Review: Earth’s Recipe Gigawhite Radiance Serum

I love products that claim to brighten. I had dull, lifeless skin for the longest time, and once I discovered how luminous my face could look, I’ve been chasing that glow. I love brightening products that also lighten my PIH (Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation) spots: those dark brown spots/scars made of melanin that are left behind after acne. These are not to be confused with PIE (Post Inflammatory Erythema), which are red spots that are actually dilated blood vessels. Knowing which you have is important because ingredients like niacinamide work to lighten PIH, but can’t help PIE.

As a result, I’ve used a number of products that claim to brighten, and I’ll be reviewing one of those today: the Earth’s Recipe Gigawhite Radiance Serum. This review will wrap up my review series on the brand. (If you’re interested in the other reviews, the Energy Boosting Toner review is here, theMoisture Bound Cream here, and the Waterful Sun Gel here. The previous three products were provided by the brand for review. I purchased the Gigawhite Radiance Serum with my own money.)

 

Earth’s Recipe Gigawhite Radiance Serum

Cosdna Analysis

The 45ml tube plastic pump bottle is unique in that it’s actually an airless pump bottle! This means that you can really control how much product you get at once. I really wish more products came in airless pumps.

The Claims

“The Gigawhite Radiance Serum features Gigawhite, a brightening complex of Alpine plants, including edelweiss, lemon balm, primrose, and other botanicals. This illuminating serum also contains proven brightening agents like niacinamide, licorice root extract, and tranexamic acid to diminish the appearance of dark spots on the skin and promote greater skin radiance.” (BemusedKorea.com)

In addition to the usual suspects of niacinamide and licorice root extract, this formula takes advantage of botanical extracts to brighten. If you’re sensitive to extracts, definitely get ahold of a sample first.

Ingredients:

Water, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide, Betaine, Propanediol, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Sprout Extract, Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Sprout Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Sprout Extract, Piper Methysticum Leaf/root/stem Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Pueraria Thunbergiana Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Licorice Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Veronica Officinalis Flower Leaf/Stem Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Soluble Collagen,Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrogendated Lecithin, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tranexamic Acid, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin, Tromethamine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium EDTA, Adenosine, Polyquaternium-51, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Raffinose, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Folic Acid, Glycerin, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Acetic Acid, Lactic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate

• Niacinamide: Brightens and strengthens the skin. See my full run-down here.
• Phellinus Linteus Extract (black hoof mushroom extract): has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Arctium Lappa Root Extract: Soothes skin and has anti-oxidant properties.
• Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Sprout Extract: Softens skin and has anti-oxidant properties. It is also a source for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
• Glycyrrhiza Glabra Licorice Root Extract: has skin-soothing properties. It also may be effective in evening-out skin tone. It is ideal for sensitive or red/irritated skin.
• Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract: has anti-inflammatory properties
• Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice: Soothes irritated skin.

Whew! This is quite the lengthy ingredient list. There are a ton of botanical extracts here, many of which have anti-oxidant and skin–soothing properties.

 The (Personal) Evidence

Because of how much I liked the Earth’s Recipe products the company sent me, I took advantage of an Amazon 2017 Black Friday sale and grabbed the Gigawhite Radiance serum to try.  When it arrived, I was pretty upset to see the expiration date of January 2018! I immediately added it to my routine, using it twice a day, everyday, and finished it at the beginning of January. If you use the normal amount needed–about 1.5 pumps to cover your whole face–it will last you at least twice as long. But given that I was trying to use it up, I used 3 pumps each time.

This is a clear, light gel serum that spreads easily over the face and absorbs quickly.

 

Given how much I was using at once, I was doubly impressed by how nicely it sunk in and that it never pilled, not even under sunscreen or makeup. It has a light scent; I think some people say it smells citrusy, which makes sense given the citrus oil in it, although it actually smelled a bit like alcohol to me (even though there isn’t alcohol in it).

In terms of brightening, I found that several new PIH were lightened while I was using the serum, and my face looked more luminous. Of course, I was using a lot of product at once. As someone on Instagram pointed out, the amount I was using might account for my fast results.

Plus, I didn’t really have a great testing schedule for this serum, as I wasn’t planning to use it right away. So, I didn’t take it out of my routine for a week or two to see if I saw a difference in my skin. As a result, I can’t attribute the lightening of the PIH to this serum alone, especially since I was using AHAs pretty regularly.

There are a lot of brightening serums out there–and I’ve used a good number of them. I also know that some of my favorites–Stratia Rewind and Holy Snail Shark Sauce–don’t work for some people, so the Earth’s Recipe Gigawhite Radiance Serum might be a good alternative.

There are cheaper brightening serums available that have proven themselves to work really well for my skin. I’m glad I tried this, but I wish I would have had more time to properly test it. That isn’t the fault of the serum, of course, but that’s how things worked out.

So, will I buy this product again? 

Rating Scale: 

• Did you not read the review? Yes, of course. I will spend all of my money on this product!
• Yes. I enjoy this product enough to purchase again in the future, especially if it’s on sale.
• Meh. Maybe. I mean, I bet there are other, better things out there. I’d use it if someone gave it to me.
• No. I won’t use this again and will probably bad-mouth it to others.
• Hahahahaha. Nope. Noooooooope. Not even if you paid me.

The Verdict: Meh. Maybe. I mean, I bet there are other, better things out there. I’d use it if someone gave it to me.

I purchased this at 50% off, which made it $19, and that seems like a reasonable price to pay for this. If you can get this for under $20 like I did, then I could see giving it try.

 

Where you can buy:

Currently, it seems to be sold out everywhere. But if you’re interested, keep checking

• Bemused Korea: $38