Bright up your life with ARCONA’s Mandarin Brightening Peel

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One of the best in green beauty, ARCONA, strikes again!

ARCONA's Mandarin Brightening Peelphotos: we heart this

I am quickly finding that as I enter my mid to upper thirties (ugh, I groan as I’m writing that), my face just doesn’t bounce back like it used to. Blemishes, and the marks from them, take longer to go away, age spots and freckles start appearing, literally out of nowhere, and the soft suppleness, that was always there, just ISN’T anymore. With that sad realization, I have come to terms with the fact that I need to invest a little more money in my facial routine.

ARCONAicon is a brand wht has raved about in the past for having amazing, natural, green skincare products, yet this was the first time I had the pleasure of testing one. ARCONA focuses on improving the skin without harsh chemicals or plastic surgery. They also cold process their products, which preserves the effectiveness of the ingredients. That means all the goodness gets delivered straight to your skin.

I tested out the Mandarin Brightening Peelicon ($78), which is a powerful exfoliation treatment used to brighten the skin. Its active ingredients include Glycolic Acid, a must have in the exfoliation process, Lactic Acid, that helps with hyper-pigmentation, and lycopene and mandarin extract, to fight free radicals and aging.

Closer look of ARCONA's Mandarin Brightening Peel packaging

What I thought was really cool and exciting were the ingredients that help to inhibit melanin production. Melanin is the key culprit in skin pigmentation and this peel contains two compounds, Nonapeptide and Sepiwhite, which both help to lower your body’s melanin production. Being a science teacher, I love when the science behind the product makes sense!

The Mandarin Brightening Peelicon is meant to be used once a week, so while I’ve only been testing it for a few weeks, I definitely saw a noticeable difference in the texture of my skin and in the fading of age spots and blemish scars. My skin felt A LOT softer and I was actually surprised at how quickly it improved my skin’s texture. The fading wasn’t a huge difference, but the fact that I saw any change, in just a few short weeks, made me confident this stuff works.

Mandarin Brightening Peel swatch

This peel also has a delightful smell from the mandarin extract, (always makes me want to use a product more, when it smells good)! It is packaged in a small, plastic squeeze tube, which was easy to use and small enough for travel, which is always an added bonus.

The consistency is perfect, slightly thick and creamy, and you only need to use a small amount to cover your face. I was extremely happy that it was surprisingly gentle. I didn’t feel like it stripped my face of moisture, like some peels I’ve used in the past, and it didn’t cause any sensitivity or breakouts. That’s always at the top of my list when looking for a new skin product… I don’t want anything that’s going to set off breakouts.

Final verdict… it works! My skin looked better and felt better. I was very happy with my first ARCONA experience and will be checking out some of their other products for sure.

Pros:
Can be used on all skin types
Natural and green, no harsh chemicals
Softens and smoothes out skin texture
It works! Visibly reduced age spots and scars

Cons:
A bit pricy at $78
Packaging was pretty basic for a luxury product (on the flip side you know you’re money is being spent on the formula and ingredients)

Green beauty lovers – is ARCONA and their eco-friendly products a bright spot in your beauty routine? Join me in the comments to talk all things ARCONA!

Click here to shop ARCONAicon at Beauty.com!

Erin is a secondary science teacher who adores makeup and fashion. She spends her free time pursuing her other passions which include cooking, antiquing, and decorating.

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

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    Erin is a secondary science teacher who adores makeup and fashion. She spends her free time pursuing her other passions which include cooking, antiquing, and decorating. skin tone: NC30 skin type: oily to normal favorite beauty product: lipglosses and bronzers

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11 Comments

  1. Wow! This sounds like a mask that would really work for me. I would love to try it. But the price is a little steep. But maybe it would last a long time if you are only using it once a week.

  2. Great review, Erin – this sounds wonderful! And your skin is looking quite radiant! I havn’t had a good peel product to use in a long time, and my aging skin sure could use one…maybe it’s worth the price tag. I can see why it says to only use it once a week too – just had a powerful facial a few weeks ago, and I’d say it took my skin about a week to recover too – so this must be pretty potent!

  3. A noticeable difference in just a few weeks? This peel sounds like it’s well worth its pricy-ness! Great review, @spitfire77 !

  4. I love Arcona…I’ve tried several of their products and they all yield amazing results. I am hella intrigued by this peel, because Erin said, once you hit your 30’s, some funky things start happening to skin. Lack of brightness is something that I, too, suffer from *holds back the sob*. Sadly, I think my hubby would have some choice things to say if I purchased an almost $80 face product. I only have a Clarisonic because a friend took pity on me and gifted me one at Christmas a few years back. Like, I would have to seriously campaign for this. And possibly use sex as a weapon. *ponders*

  5. I’m in my mid twenties but I can already tell my skin is changing :( I normally wouldn’t even dream of paying almost $80 for a product that washes off (as opposed to a serum or treatment that you leave on overnight), but if you’re seeing results that quickly, I’m pretty impressed. I also am a sucker for anything that smells good, so when I saw that this had mandarin in it, I was definitely intrigued. Great review, Erin :)

  6. I love this line too!! Great review Erin! I would love to try this one out, cause I sure could use some brightening right NOW!

  7. I’ve been really happy with this peel, and was impressed with the quality of the product! Four solid stars, only cause of the price.

  8. I am a sucker for citrus scents. (I admit this sometimes make portion control difficult.) I would love to try this . . . Who wouldn’t want to look a bit brighter?

  9. Hahah, I’m with you @spitfire77 , I’m far more likely to use a product if it smells good! There’s just no getting around it, the smell is important. And citrus smells tend to be my favorite! Sounds like a great product!

  10. Mandarin has great clearing and brightening effects. I love products with this content.
    Interesting, I want to give this a try but I think I can’t spend my money on this.
    I hope they have product samples to begin with.

  11. I just received the Arcona Mandarin Peel to test and I am already a huge fan!
    The peel is unassuming in it’s packaging, yet delivers a serious punch. The scent is lovely, and only a small amount is needed to cover the face. I immediatley felt a serious tingle, but stuck with it for the 4-6 minutes recommended. I was left with baby soft, luminous skin. This product is a bit pricey for me, but if it manages to fade my dark spots and revive my skin…I am sold!

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