A Safe Way to Make Your Skin Look Brighter and Younger

June

A Safe Way to Make Your Skin Look Brighter and Younger

Margaret and Betty are inquisitive about Definity: Margaret says Definity works great for her but she wants to know if all the products in the line are basically the same; Betty is worried that Definity’s not safe because she heard it contains hydroquinone.

The Right Brain provides this definitive response:

P&G must be doing a good job of marketing their Olay line because we get a lot of questions about Definity. So, we present a double dose of Definity: In Part 1 we explain how the products work; in Part 2, we’ll talk about how the products in the line are different from one another.

What Does Definity Do?

According to P&G, Definity “fights what ages you most: discoloration, dullness, brown spots, and fights wrinkles.” The fighting wrinkles stuff is pretty standard in beauty creams. If you’re hydrating the skin (especially if you’re using a film forming agent that helps hide fine lines) you can support anti-wrinkle claims. The interesting aspect of Definity is that it claims to make the skin more luminous because it gets rid of darkness and dullness.

How Does Definity Make Skin Luminous?

Skin lightening claims like these normally involve hydroquinone, a skin bleaching agent that’s come under fire for safety reasons. Fortunately, Definity doesn’t contain hydroquinone. Instead, it uses N-acetyl glucosamine, chemical that inhibits glycosylation of pro-tyrosinase. (Relax, that just means it prevents the kind of chemical reactions that make liver spots and freckles.) N-acetyl glucosamine (or NAG as it’s known) is not as effective as hydroquinone, but it’s safer to use.

Sound too good to be true? Check out the multiple clinical test results that show glucosamine effectively prevents dark age spots. And if dark spots are reduced, skin will look lighter and more luminous.

Of course, the question is, how MUCH improvement will you really see. The only way to tell for sure is to try the product. But at least Olay has done their homework and formulated a product line that’s based on science, not snake oil.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Definity does contain an ingredient proven to lighten skin. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll notice a difference yourself. It’s a bit expensive at $22 for 1.7 ounces, but at least their claims are based on real science.

In Part 2 we’ll talk about the other products in the line and how they differ.

22 Responses to “A Safe Way to Make Your Skin Look Brighter and Younger”

Gloria Says:

Would Definity also help with dark marks caused by acne?
thebeautybrains Says:

Based on what we’ve seen, Definity works on pigmentation induced by UV radiation. I doubt it works on dark acne marks.
Anonymous Says:

Brains,

Where the heck do you get the pictures you use on posts? With some of them (like this one), I don’t know whether to be offended, freaked out or what. I was just wondering what the thought process was behind the choosing of pictures accompanying posts, and I’d like to request that you move toward images that don’t gross me out as I eat my breakfast and read your site every morning. Thank you.
thebeautybrains Says:

Dear Anonymous:

Sometimes the pictures that accompany our posts are a bit unusual, but we certainly aren’t trying to offend anyone. We use two criteria when selecting the pics. First, we pick pics that are SOMEHOW related to the post (today’s post is about anti-aging/anti-wrinkle and the picture is a very wrinkled face).

Second, we choose pictures that will catch your attention. We’re so tired of seeing the same old “beautiful models and product pictures” that you find on most beauty websites. We’re trying to be different and most of our community have responded positively to the high weirdness of the photos we’ve posted, so we think we’ve got the right approach.

Still, you raise a good point and we’ll try to avoid photos that might be too disturbing. Write back and let us know how we’re doing!
Joe Says:

Oh brother! The wrinkled face is offensive?! It appears to be the picture of a “real” person in relatively good health. Why is that offensive? I have always found the pictures intriguing if not outright funny! Keep up the good work and forget about these repressed frowners.
Karen Says:

PLEASE keep the pictures coming! They’re so funny and weird at the same time! I think many of them aren’t genuine and have been altered using Photoshop……..so let’s just sit back and have a good laugh!!!
Mccrae Says:

If a picture was put up of a person that had EXTREMELY bad skin (acne and other skin problems) would you still be offended? If you saw a picture that had burns on a person’s face and was accompanied by an article by BeautyBrains about how to help the skin heal faster by first to third degree burns, would you stop reading their blog becuase the burns look bad? It’s a picture -especially an image that helps capture the reader and explain what they’re about to read. BeautyBrains, thanks for thinking “outside” the box with your photos!
Maggie S. Says:

I think the the person in the pic looks like she’s related to Gollum from Lord of the Rings. It looks like a photoshop job to me, from the repetitious lines in the forehead.
Sarah Bellum Says:

Personally, I think it’s a space alien.
Susan Says:

Sarah Bellum, I thought the same thing when I saw it. Ha Ha I think that is funny to have the words taken right out of my brain.
Liz Says:

I think the picture is just plain weird. What happened to her nose?
thebeautybrains.com » Is Definity Decidely Different? Says:

[...] Part 1 we explained how Olay’s Definity is based on real science that, at least theoretically, can [...]
Skin Care Beauty Zone Says:

That picture is nothing but photo shop work….

Just take a look someone copied and pasted her forehead three times…then copied and pasted her upper lip twice or three times.. So this is result…
christy Says:

Definity is a lovely product, but don’t expect miracles. I’ve used prescription hydroquinone many times, and have had minimal results. I can’t imagine that this is going to be even the slightest bit better.
d Says:

I used this for a week and got the worst breakouts of my life. I’m not sure why.
thebeautybrains.com » Blog Archive » Top 3 Skin Lightening Ingredients Says:

[...] we discussed in our post on Olay Definity, this glucosamine derivative has been proven to work in clinical trials. It’s less effective [...]
monika Says:

I just have a question so what does difinity actually do? does it lightens one’s skin when it goes dark or does it just amek it even??

thanks
monika Says:

sorry I meant was; does it make the skin tone even
The Beauty Brains » Blog Archive » Is Ponds Flawless White An Effective Skin Lightener? Says:

[...] question. We’ve never been asked about Ponds, but we have blogged before about products like Definity and Meladerm that use skin lightening [...]
Is Ponds Flawless White An Effective Skin Lightener? | Beauty Secrets Blog Says:

[...] the question. We’ve never been asked about Ponds, but we have blogged before about products like Definity and Meladerm that use skin lightening [...]
Pang Says:

Beauty Brains,

I love the blog, but I was a little disturbed by the photo. I’m a first-generation Hmong woman and the photo in question looks like an elderly Hmong woman (or something very similar). We have a lot of respect for our elders and it is difficult to see her face this distorted. I think my grandmother’s wrinkles are a testament to all that she’s suffered being a Vietnam War refugee.

Of course, mine is a very personal response.
Maria Says:

Gloria yes Definity will work for dark marks.

The combination of N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) and niacinamide was recently shown to reduce facial hyperpigmentation in Japanese and Caucasian subjects with facial hyperpigmentation in two double-blind, vehicle-controlled, split-face, left-right randomized clinical studies. Olay Definity also contains a concentration of ultra-beneficial niacinamide. Therefore, this is a hydrating moisturizer that may reduce the appearance of dark spots.
It does have mica in it. So, don’t be fooled into thinking it is already actually lightening. The multi-colored mica in the product may also have an aesthetically pleasing look as it reflects the light.
Ingredients in Olay Definity
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Niacinamde, Acetyl Glucosamine, Dimethicone, Polyethylene, Polyacrylamide, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Triethanolamine, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Dimethiconol, DMDM Hydantoin, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Laureth 4, Tocopheryl Acetate, Laureth 7, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Safflower), Fragrance, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Soluble Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Mica

The Olay Night moisturizer is also an excellent product, it has green tea and vitamin E

Whether you have hyperpigmentation or not, a good niacinamide product is very beneficial for your skin. Niacinamide is great for your skin period!