Mary Kay TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer for skin with dark spots

How to apply

Questions and answers

What the research says

• A combination of Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and trimethylglycine in a 1:1 mass ratio synergistically increased aquaporin 3 expression by up to 380% in keratinocytes and safely improved skin hydration in healthy volunteers.

  Molecules, 2024

• A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

  Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

• Vitamin E in O/W and W/O emulsions significantly increased stratum corneum hydration and enhanced water-binding capacity, with an optimum concentration of 5%.

  Arzneimittel-Forschung, 1998

• Co-encapsulation of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate in nanostructured lipid carrier gel formulations significantly enhanced moisture retention up to 68% and improved skin elasticity in human volunteers compared to a solution gel.

  Scientific Reports, 2025

• Soaps containing betaine caused the least skin irritation compared to other tested soaps in twenty-eight healthy subjects, though irritation did not decrease with increasing concentrations of betaine.

  Skin Research and Technology, 2003

• The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

• Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001

• Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.

  Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012

• Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.

  Military Medicine, 2024

• A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.

  Skin Research and Technology, 2000

• Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.

  Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007

• Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025

• Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.

  Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021

• Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• Topical dry mouth products containing olive oil, betaine, and xylitol significantly increased unstimulated whole salivary flow rates, reduced xerostomia complaints, and improved quality of life in adults with polypharmacy-induced xerostomia compared to their normal routine care, with no clinically significant adverse events.

  Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 2007

• Mixed surfactant systems of sodium dodecyl sulfate and dimethyl dodecyl amido betaine significantly reduce acute skin irritation potential in human volunteers compared with the individual surfactants, demonstrating that irritation potential cannot be predicted by simple summation.

  Food and Chemical Toxicology, 1998

• Polyhexanide/betaine may be nontoxic and effective in enhancing wound healing, whereas the majority of other topical cleaning agents are locally toxic and of limited or no proven efficacy.

  Advances in Skin & Wound Care, 2013

Why other moisturizers fit skin with dark spots better

• Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.

  The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

• Topical oxidized glutathione significantly decreases the skin melanin index and improves moisture content, smoothness, wrinkle formation, and elasticity compared to placebo in healthy women.

  Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014

• Topical application of Lactobacillus plantarum-GMNL6 enhanced collagen synthesis and SPTSSA gene expression while reducing melanin synthesis, Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and Cutibacterium acnes proliferation, leading to clinical improvements in skin moisture, color, spots, wrinkles, UV spots, and porphyrins in human volunteers.

  International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isostearyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Behenyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Ceteareth-20, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Silica, Carbomer, Diazolidinyl Urea, Lauramine Oxide, Disodium Edta, Betaine, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Methylparaben, Sodium Pca, C9-15 Alkyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sorbitol, Propylparaben, Serine, Threonine, Proline, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Lysine, Glutamic Acid, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.