Six Brightening Skincare Products, and What Each One Does
What are brightening skincare products?
Brightening skincare products are made to help dull, uneven looking skin look brighter and more even. Common ingredients include vitamin C, kojic acid, lactic acid and retinol. Brightening is about how skin looks. It does not change your natural skin color. The Kinetics Brightening Collection has six, each built differently.
The Brightening Sale
Buy two or more, take 15% off with code BRIGHT.
Indoor heat and cold air start leaving your skin looking flat. Every product below is included, Sunday 11/8 through Saturday 11/14. The Buy Now buttons add the product to your cart and apply the code. To reach the 15%, add a second product.
Watch Sue with the products
Sue walks through her nighttime brightening products, one at a time. Two minutes.
Vitamin C Serum 15% Ferulic
Best for dullness and uneven tone
A face serum that pairs vitamin C with ferulic acid, vitamin E, vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid.
$76 | 1 oz
Buy now View productBenefits
- Dull skin looks brighter
- Tone looks more even
- Skin feels smooth, soft and hydrated
- A plump, dewy look
Features
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), the star of the formula
- Ferulic acid, an antioxidant that helps keep vitamins C and E stable in the formula
- Vitamin E and vitamin B5 (panthenol)
- Hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate)
- Suits oily, normal and combination skin
- Made without sulfates, parabens, gluten, soy or phthalates. Never tested on animals
Kojic Acid Skin Lightening Cream 2%
Best for the look of dark spots and uneven tone
A daily face cream with 2% kojic acid, made without hydroquinone.
$52 | 1 oz
Buy now View productBenefits
- Works on the look of dark spots and uneven tone
- Tone looks more even over time
- Dull skin looks brighter
- Skin feels hydrated and comfortable
- Does not change your natural skin color
Features
- 2% kojic acid
- Stable vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate)
- Green tea, chamomile and olive leaf
- Aloe and glycerin, so the formula does not feel drying
- Made without hydroquinone
Vitamin C Cream
Best for dullness and uneven tone
A daily face cream and moisturizer in one.
$71 | 2 oz
Buy now View productBenefits
- Dull skin looks brighter
- Tone looks more even
- Skin feels hydrated, soft and smooth
- Skin looks plumper and smoother
Features
- Two stable forms of vitamin C
- Hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate)
- Vitamin E and jojoba seed oil
- Grape seed extract and aloe
- Suits all skin types, best for dry, normal or combination
- Made without sulfates, parabens, gluten, soy or phthalates. Never tested on animals
Lactic Acid Exfoliating Night Serum
Best for dullness and uneven texture
A gentle AHA serum that pairs lactic acid with peptides, a humectant blend and black tea ferment.
$93 | 1 oz
Buy now View productBenefits
- Skin looks brighter
- Texture looks smoother
- Fine lines look softer
- Skin feels hydrated and soft, not dry
Features
- Lactic acid, a gentle AHA that exfoliates and hydrates
- A blend of four peptides
- Glycerin, sodium PCA, polyglutamic acid and sodium hyaluronate to hold moisture
- Black tea ferment
- Suits all skin types, especially dry or sensitive
- Made without sulfates, parabens, gluten, soy or phthalates. Never tested on animals
Skin Renewing Retinol Serum
Best for fine lines, texture and uneven tone
A face serum that pairs retinol with bakuchiol, green tea and licorice root, in two strengths.
2.5X $90 | 5X $95 | 1 oz
Buy now 2.5X Buy now 5X View productBenefits
- Fine lines and rough texture look smoother over time
- Uneven tone and dark spots look brighter
- Skin looks calm
Features
- Two strengths: 2.5X if you are new to retinol, 5X once your skin is used to it
- Retinol, the star of the formula
- Bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol alternative that helps keep the serum gentle
- Green tea polyphenols, licorice root extract and caffeine
- Suits dry, oily, normal and combination skin
- Made without sulfates, parabens, gluten, soy or phthalates. Never tested on animals
Take Cover 24/7 Renewal Complex
Best for mature skin
A day and night cream made with ProteXidine, hexylresorcinol, arbutin and hexanoyl dipeptide-3 norleucine acetate.
This is not a sunscreen. Take Cover 24/7 does not replace one.
$105 | 1 oz
Buy now View productBenefits
- Dark spots and uneven tone look brighter and more even
- Rough texture looks smoother
- Skin looks more radiant
Features
- Hexylresorcinol, for the look of dark spots and uneven tone
- Arbutin, a gentle botanical
- Hexanoyl dipeptide-3 norleucine acetate, for a smoother, more radiant look
- Suits dry, sensitive, normal and combination skin
- Made without sulfates, parabens, gluten, soy or phthalates. Never tested on animals
A note on sunscreen
Wear a broad spectrum sunscreen every day while using the kojic cream, the lactic acid serum, the retinol serum or Take Cover 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
Do brightening products change your natural skin color?
No. Brightening products work on how skin looks: dullness, the look of dark spots and uneven tone. The Kojic Acid Skin Lightening Cream 2% works only on the look of dark spots and uneven tone, and does not change your natural skin color.
Does the Kinetics kojic acid cream contain hydroquinone?
No. It is made with 2% kojic acid and without hydroquinone.
Which retinol strength should I choose, 2.5X or 5X?
Choose 2.5X if you are new to retinol or your skin is sensitive. Choose 5X if you have used retinol before. If you are unsure, start lower.
Is Take Cover 24/7 Renewal Complex a sunscreen?
No. It is a cream made for the look of dark spots, uneven tone and rough texture, and it does not replace sunscreen. Kinetics sells a separate product, Take Cover Tinted Mineral Sunscreen.
The takeaway
All six are in the Brightening Collection. Start with what your skin looks like today, whether that is dullness, the look of dark spots or rough texture, and pick from there. For more on tone, see our discoloration page.