NIOD RE:PIGMENT

It's time to talk about NIOD RE:PIGMENT. NIOD has quite a few products I love--CAIS, MMHC and now this one. I normally prefer acids exfoliation and vitamin C to brighten my skin and even tone as I find too many of the typical lightening products don't really work all that well. I'm always disappointed. Not with this one by NIOD. This is the first lightening or brightening serum that actually worked really well. Details per NIOD:

A highly-saturated, ultra-lightweight, emollient solution incorporating modern advances in biotechnology and peptide technology to fight signs of one of the most complex-to-treat dermal concerns: hyperpigmentation. This formula visibly counteracts both uneven pigmentation, such as spots, as well as overall pigmentation issues through several pathways. This multi-pathway approach optimizes the synergy between the technologies in contrast to networked technologies that approach visible pigmentation through the same mechanisms.

Now NIOD and Deciem products tend to have really lengthy explanations about the ingredients and they can feel very tech heavy. You feel like you need a chemistry degree to read and understand them fully. NIOD is a very high tech brand that uses a lot of newfound technologies so it's to be expected. I'm not going to go into the individual ingredients on this product as NIOD did it for me and I want to focus more on the texture and results.

CORE ACTIVE BRIGHTENING TECHNOLOGIES

• Diglucosyl Gallic Acid An alpha-glucoside derivative of trihydroxy benzoic acid, derived through biotechnology, this active is sixty times more potent than kojic acid in visibly brightening skin tone.
• Acetyl Glycyl Beta Alanine A patented brightening peptide solution with a very low molecular weight of less than 200 daltons achieves extremely efficient penetration that is fundamental to its visible influence on skin radiance.
• White Shiitake Ferment An extraordinarily-high concentration of this purified bio-derivative targets the appearance of dark spots starting within less than a week of use.
• Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate (Azeloyl Glycine) A dicarboxylic acid derivative, this patented technology is formed through condensation of Azelaic Acid and Glycine, offering far better visible brightening and anti-redness activity than Azelaic Acid itself.
• Encapsulated Oligopeptide-68 Fully-solubilized, encapsulated liposomal oligopeptide complex reduces the appearance of UV-induced pigmentation with continued use.
• Solubilized Tetrapeptide-30 Patented high-saturation peptide complex visibly reduces contrast between areas of varying dermal pigmentation.
• Red Evodia Fruit Derivatives Borrowed from traditional Chinese medicine, a modern high-purity derivatives of the Red Evodia fruit encourages radiance and evenness starting with the very first application.

SUPPORTING ACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

• Lipo-Oligopeptides Delivery System This nonapeptide complex enhances the delivery of the technologies in the formula.
• Microfiltered Klamath Lake Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Obtained through biomass processing, this non-core support technology is a marine derivative with exceptional antioxidant and hydration properties.

Directions Shake lightly. Apply serum to face AM and PM. If used as part of a NIOD regimen, apply after CAIS but before MMHC. Avoid unprotected UV exposure when using this formula.

This comes packaged in the typical NIOD dark brown glass bottle with a dropper. I do hate droppers in general because I'm clumsy. I recently dumped over 1/3 of my NIOD Eye Concentrate by accidentally knocking it over before I could get it screwed shut. I hear they are working on a pump. Thank God for us clumsy ones. The texture is not water thin, but very close. It has a slight almost dry oil like texture in the base. Like a thin version of Drunk Elephant C-Firma. If you've tried that you know what I mean. This is fragrance free. It's very thin so it absorbs fairly fast and leaves no heavy or greasy feeling. Use this in the beginning of your routine. After cleansing, toning and before any hydrating serums.

I started by using this twice a day all over my face. I then moved down to once a day at night only, maybe around week three. By week four I started to notice my melasma was significantly improving. I have never had a product actually even touch my melasma as far as lightning those spots. This really was impressive in its ability to even my skin tone, brighten and lighten overall as well as actually make a dent in my melasma. I got melasma after pregnancy and it gets worse in the summer. So far over the last two years nothing was working in any great degree on my melasma until NIOD RE:PIGMENT. Which makes sense as melasma treatment normally requires heavy duty treatment and lasers actually work better than topical treatments for it. I'm not doing lasers right now so I'm happy I found a topical product that actually works.

I only needed to use about 2/3 of the bottle to get results. I actually stopped using it after that as it was winter and my melasma was significantly improved as well so I didn't need it during the winter. I will pull it out again in the summer and I think this will be my hero product lightener for the summer. It's powerful and it works. It does set you back $70 for 30ml but it was completely worth it. Considering lasers cost into the thousands and this was good enough for me. The bottle lasted quite a long time as it's such a thin fluid texture. I actually just pulled it out again as a spot treatment on my chin. I recently had a bought or hormonal acne, after running out of CAIS, and got a red scar I'm working on lightening on my chin. More on that when I review CAIS.

If you have melasma or stubborn pigmentation and none of those other products seem to do anything for you, try this one. It's totally worth trying and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Keep in mind that these kinds of products lighten the overall skin tone when you apply all over so you actually will go into lighter foundation shades. You can spot treat on certain areas to avoid that. Whether or not you can spot treat will depend on how bad your pigmentation is and your patience level. I loved the unique technology approach to it that avoids retinol, acids & hydroquinone.

 

Ingredients

Lentinus edodes mycelium extract, Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Propanediol, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Butylene Glycol, Acetyl glycyl beta-alanine, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Tetrapeptide-30, Oligopeptide-68, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Algae Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ethoxydiglycol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl glycol.