CyberDERM- The Sunscreen Company TM: The Science Behind: Emblica Light and Bright

In the day and age of bronzed skin being shown everywhere, who would have thought that pigment could ever be such a problem? Unfortunately, those who are now paying the price of laying out in the sun know very well what pigment can do to your skin when you are older. For some, pigment ‘problems’ come in the form of those pesky age spots (see our previous post on The Encyclopedia of Odd Spots for a better description of what that brown spot might actually be). Others have that generalized dusky tone that absorbs all the light around it making your skin look dull. For others, pigment might have been upgraded to enemy #1. Melasma sufferers know the day when they noticed that telltale first sign of that ominous dark patch. In our retail location, we’ve commiserated with those who are desperate for help when they can’t even hide their dark patches with camouflage make-up.

Pigment is our skin’s defense mechanism from perceived danger, unfortunately, it is a difficult thing to combat. It’s a process- one that involves rigorous abstention from the sun. You have to become your own General in finding numerous ways to attack pigment from multiple directions. Fortunately, we designed our Emblica Light and Bright to be one tool in your arsenal. Here is some of the science and thought behind what we chose to include in it.

Tyrosinase Inhibition: Stopping Melanin before it is created

Tyrosinase is the pre-cursor enzyme that causes the chain reaction in your cells to produce melanin. Most pigment controlling products always aim at least one part of their ‘attack’ against Tyrosinase. It is essentially cutting off the creation of pigment from the source.

The Emblica Fruit (otherwise known as Amla or Indian Gooseberry)

Emblica Officinalis, otherwise known as Indian Gooseberry or Amla, has slowly built a solid reputation for being a great skin brightener and depending on concentration/frequency of use as a skin lightener. It traces its roots back to traditional Ayurvedic medicine where it is taken both orally and used topically. It’s been featured in other prestige brands like Skinceuticals, however, formulators often complain that it is not stable and hard to work with. Its instability normally comes from its reliance on abscorbic acid or Vitamin C (which is notoriously unstable) as its main mechanism of action. We chose a form of Emblica instead that focuses on tannins (B-Glucogallin and Gallic acid specifically if you are inclined to Google) so it is not only more stable but also more potent.

Our second hitter in our one-two punch involves a specific peptide encased in a protective molecular sphere called B-White. This protective capsule helps transport the peptide chain past our skin’s barrier to where it needs to go in the epidermis. There it mimics a growth factor that we naturally have in our skin called TGF-Beta 1 that modulates the creation of melanin. The B-White peptide works to inhibit Tyrosinase but from an earlier part of the chain reaction than Emblica.

In General Patton terms, the combination of these two ingredients are designed to disrupt the supply chain of melanin creation but targets different points to ensure real efficacy.

Calming Inflammation:

Traditional topical treatments have been known to actually worsen pigmentation, for example hydroquinone and even some aggressive chemical peels. This makes sense when you consider that overly aggressive treatments can also stimulate the skin’s natural response to protect itself through pigment. It can definitely be a viscous cycle!

Instead then of layering in multiple acids or (heaven forbid) using hydroquinone which is a known carcinogen, we built in powerful anti-oxidants to help calm the skin’s inflammatory response. We used the same olive base as in our H20 Hydration and PM Anti-Age, for natural, calming protection. We also included a form of turmeric, which has natural skin brightening properties. By adding these two anti-oxidants, our Emblica Light and Bright has the extra bonus of offering anti-aging benefits.

Increasing Absorption:

Finally, it’s considered best practice to pair a specific pigment targeting treatment with an exfoliant of some kind. You do always have to balance exfoliation with being gentle and non-irritating as mentioned before. However, exfoliants help with pigment in two ways. First, they help remove the dead layer of skin and facilitate the penetration of your targeted treatment. However, they also help bring to the surface the pigmented skin cells from lower in the epidermis where they are gradually sloughed off. If you can picture a processional, the pigmented cells start in the back rows and gradually move forward as the cells in the front rows move up and peel away. An exfoliant in that metaphor is the person coaxing the people to move faster and makes sure they peel away smoothly and efficiently when they get to the front. Unfortunately, our natural 28 day cycle of exfoliation slows as we get older so an exfoliant is important for everyone.

With this in mind, we often recommend to people they use our Emblica Light and Bright with our Exfoliant Reveal (an 8% glycolic acid). It’s gentle enough for most people and can be used every day.

We always counsel people with pigment issues to be patient (easy for us to say, hard to actually do). Dermatologists say that it takes up to two months to see any visible improvements and you have to be vigilant about staying out of the sun. For those who would like general brightening and improvement in discolouration, you can use our Emblica Light and Bright once daily in the morning or evening depending on your routine. For those with actual melasma that need full skin lightening, we recommend using it twice daily. We combined our Exfoliant Reveal and the Sun Whip sunscreen of your choice in our Glow Bright Regimen Package to make it easy for you.