The subject invention relates to a skin cream that can be used to moisturize and rejuvenate skin that has been damaged by exposure to sunlight or which has simply been affected over the years by intrinsic aging. It inhibits the formation of wrinkles and in some cases reduces the depth of existing wrinkles or eliminates them entirely. This invention is based upon the discovery that alkyl lactates, such as ethyl lactate, can be used to improve the penetration of active ingredients in skin care formulations deep into lower layers of the skin tissue. The present invention more specifically discloses a topical formulation comprising ascorbic acid, an amino acid selected from the group consisting of phenylalanine and tyrosine, a non-toxic zinc salt, an alkyl lactate, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.