Alastin Skincare A-LUMINATE Brightening Serum 1.7 Oz

A tranexamic acid serum for dark spots, age spots and uneven tone, with no hydroquinone and no retinol. Alastin's own summary is that it helps reduce the appearance of surface pigmentation, minimize recurrence, and protect against future damage.

What is Alastin A-LUMINATE Brightening Serum?

A-LUMINATE is Alastin's discoloration serum. One to two pumps morning and evening, and it is built to be used alongside in-office work such as chemical peels and lasers rather than instead of it.

What is in it, and what each part does

Tranexamic acid is the active, and Alastin encapsulates it in a liposome so that, in their words, "it helps correct the appearance of hyperpigmentation". It sits fourth in the ingredient list, above the niacinamide.

PATH-3 Technology is the part most listings leave out. Alastin describes it as helping to minimize the recurrence of surface pigmentation and protect against future damage with continued use. So one half of the formula works on the marks already there, and the other half works on the ones that have not arrived yet.

Niacinamide is third from the top. Alastin states the formula improves the appearance of redness too.

A-LUMINATE specifications

Alastin A-LUMINATE reviews

• Buyers use it as a makeup primer, and Alastin never mentions makeup. Four say so independently: it works under foundation, it helps makeup go on smooth, and it leaves a glow without looking oily.
• The texture surprises people. One describes it as "thicker than your average serum, almost somewhere between a fluid and a light cream", absorbing fast with no tackiness. Another calls it creamy and genuinely moisturizing.
• Two pumps is the dose, and it changes the maths. Two reviewers work out the cost per use from a 1.7 oz bottle at two pumps and conclude it lasts.
• Sensitive skin has done well. One reviewer with sensitive, reactive skin and a history of sun spots and redness reports zero irritation and calmer, more even skin. Alastin makes no sensitive skin claim, so that is her experience rather than theirs.
• Sun spots are what people come back to report. One notices facial sun spots lightening, another sees a change inside a month.

Where it fits

Morning and evening, after cleansing, before moisturizer. Alastin's instruction is to put sunscreen on after it in the morning, so finish with something from face sunscreen. If you came here looking for the vitamin C serum, that is a different product: C-RADICAL Defense. A-LUMINATE has no ascorbic acid in it. Around professional treatments, Regenerating Skin Nectar is the one built for that, and the rest of the line is in Alastin.

How to Use

• Cleanse and pat dry.


• Apply one to two pumps to the face, morning and evening.


• Alastin says it may be used on the neck and décolleté as well.


• Follow with moisturizer. In the morning, sunscreen goes on after this serum, which is Alastin's own instruction.


• Avoid getting it in the eyes. If that happens, rinse thoroughly with water.

Does it contain hydroquinone or retinol?

No. Alastin states the formula is hydroquinone and retinol free. The active doing the work is tranexamic acid, encapsulated in a liposome.

How long before I see a difference?

Alastin will not put a number on it, and neither will we. Their answer is that it depends on your skin and on how severe the pigmentation is, so it varies from person to person. For what it is worth, one of our buyers reports seeing results inside a month and another that her facial sun spots have lightened.

Is it gentle enough for daily use?

Alastin describes it as non-irritating for daily use, and states it is non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic. They make no sensitive skin claim of their own. One of our reviewers with sensitive, reactive skin reports zero irritation, which is her experience rather than a brand claim.

Is this the Alastin vitamin C serum?

No, and it is a common mix-up. A-LUMINATE works on discoloration through tranexamic acid. The vitamin C serum in the line is C-RADICAL Defense. If you want both, they are used at different steps, so ask before layering them.

Can I use it around a peel or a laser appointment?

Alastin designs it to support in-office treatments like chemical peels and lasers. Your provider sets the aftercare, so follow what they tell you about when to restart actives.

KEY INGREDIENTS

• Tranexamic Acid. Encapsulated in a liposome, it helps correct the appearance of hyperpigmentation.


• PATH-3 Technology. Alastin's proprietary blend, which helps minimize the recurrence of surface pigmentation and protect against future damage with continued use.


• Niacinamide. Third from the top of the formula.


• Silybum Marianum and Withania Somnifera extracts. Milk thistle fruit and ashwagandha root, sitting with the antioxidants.


• Hexapeptide-11 and Hexapeptide-12. Peptides carried alongside the brightening actives.

FULL INGREDIENTS

Water/Aqua/Eau, Squalane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Tranexamic Acid, Glucosyl Hesperidin, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Lactoferrin, Plankton Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Pentasodium Tetracarboxymethyl Acetylhydroxyprolyl Dipeptide-12, Hexapeptide-11, Hexapeptide-12, Pentasodium Tetracarboxymethyl Dipeptide-51, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Phospholipids, Fructose, Betaine, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Propanediol, Lecithin, Caprylyl Methicone, Dimethicone, Mannitol, Phosphatidylcholine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Silica, Tin Oxide, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)

Who Is This For?

Anyone working on hyperpigmentation, sun damage or brown spots, and anyone who wants to do it without hydroquinone or retinol. Alastin states the formula is non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic and non-irritating for daily use, and that it improves the appearance of redness.

Where it goes in the routine

1. Cleanse.


2. One to two pumps of A-LUMINATE, morning and evening.


3. Moisturizer.


4. Sunscreen in the morning, after the serum. Pigment work without daily sunscreen undoes itself.