Frequently asked questions

Morning: cleanser, Superactive Serum, moisturizer, then sunscreen. Night: cleanser, serum, moisturizer. Once or twice a week at night, use the Vitamin C Clay Mask after cleansing, rinse, then carry on with serum and moisturizer (just moisturizer if your skin feels sensitive).

The full routine, with tweaks for dry, oily and sensitive skin, is in The Gleamin brightening routine, step by step.

Start with once or twice a week. Oily skin often enjoys up to three times a week; dry or sensitive skin is happiest with once. Using it every day isn't needed and can leave skin dry or irritated. Leave it on for 10 minutes, rinse with warm water and follow with serum and moisturizer.

More in Inside our Vitamin C Clay Mask.

Yes. Many customers use it on the chest, back and underarms as well as the face. Avoid broken or freshly shaved skin, and follow with a moisturizer.

We don't recommend using a face serum on your bikini line. Intimate skin is thinner and more permeable than facial skin, and strong acids or low-pH serums made for the face can irritate it. On melanin-rich skin, irritation leads to more pigment, not less. Use a formula made for intimate skin instead.

Read Face, body and intimate skin: why each needs different care.

Apply a thin layer to clean, dry skin on the bikini line, inner thighs or underarms, once or twice a day. Keep it external, never inside. Wait a day or two after shaving or waxing, patch test first, and stop if it stings, itches or burns. Breathable cotton underwear and looser fits help by cutting friction.

Yes, every morning. UV is the biggest trigger for new pigment, so SPF 30 or higher protects everything vitamin C is working on, including on cloudy days and indoors near windows.

Most people notice skin looking fresher within the first few weeks. Skin renews itself roughly every four weeks, so give a routine 8 to 12 weeks of daily use to judge a more even-looking tone. Results vary from person to person. A photo in the same light on day one is the best way to see your progress.

Yes, with a gentle start. The Superactive Serum balances its 15% vitamin C with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. Patch test first, then use it once a day or every other day for the first week or two before moving to morning and night. If your skin feels irritated, space it out again and keep your routine simple.

Please check with your doctor before starting any new skincare while pregnant or breastfeeding. Take the ingredient list with you; you'll find it on each product's Amazon listing.

Yes. You can apply the Vitamin C Clay Mask only where you need it, such as an oily T-zone, the chin, or a few spots and marks, instead of your whole face. Leave it on for the same 10 minutes, then rinse.

Spot use suits combination skin: the mask absorbs oil on the T-zone while drier cheeks get a hydrating serum instead. It also makes each jar last longer.

No, keep the Vitamin C Clay Mask away from the under-eye area, eyelids and lips. Eyelid skin is only about 0.5 mm thick, several times thinner than skin elsewhere on the face, and clay can dry and irritate it.

Leave a gap of about a finger's width around the eyes when you apply the mask. For dark circles or under-eye tone, use a gentle eye cream instead. If the mask gets into your eyes, rinse well with water.

A light tingle, or a tight, warm feeling as the clay dries, can be normal, especially on skin that's dry or was recently exfoliated. A little pinkness that settles within 20 to 30 minutes of rinsing is normal too. Burning, stinging that lasts, itching, a rash or redness that doesn't settle isn't.

If it burns, rinse the mask off right away with lukewarm water, pat dry and apply a plain moisturizer. Next time, patch test on your inner arm first, skip freshly shaved, exfoliated, broken or irritated skin, and rinse before the mask dries completely. If reactions keep happening, stop using it and talk to a dermatologist. More in Can you use a vitamin C clay mask on sensitive skin?

Yes, the Vitamin C Clay Mask works well before makeup or a big day. Right after rinsing, skin looks fresher and more radiant and feels smooth, which gives makeup a clean base.

Mask an hour or two before, follow with moisturizer (and sunscreen in the daytime), and wait a few minutes before foundation. Just don't try it for the very first time right before an event: patch test a few days ahead in case your skin reacts.

Yes, you can use vitamin C serum after a clay mask. Rinse the mask off, pat your skin dry, then apply your serum and moisturizer. With the Vitamin C Clay Mask, that means cleanse, mask for about 10 minutes, rinse, then the Superactive Serum and moisturizer.

If your skin feels tight, warm or sensitive after masking, skip the serum that night and just moisturize, then use your vitamin C the next morning under sunscreen. More in What to use after a clay mask.

Use 1 to 2 pumps of the Superactive Serum for your face, and a little more if you include your neck. Apply it to clean, dry skin after cleansing and before moisturizer, morning and night.

More isn't better: extra serum won't speed up results and can irritate. A slightly tacky feel at first is normal and settles within a minute or two. In the morning, always finish with SPF 30 or higher.

Yes, the Supernutrient Oil and the Superactive Serum work well together. Apply the serum first to clean skin, then moisturizer, then press in 2 to 3 drops of oil as the last step, because oils seal in the water-based layers underneath.

Together they give you water-soluble vitamin C from the serum and oil-soluble vitamin C from the oil. Many people use the oil at night; in the morning, use it under sunscreen only if your skin is dry.

Yes, most skin types can use the Clarifying Brightening Cleanser every day. Oily and breakout-prone skin can use it morning and night. Dry or sensitive skin often does best with once a day, in the evening, and a splash of water in the morning, because its exfoliating acids add up.

Massage it onto damp skin for about 30 seconds, then rinse. On nights you use the Vitamin C Clay Mask or another exfoliant, keep the rest of your routine gentle.

Yes. Men can use the Illuminating Intimate Serum on the groin crease, inner thighs and underarms, the areas where friction and shaving most often leave darker skin. Apply a thin layer to clean, dry skin once or twice a day.

Keep it on external skin only and off the genitals, and skip freshly shaved or broken skin. Patch test first, and see a doctor if darkening appears suddenly or comes with itching or pain.

Yes. Apply the Illuminating Intimate Serum to clean, dry underarms and let it absorb for 2 to 3 minutes before deodorant, or use it at night and deodorant in the morning. Spacing them out lowers the chance of irritation, which matters because irritation is a main cause of darker underarms.

If your underarms sting, try a fragrance-free deodorant, and skip both products on freshly shaved or broken skin.

Start with the Gleamin product that matches your main concern. For dark spots and uneven tone on the face, the Superactive Serum is our most concentrated daily step. For a weekly glow, especially on oily skin, try our best-seller, the Vitamin C Clay Mask. For the bikini line, inner thighs or underarms, choose the Illuminating Intimate Serum.

Whatever you pick, wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30 every morning and introduce one product at a time.