No matter your age or stage, healthy, bright-looking skin is always sought after – so how do we keep our skin looking gorgeously glowy? Managing, reducing, and preventing the appearance of pigmentation is one of the most important things you can do for a luminous complexion.
What is pigmentation?
Pigmentation is areas or patches of blotchy or discoloured skin which may have a brown or reddish appearance. Pigmentation occurs when the body produces too much melanin – the pigment that is responsible for our skin tone, eye colour, and hair colour.
It’s natural for your skin to contain melanin. However, exposure to UV rays, the aging process, skin pigment disorders, and pregnancy can all lead to increased levels of melanin in the skin. This can result in pigmentation, age spots, and an uneven complexion that lacks clarity, vitality, and freshness.
Addressing pigmentation is not about skin perfection – it's about skin health
To me, skin is at its healthiest when it looks glowing, bouncy, and radiant with vitality at any age. Addressing the appearance of pigmentation with specialised skincare products can help achieve this ‘Holy Grail’ complexion by evening out the skin tone and minimising the appearance of dark spots and discolouration.
Introducing Antipodes newest formulation to address pigmentation
Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream is the new formulation to lift dull skin out of the shadows. The hydrating water cream targets pigmentation and uneven skin tone, helping to brighten your complexion, reduce the appearance of redness, discolouration, and dark spots, and leave the skin feeling fresh and radiant.
With natural clean ingredients for hydration, skin protection, and brightening, Diem is your perfect daily dose of glow – which is why I named this product after the Latin word for day.
Ultra-light, the hydrating moisturiser is suitable for all skin types – which means oily skin, combination skin, and dry skin alike can enjoy the benefits.
How does it work?
Ingredients from nature offer natural antioxidant protection and a range of brightening benefits, helping to not only diminish the appearance of pigmentation, but prevent it from occurring in the first place.
Peptides – the building blocks of skin
Peptides are short chains of amino acids: the building blocks of proteins like collagen and elastin that support skin texture, tone, and firmness. There are hundreds of different peptides with collagen-boosting, brightening, and skin-restoring functions. Diem features a peptide that aims to block the synthesis of melanin; in doing so, helping to correct uneven skin tone and promote a more luminous complexion.
What you put on your skin may be absorbed, so it’s important to use natural and clean ingredients. Diem features natural origin peptides, created from a fermentation process using sugarcane, water, and healthy bacteria.
Nature’s skincare favourites
- Kakadu plum – Nature's richest source of Vitamin C
Antioxidants like Vitamin C are critical to the health of skin, because they help to protect against the effects of free radical damage – a leading cause of pigmentation in skin. Fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and uneven skin tone can all be the result of free radical damage.
Diem features Vitamin C from a natural source – the Australian Kakadu plum. Because of exposure to extreme sunshine, this unique superfruit has developed a self-defense system that helps to protect itself from free radical attacks. The result: Kakadu plum has been shown to boast the world’s highest recorded natural amount of Vitamin C – up to 100 times the Vitamin C of oranges.
- Bakuchiol – a natural alternative to retinol
The skin benefits of this ancient Ayurvedic herb have led some to call it “Nature’s Vitamin A” - and it’s not hard to see why. Bakuchiol contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which help address free radical damage, correct uneven skin tone, and smooth skin texture – just like Vitamin A. Bakuchiol doesn’t cause irritation like Vitamin A does, so it can be safely used by all skin types.
Is Diem Vitamin C sustainable?
Sustainability is critical for the healthy future of our planet, so it’s only fitting that a product created for the healthy future of skin has sustainability at its core. Here’s how Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream is making a difference to the environment:
- Certified vegan
Animal agriculture is a significant contributor to global greenhouse emissions. Diem is certified vegan, which verifies that the product is cruelty-free; does not contain any animal products or byproducts; and is not the result of any unsustainable animal agricultural practices.
- Premium recyclable glass
Glass is almost endlessly recyclable and reusable. Antipodes uses high-quality tinted glass jars which preserve the integrity of our formulations – and the integrity of the planet.
- No plastic shrink wrapping
Reducing and eliminating plastic is critical for a sustainable future. Antipodes does not use plastic shrink-wrapping on its products, with a goal of becoming 100% plastic-free by 2023.
- Biodegradable materials
Diem Vitamin C comes packaged in a biodegradable box made from FSC approved cardboard, printed with eco-inks made from vegetables. Even the tamper seal is made from biodegradable wood pulp.
Glow up with the perfect Vitamin C routine for dull skin & pigmentation
Vitamin C skincare is best used in the morning to take advantage of its brightening benefits.
- First, I cleanse my skin and apply 3-4 drops of Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum. This serum gives skin a luminous, dewy glow thanks to Kakadu plum, hyaluronic acid, and natural retinol alternative bakuchiol.
- Next, I apply my Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream. This ultra-luxe formulation contains Vitamin C-rich kiwi seed oil. It also contains Vinanza® Grape & Kiwi – made here in New Zealand from sauvignon blanc grapes in Marlborough, and the skin of kiwifruit. The compound is clinically shown to help brighten skin*.
- Finally, I apply generous amounts of Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream over my face, neck, and décolletage for brighter, more even skin tone and exceptional skin clarity.
2 holistic ways to support skin pigmentation
Pigmentation is a natural process, but by living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of your skin, you can help to minimise and prevent unnecessary pigmentation from occurring.
1. Wear sunscreen
UV exposure is one of the leading causes of pigmentation – but the good news is, it’s easy to prevent! Incorporate sunscreen into your daily morning routine after your moisturiser and before makeup. Once you make it a habit, you’ll never go back.
2. Minimise inflammation
Pigmentation can occur when the skin experiences inflammation or injury, so limiting your exposure to either of these events is wise. Consulting with your health professional to identify any dietary triggers that could result in inflammation; and eating a healthy diet full of nourishing fruits and vegetables, are two easy ways to help limit the inflammation that leads to pigmentation in your daily life.
The natural aging process, combined with exposure to pollutants and UV rays, can sap skin of its natural glow by increasing pigmentation. A natural skincare routine, packed with clean ingredients that target pigmentation, can give our skin a new lease on life.
|
*Independent study, New Zealand Extracts (2012).