Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment for Skin Brightening, Texture, and Clarity, Suitable for Sensitive Skin

Anyone involved in medical aesthetics probably won’t be surprised to learn that the hashtag “glowingskin” garnered more than nine million social media posts. Patients admire—and desire—bright, even skin tone. But that desire for brightness is tempered by the incidence of skin sensitivity. “Sensitive skin” is a popular online search term, outperforming searches for smooth skin or even clear skin.

SkinCeuticals is pleased to introduce a new option to help your patients achieve the brighter, clearer skin tone they have been seeking without causing skin irritation.

Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment features three key ingredients to drive brightness and clarity: alpha arbutin, azelaic acid, and phyto botanical blend.

As noted by Dr. Barba, this lightweight, daily moisturizer is ideal for patients seeking a multifunctional product to provide a glow to the skin.

Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment is especially well suited for use on oily skin. It joins other Phyto Family products—Phyto Corrective Gel (ideal for dry skin) and Phyto Corrective Mask (ideal for sensitized skin). With a 15-year history, these products are among SkinCeuticals top selling in the US and around the world.

Within a skincare regimen built to prevent, correct, and protect, the Phyto Corrective line is essential. Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment offers a new option for correction of texture, tone, and brightness.

— Alison A. Murakami, PhD
VP Medical Affairs

What is Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment and what benefits do you see with this topical skincare option?

Alicia Barba, MD: Many prescription products intended to brighten the skin or improve uneven tone, such as hydroquinone and retinoids, can be irritating; they can cause a lot of inflammation, especially in people with baseline sensitivity. It is challenging to balance achieving a good result against managing the irritation, redness, and exfoliation that come with prescription products, especially when patients don’t have excessive discoloration.

SkinCeuticals Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment is an exciting option for those who don’t need a prescription. I’m focused on key ingredients. This product features SkinCeuticals phyto blend—a proprietary blend of olive leaf, mulberry, cucumber, grapefruit, thyme, and rosemary extract. This blend has been shown to be soothing to skin.

Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment also has 3% azelaic acid and 2% alpha arbutin. In this formulation, azelaic acid is a gentle exfoliator that helps decrease excess sebum, alpha arbutin helps reduce the appearance of excess pigment, and the phyto botanical blend soothes the skin. It’s really a nice blend of all these ingredients that has the synergistic effect of brightening skin while feeling comfortable on skin.

What are key features of the Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment formulation?

Dr. Barba: Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment is ideal for somebody who wants one product with several ingredients that’s going to give an immediate glow to the skin. It’s a very light moisturizing gel base that is well suited for oily skin which has some mild discoloration, or someone who has sensitive skin and wants a nice glow.

The addition of hyaluronic acid and glycerin contributes to the moisturizing effects of the gel, and the botanical ingredients impart a light herbal scent. It’s a suitable product for patients who are getting started on skincare or who just want one main product to use.

Of course, all patients, and especially those with skin discoloration, must use sunscreen and UV avoidance strategies.

What stood out to you in the clinical studies for Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment?

Dr. Barba: Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment helps to clarify skin. In studies, twice daily use of Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment for 12 weeks was shown to decrease post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation by 20 percent.

The very gentle exfoliative effect improves skin texture. It was improved by 19 percent in the studies. It also reduces surface oiliness by up to 28 percent as measured instrumentally.

Would you recommend it in conjunction with any procedures?

Dr. Barba: I would recommend Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment after procedures, once the skin has healed over. It’s especially suited for use after less intensive procedures like IPL. I would not use it immediately after microneedling; I am very selective in what I apply to the skin after this procedure, since we have opened all those channels in the skin.

I would also consider it for patients getting injectable treatments. Some of us who do injectables all day are very good at incorporating skincare, and others are not as good. We’re so busy, and sometimes it’s hard to have the skincare conversation effectively. Referral to in-house aestheticians can be valuable.

It’s also worth noting that once patients see a result in their skin from using a product like Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment, they get excited and they want to go to the next step, which could be a more advanced skincare regimen and/or additional procedures.

I also think that this product could complement other products in the SkinCeuticals line. Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment is ideal for patients with blemish-prone skin and discoloration. Antioxidant Silymarin CF is another beneficial product for morning use for blemish-prone skin. Blemish + Age is a good nighttime option. In a patient seeking more robust antioxidant protection, I recommend adding Phloretin CF.

Triple Lipid Restore is one of my favorite moisturizers to recommend and is ideal for patients who require additional hydration beyond what Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment offers.

Who will you recommend Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment to in your practice?

Dr. Barba: There is a whole range of patients who can benefit from use of this product, especially younger patients with oily skin and patients of any age looking to start a skincare regimen. Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment is tailor made for the patient with oily skin, mild blemishes, and some discoloration. Notably, it is suitable for use across all Fitzpatrick Skin Phototypes, and all phototypes were represented in the clinical studies. The light gel base is also likely to appeal to many men.