Frequently asked questions
Arnica Montana? Is that an herb or a person’s name? If this sounds like you, you might want to take a look through our Frequently Asked Questions. From how we make our product to exactly what it does. No skincare stone is left unturned. We might not be able to answer the meaning of life, but if your skin could talk it might tell you differently!
How do I use BrilliantFx Body Serum?
We recommend starting off with applying it right out of the shower at least once a day. You will notice that you do not need to frequently re-apply BrilliantFx. Once should be enough for daily relief. However, you can apply as often as needed a 24 hour period (to ensure that your skin is not sensitive to the product). We also recommend mixing it in with your lotion, or adding water to the amount that is dispensed should you desire a lesser thickness.
Is BrilliantFx Body Serum safe to use on my face?
Yes, yes and yes!! Although it is indicated as a body product, and it is what our company focuses on, complete body care is part of our goal. We want to use tried and true products that have tons of clinical and scientific data behind them, and most importantly, a long history of use in the general population. What does this mean? We only look for ingredients that are safe. All of the ingredients listed in BrilliantFx are safe to use on your whole body – why? Because skin is skin, no matter if it is on your face or on your body! Expectant mothers please check with your Dr’s before using any AHA products. Also, if you have extremely sensitive skin, please test before applying, as with all products.
What is Arnica montana?
Arnica montana is a flowering plant grown in the central regions of Europe. Arnica has been applied to the skin as a cream, ointment, liniment, salve, or tincture, and has been used to soothe muscle aches, reduce inflammation, and heal wounds for well over 500 years. It is not recommended for open wounds. Arnica montana part of the compositae plant family, contains secondary metaoblites called sesquiterpene lactones, and a substance called hellenoid. It works on cell-mediated inflammatory pathways in the body to minimize inflammation.
Why is BrilliantFx in a bottle like this?
With BrilliantFx, a little goes a long way! You do not need to pump out copious amounts of the serum to achieve your desired result.
Why is this thick? It is so much thicker than my other lotions—is this necessary?
Part of what makes a good product for skin barrier reair is something called viscosity. Vicosity dictates the thicness of the product. Thin, runny lotions are not a good repairer of the skin barrier, and do not help deliver the product deep below the surface. The thicker the product, the better job it does of alleviating dry, cracked and sun damaged skin. BrilliantFx is somewhere between a thicker lotion, and petroleum jelly. By making it a serum, we can effectively deliver the active ingredients and repair dry, itchy, cracked or exzematous skin conditions.
Is this the same lactic acid that heppens during excercise? I thought that was built up in your muscles during heavy exercise?
No. Lactic acid of this sort os a by-product of milk metabolism. Lactic acid in exercise is converted from lactate. Commercially synthesized lactic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid. This form hels with exfoliation, cellular turnover, and plumping of the skin.
What is an alpha-hydroxy acid? I hear this all the time, but I have no CLUE what it stands for…is this in your product?
AHAs, as they are commonly referred to, are a class of chemical compounds that consist of a carboxylic acid substituted with a hydroxyl group on the adjacent carbon. They may be either naturally occurring or synthetic. AHAs are well-known for their use in the cosmetics industry. They are often found in products claiming to reduce wrinkles or the signs of aging, and improve the overall look and feel of the skin. They are also used as chemical peels available in a dermatologist’s office, beauty and health spas and home kits, which usually contain a lower concentration. Although their effectiveness is documented numerous cosmetic products have appeared on the market with unfounded claims of performance. Many well-known α-hydroxy acids are useful building blocks in organic synthesis: the most common and simple are glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, mandelic acid.
It is important to note that AHAs work best under these conditions:
- The AHA in question needs to be in a high % by volume of free acid value (greater than 5%)
- The AHA needs to be left on for a particular length of time
- The AHA needs to have a high frequncy of use
The last part is the most significant because AHAs, and chemical peels, are not permanent. In an ideal world, peels with a high concentration of AHA, or other acid type, would be preformed frequently, wich good, non-irritating products used in between treatments. BrilliantFx is such a product since it contains a high % of Lactic Acid by volume, and is safe enough to use on a daily basis on almost all skin types since Lactic Acid is considered to be a food grade additive by the FDA . This is why we are able to bring you lactic acid in the form of BrilliantFx without a prescription. Thie way we use lactic in our product does not make it a “food”. It just means it is safe enough for consumption when added as a preservative in the food industry.
Does this product smell?
BrilliantFx has a very slight fragrance that completely dissipates with 10 minutes of application. Part of that scent is from the Arnica itself, which is a flowering plant. We could not remove all of the scent some of the active plant is dependent on something called its “aromatic ring” to be an active ingredient. Getting rid of that smell will make it non-working ingredient.
I have terrible brown spots from sunning too much – does this help with brown spots?
Unfortunately, BrilliantFx will not fade “brown spots”. It will, however, help exfoliate and soften dry, sun damaged skin. Most brown spots, if you have many of them, will not go away. The best that can be done is to fade them using a bleaching agent, such as hydroquinine, or by the use of laser treatment from your dermatologist.
I have had eczema all my life, do you think this product will help?
BrilliantFx is not a cure for eczema. However, most customers that use it for eczema-like systems have had amazing results, especially if your eczema becomes dry and cracks open. The product was developed by a chemist for her then 8 yo daughter who had moderate eczema on her hands and upper thigh area. The founder of TOY uses BrilliantFx till this very day on her daughter, who still suffer from seasonal eczema on her hands. We have found that in almost all cases, cortisone is not enough, because cortisone does not repair the skin’s surface. Furthermore, cortisone is not good for long term use! It is a synthetic hormone and should not be used on very younf children and pregnant women.
I am of African-American descent, and my skin gets very “ashy” in the winter. My ethnic background has very specific needs for this reason, will your product help even if it is not specifically formulated for African-American skin?
Absolutely. Part of what makes African American skin unique is the number of melanocytes that are found per cm2 of skin. Other than that, the same exact anatomy of skin exsists between ALL skin types. The ability to withstand the sun makes your skin type better resilient to photo-aging. Nonetheless, photodamage and dry skin, as well as eczema are all common skin issues! ALL skin types have “ashy skin”. It is just better observed the darker the skin tone. What makes BrilliantFx so incredible for darker skin types is that it repairs the skin’s surface and immediaely rids of ashy appearance and 2.) exfoliates and moisturizes. You will see an immediate difference with this product!
How is BrilliantFx different than other products?
BrilliantFx does not use parabens, like our 2 leading compeitiors. Parabens are a very questionable filler, in fact, so much so that we urge people to throw away any product that contains filler due to its expression in breast tumors. READ THIS ARTICLE FOR MORE INFORMATION http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/757561
Secondly, BrilliantFx has only 10 simple ingredients, as compared to other leading competitors. Simple is better! Lastly, BrilliantFx uses Lactic Acid instead of Glycolic because its pH is slightly higher, making it less “acidic” and more tolerant for most people. Glycolic tends to be irritating, but is the cosmetic industry’s darling because of its molecular size. Lactic is just as good! In fact, it is less irritating. We have tested Lactic up to 90% free acid value without any irritation.
For all of these reasons, BrilliantFx is the better product, plus it is a lot cheaper then the products we see in our Dr’s offices!
Why don’t you use some of the new ingredients on the market, like epidermal growth factors?
Quite simply because it has not been around long enough, and we are not taking chances on our customers. In addition, we follow the medical community, we do not pay attention to the big cosmetic manufacturers because they tend to put out ingredients before their time, and without substantial results. Also, they do not consider one MAJOR thing that we do: skin sensitivity. Ingredients may work, but most customers, we find, can not tolerate these new, “break through” ingredients. After 2 weeks of use, we see their excitment wane when they break out in a rash or develop irritation. We use ingredients that have been around hundreds, even thousands of years, in modern mixtures because we know they are safe and work. We are looking for amazing ingredients in our next generation of products, but you can bet they will come from nature!
