As someone with incredibly fair skin and a tendency to hold on to redness for a disturbingly long period of time post-breakout, I spent years searching for skincare that would fade post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation—fast. Cut to: Dr. Shereene Idriss’ launch of Dr. Idriss (previously known as PillowTalkDerm), a skincare line primarily focused on creating an even skin tone. My instinct to trust her products implicitly was spot-on. Within just a few weeks of using her Major Fade Solution System, my acne marks that I’d been blasting with lasers and at-home tools finally disappeared.
My experience is indicative of just about every Dr. Idriss customer, which is likely why the brand sells out within seconds of every new drop. But, as of today, brand loyalists will no longer have to race to the checkout cart on the Dr. Idriss website. The entire range is now available exclusively at Sephora.
“As a doctor, seeing nearly one hundred patients a week for the last ten-plus years, I noticed that the biggest bang for your buck in order to look refreshed is through achieving an even skin tone," Dr. Idriss exclusively shares with Marie Claire. "This is something that patients could do for themselves by using the right skin care and not having to spend thousands of dollars on laser treatments."
Her line includes a grand total of four products—Major Fade Flash Mask, Major Fade Hyper Serum, Major Fade Active Seal, and The Depuffer—all designed to simplify skincare and provide skin tone-evening results. Don’t just take my word on the brand’s efficacy. It’s hard to deny that the range’s star ingredients are good at their job.
Every product in the Major Fade Solution Set contains alpha arbutin and kojic acid, two ingredients scientifically proven to target hyperpigmentation. “Alpha arbutin does this by inhibiting tyrosinase, an important enzyme in the pigment production pathway,” explains Dr. Robert Finney, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Soho Skin and Hair Restoration. He likens alpha arbutin to a safer version of the popular skin lightening agent hydroquinone, which, while effective, can only be used short term due to potential side effects. “Alpha arbutin does not have the same risk as hydroquinione and thus is great in that it can be used consistently in patients battling distressing hyperpigmentation conditions such as melasma.” Kojic acid, for its part, works very similarly.
The fourth and most recent item to join the range (and a Marie Claire Skin Award winner) is The Depuffer, a face-roller-meets-serum that is specifically designed to help fade redness and reduce swelling. The star ingredient? Arnica, which you probably know as an ingredient employed to help prevent bruising. “Arnica can also improve circulation, so it can reduce swelling due to vasular congestion,” notes Dr. Finney.
If you want to try out the brand’s products for yourself, scroll ahead to shop the entire range through Sephora.
