I'm super excited I got to test the Pillow Talk Derm line by Dr. Sherenne Idriss. I've followed her for a while on Instagram. The launch is a group of products geared towards fighting pigmentation. There's three products in the initial launch.
Major Fade Hyper Serum has the cutest packaging. It's like a little syringe. The nurse in me loves it. This is a pigmentation serum. Details per brand site:
A dynamic hydrating and brightening serum that helps to fade discoloration, improves uneven skin tone and has an immediate glowing effect. Use this twice daily to help treat dark spots and instantly brighten your complexion.
The texture is a light creamy serum, it has no discernible scent. It comes with two cartridges so you empty one and then can refill it. The serum has a click button for dispensing. This pigmentation serum has alpha arbutin, kojic acid, niacinamide (5%) and Diglucosyl Gallic Acid. I love that it's only 5% niacinamide as 10% is too spicy for my skin. I had no irritation while using this product which is great. I have rosacea and sometimes pigmentation products can irritate my skin. It played well in my routine and there was no pilling. I used this at night and the gel cream in the day time. You can totally use both together but I just split it up that way to be nicer to my skin since sometimes pigmentation products can irritate me.
Alpha arbutin reduces tyrosinase activity which helps reduce the formation of melanin in the skin. Kojic acid blocks tyrosine from forming thus helping prevent melanin production. Niacinamide can help with barrier function, reduce redness but also helps lighten dark spots. Diglucosyl Gallic Acid can help reduce free radical generation, helps with inflammation, inhibit tyrosinase generation and help block the melanin creating process. It's one of my favorite pigmentation fighters.
Ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentylene Glycol, Alpha-Arbutin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Squalane, Cetearyl Olivate, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Kojic Acid, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)
Major Fade Active Seal Moisturizer is so good. I loved it. Details per brand site:
A moisturizing gel-cream that seals in a powerful cocktail of brightening actives. Use this twice daily to help treat dark spots, hydrate, and protect skin with antioxidants that help to prevent future discoloration.
This is a luscious, juicy, glossy gel cream. It comes in an airless pump jar, I love these for again mainly hygiene reasons. This has Hexapeptide-2 for lines, a vitamin C derivative (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate), 4-butylresorcinol and rapeseed extract to brighten/even skin tone plus some hydrating and barrier ingredients like glycerin, squalane, snow mushroom, ceramides and cholesterol. I had zero irritation while using it and I have rosacea and tend to be more sensitive. I used this every morning and the serum at night.
I like using a gel cream as a layer because I have dry skin and a gel cream isn't enough for me. If you're more oily this might be great as a stand alone moisturizer. I apply all my serums first, then this, followed by misting, a few drops of facial oil, misting again then a moisturizer and SPF. That's typically how I integrate my gel creams in, more as a thicker hydrating layer than as a moisturizer. They last longer than a typical hydrating serum does. It played well in all my routines, no pilling. It has a slight vitamin C/orange scent but nothing major.
I really enjoyed it. The texture was great, it has the barrier and hydrating ingredients I like a gel cream for, plus pigmentation fighters and a line fighting peptide. So it was kind of a three in one for me and cut out the pigmentation and antioxidant serum steps. I would totally repurchase it.
Using the serum nightly I think it lasted about two months for me. I ran out of both the gel cream and the serum right around the same time with daily use on each. I think overall both this and the serum did help with pigmentation for me. I loved that they didn't cause any irritation and the textures were nice. I used these right after my 16 week trial with the Sente Cyspera pigmentation mask. They were not as effective as that was in fading my deep dark spots, but that mask irritates me now and these two did not plus they seemed to help brighten and even my tone overall which I liked.
Ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Dimethicone, Polyacrylamide, 4-Butylresorcinol, Hexapeptide-2, Allantoin, Hydrolyzed Brassica Napus Seedcake Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Squalane, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Laureth-7, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Major Fade Flash Mask is a wash off gel textured exfoliation mask. Details per brand site:
A powerful acid-based resurfacing mask that exfoliates as it gets to work helping to even skin tone. Use this up to three times a week to help treat dark spots and buff skin so other products penetrate more effectively.
It has 15% glycolic acid, 3% lactic acid and tranexamic acid. It's pink in color. It's too spicy for my skin, I can't do glycolic acid at all anymore, even wash off. Tranexamic acid is nice for brightening and the AHAs help with resurfacing and pigmentation. I couldn't use it so I can't really give it a review. It has a pump applicator which is nice versus a jar, more hygenic.
Ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycolic Acid, Tranexamic Acid, Glycerin, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sclerotium Gum, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Amylopectin, Annatto (Ci 75120)
*Items provided in PR by brand, as always all thoughts are my own