A couple of weeks ago, I started to use the newly reformulated Restore by Your Best Face. Restore ($120) is a highly hydrating (but incredibly light weight) lightening, brightening cream. I am already finding it to be an effective freckle fader and I am looking forward to seeing how it performs over the longer term. In this new version of Restore, YBF has upped the amount of alpha arbutin and vitamin C and has added in pro vitamin B5 (niacin). Alpha arbutin crops up more and more in potions these days (such as Dermalogica’s Chromawhite and Meladerm), so what is it for and how effective is it?
First a skin pigmentation 101. Skin color is the result of a number of different things. Haemoglobin is responsible for red and bluish tones, carotenoids for the basic yellow tinge of us Caucasians, while brown comes from a couple of pigments that are produced in special cells called melanocytes. Lurking around in melanocytes are enzymes called tyrosinase. They get activated by UV light ultimately form melanins – we are talking freckles and age spots. This is where alpha arbutin comes in – it works by blocking tyrosinase.
Alpha arbutin is a glucoside and potion makers like it because it is water soluble and stable. But more importantly, it seems to work. A one-month study on 80 Chinese women, using a 1% alpha arbutin concentration, resulted in a “skin lightening effect”. It was faster and more effective than kojic acid (another commonly used skin lightener) and it left hydroquinone in the shade. This is particularly good news because hydroquinone, once the most popular lightener/brightener around, is carcinogenic. It is banned from over the counter sale in the US, Europe and Japan.
Alpha arbutin, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have any nasty side effects. However, it is still a form of hydroquinone and questions about its long term safety hang in the air. Anecdotally, it is much less irritating to the skin than hydroquinone at similar or even greater doses.
Alpha arbutin is typically derived from plants. One is dockweed (a plant that most kids know as an emergency cure for nettle rash) and another is bearberry. That latter is interesting because it has sun protection properties and is probably responsible for claims made by the makers of alpha arbutin that it also reduces the degree of skin tanning after sun exposure.
Revised ingredients:
Reverse osmosis water, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate (vitamin c), alpha arbutin, ppg5 ceteth-20, vitamin B5, dimethyl isosorbide, niacin, spin trap (phenyl butyl nitrone), vitamin e, c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hyaluronate, polysorbate-20, Lipochroman-6 (dimethylmethoxy chromanol), triethanolamine, paraben du
Previous ingredients:
Reverse osmosis water, alpha arbutin, c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hyaluronate, ppg-5 ceteth-20, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, spin trap (phenyl butyl nitrone), provitamin B5, paraben du, triethanolamine, polysorbate 20, vitamin e
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Dear Marta,
Perhaps I am being nitpicky here, since it must be a typo, but provitamin B5 is pantothenic acid – not niacin (which, as you know, is vitamin B3). Judging by the ingredients list, its seems to be, at least on paper, a promising product. Not quite sure what justifies the hefty price tag, though…
Sincerely,
Arandjel
My mistake. I put up the old ingredients list. The new one is now up.
Also, the first paragraph, where provitamin B5 is initially mentioned, needs to be corrected.
Will you be reviewing the reformulated product? Would love to read your experiences with it.
Speaking of which, I think it would be greatly appreciated to have before and after shots accompany the reviews here. It would make them less subjective, letting the readers judge the results by themselves.
Hi Marta,
My question is about combining vitamin C and Niacin.
I read somewhere (maybe skingeek?) that the vit c makes the niacin inactive.
(I was hoping to add niacinamide to the vit c serum I’m concocting with the free pot you offered but can’t find out if it would work or not).
I love the YBF eye cream and have to assume by how well it works that they know what they are doing….would love to hear your insight.
Cristina
Hi Cristina
Here’s what the nice people at YBF have to say:
There may be some negative play between niacin and traditional vitamin C (ascorbic acid) both being water soluble. It’s like two alpha kids in the same sandbox not getting along. In our line, the vitamin C we use is oil soluble, so when partnered with niacin there is synergy between the two. Niacin actually helps to speed the brightening process by reducing inflammation, partnering with the other water soluble ingredients such as B5 and Alpha Arbutin. It also helps regulate the skin from becoming too oily or breakout prone.
I hope that clears it up.
Thank you, Marta and you are right, the YBF people ARE very nice!
I think I understand..as long as both are not water soluble, they can be in the same mix. Very interesting…
Thanks for all the work you do-your site rocks.
I’m not sure about before/afters. I never believe them when I see them. But I know what you mean and we should think about doing them for products tested over many months.
If the new formulation works better than the old- it will be a wonderful product! I have used almost an entire sample size Restore (in my nighttime routine) and it has become the cornerstone. I adore it.