Inside Our Advanced Brightening Moisturizer

Our Advanced Brightening Moisturizer is a rich but comfortable face cream that hydrates, supports your skin barrier and adds 3% vitamin C, plus vitamin C-rich botanicals, to your routine. It pairs glycerin, shea butter and plant-derived emollients with hyaluronic acid, three ceramides and a touch of turmeric, for skin that feels soft right away and looks brighter and more even over time.

It was formerly the Vitamin C Advanced Energy Cream. Here's what's inside today's formula, who it suits and how to use it.

What is the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer?

It's the moisturizing step of our brightening routine, for your face and neck, morning and night. We designed it around one idea: a moisturizer should do more than stop skin feeling dry.

It should help keep your skin barrier strong, because a calm, well-hydrated barrier is the foundation of an even-looking tone. And it should bring its own dose of vitamin C, so every step of your routine supports a brighter look.

The formula works in three stages: drench, plump and lock in.

What's inside the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer?

To drench: glycerin, shea butter and plant-derived emollients

Glycerin, shea butter, jojoba and macadamia seed oil esters and a little sunflower seed oil give cushioning hydration and leave skin soft and supple.

To plump: hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid draws water into the surface of your skin, so it looks dewy, fresh and plump.

To lock in: three ceramides

Ceramides NP, AP and EOP belong to the same family of lipids that holds your skin barrier together. The formula pairs them with cholesterol and phytosphingosine, two more barrier lipids, and with the emollients above to help keep moisture in.

To balance: PCA minerals

The formula includes magnesium PCA, manganese PCA, zinc PCA and sodium PCA. PCA is part of your skin's own natural moisturizing factor, and zinc PCA is a common choice in formulas for oily and blemish-prone skin.

To brighten: vitamin C, turmeric and mica

• 3% vitamin C from two stable forms, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid, plus the vitamin C-rich Australian botanicals Kakadu plum, desert lime and lilly pilly.
• A touch of turmeric, our signature golden spice.
• Mica, a mineral that gives skin a soft, luminous look as soon as you apply it.

It's fragrance-free and vegan, and comes in a 1.7 fl oz (50 mL) jar.

Why combine oils, hyaluronic acid and ceramides?

Each type of ingredient does a different job, and skin stays hydrated best when all three are covered:

• Humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid draw water into the surface of the skin.
• Emollients such as shea butter and plant-derived esters fill in the tiny gaps between skin cells, so skin feels smooth and soft.
• Barrier lipids such as ceramides and cholesterol help hold that moisture in and keep irritants out.

A moisturizer with only one of these can leave you wanting more. With hyaluronic acid alone, skin can feel tight again within hours; with rich oils alone, it can feel greasy without really feeling hydrated. Putting them together is what gives this cream its drench, plump and lock-in approach.

Why put vitamin C in a moisturizer?

Most vitamin C serums use water-soluble forms of vitamin C. Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THD) is different: it dissolves in oil, so it fits naturally in a cream. It's also gentle and stable, which makes it a good match for a product you use twice a day.

Pairing a vitamin C moisturizer with a water-based vitamin C serum gives your skin more than one form of vitamin C, each in the texture where it works best. Read how vitamin C works for dark spots for the science.

Why does a moisturizer matter for dark spots?

It's easy to think of moisturizer as the boring step. For skin prone to dark spots, it's one of the most important.

• Irritation leads to pigment. Dry, tight or irritated skin is more reactive, and on melanin-rich skin, irritation often leaves new marks behind.
• It keeps you consistent. Brightening serums work best when you use them every day. A good moisturizer helps your skin stay comfortable, so you can keep going.
• Oily skin needs it too. Skipping moisturizer can leave skin dehydrated, and dehydrated skin can make more oil.

Our dark spots FAQ covers more about what makes marks linger.

Is the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer dermatologist tested?

Yes. It's dermatologist tested.† In a repeat insult patch test on 52 adults, supervised by a consulting dermatologist, no irritation or allergic reactions were observed.

A patch test tells you about low irritation potential, not about results, and everyone's skin is different. If your skin is sensitive, patch test on your inner arm for a few days before using it on your face. Our sensitive skin FAQ has more tips.

†Repeat insult patch test on 52 adults supervised by a consulting dermatologist, Princeton Consumer Research, 2023. No irritation or allergic reactions were observed.

Who is the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer for?

• Dry or balanced skin: use it morning and night, with a little extra at night if your skin feels dry.
• Oily or breakout-prone skin: a thin layer is enough. Don't skip it.
• Sensitive skin: introduce it on its own, a week before adding anything else new.
• Skin prone to dark spots or uneven tone, including melanin-rich skin, where a strong, calm barrier matters most.

It's made for the face and neck. For the body, we make a separate formula, the Advanced Brightening Body Cream.

How do you use the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer?

1. Cleanse with the Clarifying Brightening Cleanser or your usual gentle cleanser.
2. Apply 1 to 2 pumps of Superactive Serum and let it settle.
3. Gently massage a dime-sized amount of moisturizer onto your face and neck.
4. In the morning, finish with a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher.

At night, use a little more if your skin feels dry. For very dry skin, you can press a few drops of Supernutrient Oil over the top. See the full brightening routine for tweaks by skin type.

Can you wear it under sunscreen and makeup?

Yes. Give it a few minutes to sink in before you apply sunscreen, so the two layers don't slide around. Then let your sunscreen set before makeup.

A few tips help everything sit well:

• Use less in the morning than at night, especially if your skin is oily or you wear makeup.
• Pat, don't rub, when you apply sunscreen on top.
• Keep sunscreen as its own step. A moisturizer, even one with vitamin C, doesn't replace SPF 30 or higher.

What changed in the current formula?

When we upgraded our range in 2024, this cream got a serious boost in hydrators and skin-supporting ingredients:

• Three ceramides were added to the formula.
• Vitamin C was increased to 3%, alongside vitamin C-rich botanicals.
• Magnesium, manganese and zinc PCA were added.

If you used the original cream years ago, expect today's formula to feel richer and more hydrating.

What will you notice, and when?

• Right away: skin feels soft and hydrated, with a subtle glow from the mica.
• Over the first few weeks: skin feels more comfortable and looks smoother and less dull.
• After 8 to 12 weeks: as part of a routine with a vitamin C serum and daily sunscreen, a brighter, more even-looking tone.

Results vary from person to person. Take a photo in the same light on day one to track your progress.

Find the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer on its product page or in our Amazon store.

The bottom line

A good moisturizer is what keeps a brightening routine comfortable enough to stick with. Ours adds hyaluronic acid, ceramides and 3% vitamin C to that job, so your moisturizing step pulls its weight too.

This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. If you have a skin condition or concern, talk to a doctor or dermatologist.