When David, High1ight’s founder, asked if I knew what “Topicals” was, I apprehensively said yes—my assumption being medications like steroids and retinoids used to treat eczema, dermatitis, and rosacea. In other words, cold, clinical, often-prescribed and uninspired metal tubes of unfamiliar ingredients. 

Topicals, the up-and-coming skincare brand, is anything but. Founded by WOC duo, Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng, Topicals’ mission is to make “funner flare-ups” and promote a more diverse and inclusive skin space. The brand features two products—a brightening gel, Faded, and a moisturizing mask, Like Butter—that seek to deliver effective ingredients wrapped in catchy pretty pastel wrapping.

As a Filipino-American, I was pleasantly surprised to see Topicals highlighting BIPOC individuals on their site and social media, with their mission to help the problems that plagued my own skin’s history. As a child, I struggled with eczema on my forearms. The condition has since faded (no pun intended), but my skin anxieties were replaced with puberty-wrought acne and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: lingering dark spots even more stubborn to remove than their pimple-y predecessors. I’ve since seen a dermatologist, fixed my diet, gone on birth control, and found a simplified skincare routine that has resulted in better, clearer skin. But I couldn’t help but wonder—can my better be bested?

Initially trying out the brightening gel, Faded, my excitement at seeing if it would temper my weekend hangover skin quickly dissolved as I woke up the next morning with an array of inflamed whiteheads covering my forehead and cheeks. I shot David a panicked message who in his derm-expertise told me that contact dermatitis—an allergic reaction to topical creams—typically takes 2 days to develop and to, more or less, “chillax” and take the weekend off from any Topicals. 

Luckily, my skin purging has subsided after a week of incrementally using Faded every other night. A Cheerio-sized amount of the gel easily dissolves into my moist skin after I shower and layers well underneath my heavier moisturizer. I have also stopped applying AHA/BHAs like salicylic and glycolic acid: ingredients not to be used alongside the brightening gel, since Faded, a trifecta of kojic, azelaic, and tranexamic acids, is already chock-full of active ingredients. However, the percentages of the actives are undisclosed. Most clinical studies with azelaic acid have been conducted with 10-20% of the active ingredient. Tranexamic acid has been shown to be effective at concentrations between 2-5% and kojic acid at 1%. According to David, the three acids are effective in blocking the production of melanin (the pigment-inducing molecule in skin) and melasma (hormonal pigmentary change). I also noticed Topicals’s thoughtful decision to not include hydroquinone—a common skin-lightening agent—which carries the cultural stigma of skin bleaching (I had to explain to my alarmed parents that I was trying out Faded to brighten my skin tone, not whiten it).

After two weeks, I have found that old clusters of stubborn hyperpigmentation have slightly faded, and my overall skin tone is brighter. My skin’s texture has also surprisingly smoothed out, thanks to Faded’s inclusion of niacinamide, a skin superstar ingredient, and melatonin, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. While Faded being fragrance-free is a plus, the hint of the sulfur, rotten egg smell is not—I hold my breath everytime I apply it, reminding myself that beauty might not be pain, but it is, in this case, an unpleasant odor. 

With Like Butter, the lighter gel-cream texture initially disappointed me and my idea of a super thick and creamy mask. However, I’ve found that this makes Like Butter multi-purpose: I can leave the hydrating mask on overnight without worrying about it getting all over my pillow. My favorite application is squeezing a dollop on my hands and rubbing it into my crusty cuticles and dry skin. It’s a great hand mask that smells deliciously of its calming ingredient, centella asiatica (green tea) extract.

As the spring weather brings temperamental days ahead and my imminent college graduation pushes me into varying levels of panic-induced stress, I’m excited to keep Topicals in my skincare rotation. I only wish I could’ve discovered this product sooner: while a couple years belated, my teenage self has found its skincare savior. 

Photos courtesy of Topicals