Your mom was right about eating your broccoli, but turns out you should be applying it on your skin, too. Purple broccoli extract is the star ingredient in Farmacy Beauty Brightening Coconut Gel Mask, $24. It contains sky-high levels of anti-inflammatory antizymes, which can stop the over-production of melanin, the culprit behind unwanted spots. And thanks to the finely spun material of the sheet mask itself, all of the actives (including a hydrating coconut gel base, which we found pleasantly cooling) are better retained and delivered. Plus, it's free of parabens, artificial colors, and formaldehyde.
Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask, $62, is a powerhouse of citrus — it contains real crushed oranges, lemons and clementines to brighten skin. Rub it in, and you're gently exfoliating with scrubbing particles. Leave it on for 10 minutes, and the vitamin C and alpha hydroxyl acids continue to exfoliate for significantly brighter skin when you're done.
If you love to do an all-over face mask but wish you could target specific stubborn freckles, then Karuna Correct Melting Boost, $18, and Karuna Brightening Face Mask, $8, are the perfect pair for you. The Boost contains dots (infused with glycolic acid and niacinamide) you apply wherever you need extra brightening, and then you put the sheet mask on top. Bonus: You can use extra dots on annoying spots on your hands or chest.
When you use the Ole Henriksen Power Bright 3-Step Professional Brightening System, $55, you feel like you're giving yourself a full-on facial — and you get immediate brightening results. It's a three-step process that comes in convenient single serving-sized packets. You start with a scrub, then apply a concentrated mask of 25-percent vitamin C, then apply a melting cleanser on top of that. Not only does it brighten, it also leaves skin feeling unbelievably soft and hydrated thanks to rose hip seed oil.
Few things in life are as gratifying as a really good peel-off mask, and Boscia Sake Bright White Mask, $38, is exactly that. And this formula ups the ante because it also really brightens skin. It contains sake, sea fern algae extract and a vitamin C complex to zap away dark spots as well as a high-tech peptide to lift and fight wrinkles.
