Cysteamine is a skin-lightening ingredient that’s been around for decades, but isn’t yet widely available.
You’re about to see it a lot more.
Experts in This Article
Mikki Bey Crawford is the U.S. vice president of Swiss-based skin-care brand Cyspera.
Rachel Roff is an esthetician and founder of Urban Skin Rx.
Enter: cysteamine, which youre about to see a whole lot more of.
When you have too much cysteine, it can cause increased melanin synthesis, which leads to hyperpigmentation.
Mikki Bey Crawford is the U.S. vice president of Swiss-based skin-care brand Cyspera.
vice president of Swiss-based skin-care brand Cyspera.
Applied topically, cysteamine lightens the skinbut it isnt a skin-bleaching ingredient.
In the first week or two, just follow it with a moisturizer and sunblock.
If youre on any prescription treatments, chat with your dermatologist before trying cysteamine.
I probably wouldnt use this with tretinoin or hydroquinone, says Roff.
She adds that if youre on hydroquinone from your dermatologist, theres no need to use cysteamine, too.
The one downside of the ingredient: it stinks.
The smell is a cross between sulfur and maybe hair perm, says Roff.
The new Cyspera intensive system contains two key ingredients: cysteamine and isobionic-amide, says Crawford.
Mikki Bey Crawford is the U.S. vice president of Swiss-based skin-care brand Cyspera.
Isobionic-amide is a supercharged niacin, the strongest molecule in the vitamin B3 family.
The AHAs include lactic, lactobionic, glycolic, and citric acid.
So when hydroquinone was banned, she set down the path of formulating a more affordable cysteamine product.
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