In an industry where there is an overwhelming amount of product launches daily, Product Of The Week helps you cut through the noise. To help you find your new beauty and wellness favorites, this series highlights the tried-and-true products that our writers can’t live without.
Vitamin C is the only ingredient absent from my skincare routine. To treat my acne, hyperpigmentation, and texture, I use a mix of prescriptive products—like tretinoin (0.5) and clindamycin lotion—and tried-and-true pharmaceuticals from La Roche-Posay, Cetaphil, and Vanicream. My routine is rich in niacinamide sunscreen, hyaluronic acid and ceramide cream, but no key antioxidant vitamins. In part, it’s due to the age-old question: “does this actually work for Black people?”
According to the NIH, darker skin tones are more prone to dark spots, and in my case, after a breakout is not the only time they appear. My dark, deep set eyes are my favorite facial feature, but this time of year, they could use an extra boost. Lately, I’ve been in search of a skincare product to bridge the gap between my set-in-stone routine (full of products in which you should avoid the eyes) and eye care, and Tatcha’s Brightening Eye Cream was my first place to start.
Enriched with a potent blend of skin brighteners and Japanese botanicals, one of the cream’s key ingredients is vitamin C. Unlike ascorbic acid, the most raw version of the vitamin, Tatcha’s 12-hr time-release vitamin C provides 13 times the antioxidant power (which makes up for the time lost not using it). For darker skin tones, this means a brighter, lifted look to the under eye pigmentation we’re more prone to.
Meanwhile, like in many African and diasporic households, the product also encompasses nutrient-rich ingredients you can find in the kitchen. Japanese plum, known as the queen of plums, was historically used as an in-home beauty ritual to brighten skin, now enhanced with bio ferments to firm, lift and depuff the eyes.
After first use, I noticed an overnight hydration of my under eyes, which haven’t been touched in what feels like years. Then, a week later, a more firm, less dull appearance gave my eyes the facelift they deserved. Paired with their Brightening Serum, their latest products may be the best vitamin C duo so far this year.