I took a photo of my left cheek every single morning for a month. The same lighting. The same angle. Obsessive? Maybe. But I needed to know if Skin1004’s brightening serum actually fades the post-acne marks that have been living on my face since 2022.
The weirdest part? My skin looked worse before it looked better. Day 6 brought a tiny breakout cluster I did NOT expect from a centella product.
It’s a milky, lightweight serum — $18 for 30ml. The claim: visible brightening in 4 weeks thanks to 4-type hyaluronic acid and a centella complex that’s supposedly stronger than the regular stuff.
Double-layer texture
Thin enough to sink in 12 seconds, but leaves a barely-there film that makes my moisturizer glide better.
Niacinamide at 5%
High enough to actually work, low enough to not piss off sensitive skin. I didn’t flush once.
No fragrance, no essential oils
Smells like absolutely nothing. Which is exactly what I want from a treatment serum.
Photo: Kaeme / Unsplash
The hero is centella asiatica extract (Madagascar-sourced, hence the name) paired with tranexamic acid — the ingredient your derm would prescribe for stubborn hyperpigmentation. It’s not trendy, it’s clinical.
- Centella Asiatica Extract: calms redness while it brightens
- Tranexamic Acid: blocks melanin production at the source
- Niacinamide: evens texture + fades old marks
- Sodium Hyaluronate: stops the serum from drying you out
Photo: Fleur Kaan / Unsplash
First pump: watery, almost runny. I thought it would evaporate. Instead it leaves this silky slip that feels like nothing after 20 seconds. No stickiness. No white cast. My oily-combo skin actually liked it under makeup.
Week 2 update: my dark spots looked *darker*. I almost quit. Then week 3 hit and three of my smallest spots literally just vanished. The big one on my jawline? Still there, but lighter — like someone turned down the opacity by 40%.
Photo: Kaeme / Unsplash
Three spots completely gone. Two noticeably faded. One stubborn bastard on my jawline is still visible but way less angry. Texture improved more than I expected — my pores look smaller around my nose, which was a bonus I didn’t ask for.
Photo: Curology / Unsplash
It worked — just slower than the marketing promised. For the price and how gentle it is, I’d repurchase. But I’m keeping my expectations at “fade, not erase.”