bacterial properties, so may help prevent acne breakouts.

The other marquee ingredient in this anti-aging cream in a plant-based form of collagen, derived from peaches, which can provide some of the building blocks the skin needs to improve its elasticity and firm up fine lines and wrinkles.

There are also several other beneficial ingredients in this formula that should not be overlooked (even apart from their role in forming and stabilizing the actual cream texture), including: its primary ingredient, Sunflower Seed oil, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps repair the skin barrier, to improve its hydration; Cetyl Alcohol, which also helps shore up the skin barrier and softens skin; Apricot Kernel Oil, another anti-inflammatory and skin-softening ingredient that also helps maintain the skin barrier support to lock in moisture and lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; Rosehip oil, which not only brightens and evens out skin tone but also helps with elasticity and collagen production; several citrus peel oils, which have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and may help reduce hyperpigmentation and protect against melanoma; and Vitamins E and C, for even more anti-oxidant protection.