Dark spots, hyperpigmentation, melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), the list goes on… these are all alterations in skin pigmentation which, although benign, can cause a great deal of distress. Whether they affect smaller or larger areas, on the face or body, the main source of frustration associated with these pigmentation changes is often their persistence. Hyperpigmentation can be very difficult to correct–and even prevent, if you have a chronic tendency to develop dark spots–, but there are some promising skincare solutions on the market. Before you start thinking about dark spot correctors, though, let’s take a moment to review the best skincare ingredients for dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
From proven kojic acid to newcomers like tranexamic acid and Thiamidol™, there are plenty of brightening ingredients to consider in the fight against dark spots and hyperpigmentation. However, there are two important points to keep in mind: whichever brightening ingredients you choose, make sure you combine them with a sunscreen for dark spots. There’s no point in using the best dark spot correctors on the market if you don’t protect your skin from UV radiation!
The second point is equally important: please adjust your expectations. The battle against hyperpigmentation is a long-term affair, especially for those who, as we have seen, have a chronic tendency to develop dark spots. No matter how good it is, no cosmetic product will permanently eliminate dark spots. You’ll need to maintain the results with appropriate sun protection, responsible sun exposure, and the occasional adjustment to your skincare routine.
On this post:
- Arbutin & Alpha-Arbutin
- Azelaic Acid
- Kojic acid
- Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root extract
- Niacinamide
- Retinol
- Thiamidol™
- Tranexamic acid
- Vitamin C
Arbutin & Alpha-Arbutin
They sound similar, but Beta-Arbutin (often known as just Arbutin) and Alpha-Arbutin aren’t actually the same thing. Beta-Arbutin is a derivative of hydroquinone that is naturally present in the leaves and bark of a variety of plants; conversely, Alpha-Arbutin is a synthetic substance.
What they do have in common is their brightening benefits: both Beta-Arbutin and Alpha-Arbutin inhibit the melanin-forming activity of tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for the formation of dark spots.
Can you use Arbutin and Alpha-Arbutin together with…?
Arbutin and Alpha-Arbutin do pop up on their own from time to time, in single-ingredient formulas that combine them with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin. However, it’s also common to see Arbutin and Alpha-Arbutin working in synergy, in the same formula, with other brightening agents such as kojic acid, licorice root extract, retinoids, tranexamic acid, or vitamin C.
To promote greater skin renewal and help fade dark spots and patches, Arbutin and Alpha-Arbutin may also be paired up with exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic, lactic, mandelic, and citric acids) or beta hydroxy acid (aka salicylic acid).
Azelaic acid
You may have heard of azelaic acid, a dicarboxylic acid (not an AHA or BHA) that occurs naturally in grains such as barley, rye and wheat. In addition to being a mild exfoliant, azelaic acid has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and skin brightening properties–the latter of which come in handy against dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
Azelaic acid is a competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for converting tyrosine into melanin. Melanin, of course, is what makes dark spots darker–so by reducing the formation of melanin, azelaic acid helps prevent and correct the appearance of dark spots.
What’s more, azelaic acid is considered to be particularly effective against post-inflammatory pigmentation (PIH), including acne scars or darker patches that may form following a rash or inflammation.
Can you use azelaic acid together with…?
Azelaic acid is a good team player, and you can certainly combine it with other brightening agents in your skincare routine. Indeed, you may notice that products that target dark spots and hyperpigmentation often combine azelaic acid with ingredients such as niacinamide, retinol, tranexamic acid, vitamin C, or AHAs.
Kojic acid
Kojic acid is a natural ingredient that can be extracted from certain fungi, including mushrooms, or obtained from the fermentation of certain foods, such as Japanese sake, soy sauce, or rice wine.
This is one of those brightening ingredients that’s been around for a few years, simply because it’s so effective. Like other ingredients on this list, kojic acid is an inhibitor of tyrosinase, the enzyme that contributes to melanin synthesis. As it obstructs the formation of melanin through this mechanism, kojic acid is particularly useful for preventing and correcting dark spots, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).
Can you use kojic acid together with…?
In the fight against dark spots and hyperpigmentation, kojic acid is often combined with other brightening ingredients such as niacinamide, retinol, or vitamin C. To maximize the brightening effect, kojic acid can also be combined with exfoliating ingredients such as AHAs (often glycolic acid) or BHA (salicylic acid).
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root extract
Licorice is a flowering plant native to Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe. Licorice root extract, in particular, is a frequent ingredient in depigmenting products–you’ll often find it on ingredient lists as “Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract” or “glabridin”.
In addition to its brightening properties, which are very effective against dark spots and hyperpigmentation, licorice root extract is also known for its antioxidant and soothing benefits.
Can you use licorice root extract together with…?
Licorice root extract is a common ingredient in brightening products, and you’ll often find it combined with other anti-dark spot ingredients, such as arbutin, kojic acid, niacinamide, retinoids, or vitamin C. If the product has an exfoliating component, intended to boost skin renewal, it may also contain AHAs, such as glycolic acid, or BHA, salicylic acid.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is one of those wonder ingredients that seems to offer nothing but benefits: in addition to its repairing and soothing action, it also helps regulate acne, prevent signs of aging, and correct dark spots. If you look for niacinamide in your skincare formulas, you may also find it listed as vitamin B3, nicotinamide, or vitamin PP.
Let’s focus on the action of niacinamide on dark spots. While ingredients like azelaic and kojic acids improve dark spots by reducing the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase, which in turn reduces the formation of melanin, niacinamide works a little differently–it seems to prevent melanin from reaching the upper layers of the skin, where dark spots actually become visible.
Can you use niacinamide together with…?
As we’ve seen, niacinamide has an anti-dark spot effect that differs from other brightening ingredients. This means that you can benefit from a complementary effect by combining niacinamide with other ingredients in this category. You’ll have no trouble finding anti-hyperpigmentation formulas that incorporate not only niacinamide, but also retinol, vitamin C, and various exfoliating acids and enzymes.
Retinol
Speaking for skincare enthusiasts all over the world: we all love our retinol, don’t we? Retinol, a form of vitamin A, is the gold standard ingredient in anti-aging skincare, but that’s not all it can do! Retinol (and retinoids in general, meaning the many forms of vitamin A) is also effective in managing acne and correcting dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
So how does retinol help with dark spots, you might be wondering? It does so mainly by boosting cellular turnover and increasing the renewal of skin cells in the epidermis, the most superficial layer of the skin. Over time, this helps fade dark spots and patches of hyperpigmentation.
Can you use retinol together with…?
Retinol can be a bit of a handful. Beginners are often advised to keep their skincare routines pared down in order to minimize the likelihood of side effects such as dryness, redness, irritation, and skin flaking. It pays not to be too adventurous with the other ingredients you use at the same time as retinol.
However, this doesn’t mean that retinol can’t ever be combined with other skincare ingredients. Brightening products often employ retinol alongside other well-known anti-dark spot ingredients such as azelaic, kojic, or tranexamic acids, which have different mechanisms of action on hyperpigmentation. If you don’t have much experience with retinol, selecting a product that combines retinol with other brightening ingredients is the right option for you–trust us, it will save you a lot of confusion.
For those confident enough to start mixing and matching products, experienced skincare enthusiasts often opt for the “vitamin C by day and retinol by night” approach, thus combining the antioxidant properties of vitamin C with the cell-renewing action of retinol.
Thiamidol™
Discovered and patented by German multinational Beiersdorf, Thiamidol™ is a relative newcomer to the world of brightening ingredients. It may not surprise you to know that, like many other ingredients on this list, Thiamidol™ is a tyrosinase inhibitor; it works at the root of hyperpigmentation by reducing melanin production, and has been shown to be effective in both reducing dark spots and preventing their re-appearance.
Thiamidol™ is the key ingredient in the Eucerin Anti-Pigment range, but it’s also present in other skincare products from Beiersdorf (look for it as “isobutylamido thiazolyl resorcinol”). According to studies, four applications of Thiamidol™ per day produce results comparable to the gold standard of pigmentation treatment, hydroquinone.
Can you use Thiamidol™ together with…?
Thiamidol™ is a relatively recent ingredient which, for the time being, is only used by specific brands. For this reason, we’re still not very familiar with the ingredients that work best with Thiamidol™ within the same formula. For now, it seems relatively common to see Thiamidol™ combined with AHAs such as lactic acid, or with that famous BHA, salicylic acid. On occasion, we have also seen formulas combine Thiamidol™ with antioxidants such as vitamin E.
As for mixing and matching products: based on current research, Thiamidol™ is a well-tolerated ingredient with few side effects. It’s suitable even for sensitive skin, which leads us to believe that it won’t be particularly difficult to integrate into your skincare routine. If you want to use vitamin C in the morning and Thiamidol™ in the evening, for example, go ahead! And if you want to use Thiamidol™ in the morning and retinoids in the evening? Make sure to adjust the routine based on your skin’s reaction to retinoids, due to the known side effects.
Last, but not least, it’s worth remembering that Thiamidol™ is at its best when used four times a day, according to studies. Therefore, it may be best to lean into this and build a skincare routine that features multiple products with Thiamidol™–for example, you could use a serum and sunscreen in the morning, and then the same serum in the evening, followed by a night cream.
Tranexamic acid
Tranexamic acid has long been used as a medicine to treat coagulation disorders, but recent studies have shown that it can also help improve the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation (including melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, aka PIH).
Here’s the science: tranexamic acid is a synthetic derivative of an amino acid called lysine, and it acts on hyperpigmentation through a rather unique mechanism: it interrupts a specific chain of events that begins when UV radiation hits the skin and ultimately results in the production of melanin. (We explain the whole thing in-depth in a different post.)
Can you use tranexamic acid together with…?
Tranexamic acid has two advantages that make it an excellent team player: it has a different mechanism of action to other depigmenting actives, and is very well tolerated by different skin types (including sensitive skin or skin affected by rosacea). You’ll often find tranexamic acid working alongside azelaic and kojic acids, niacinamide, retinol, and vitamin C.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most popular skincare ingredients these days, and for good reason: it’s a powerful antioxidant, it brightens the skin, and it boosts collagen production.
As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps prevent and reverse the damage caused by free radicals, which are often triggered when the skin is exposed to external factors such as UV radiation. That’s why you’re advised to use vitamin C during the day, to complement the protective effect of your sunscreen, which can’t fight free radicals on its own. In addition to this antioxidant effect, vitamin C is also a tyrosinase inhibitor–which means, as we’ve learned, that it can help prevent the production of melanin, which in turn prevents the formation of new dark spots.
Can you use vitamin C together with…?
Vitamin C is a fantastic preventative against hyperpigmentation, but it can only do so much in terms of correcting dark spots. To achieve a corrective effect, try combining vitamin C with other brightening ingredients, such as azelaic acid, tranexamic acid, or Thiamidol™, among others.
A winning product combination, as we’ve mentioned, would be vitamin C in the morning and retinol in the evening. This combo brings together the antioxidant properties of vitamin C with the cell-renewing action of retinol in a single routine.
We hope this guide to brightening ingredients has helped you find the right product for your needs. If you want to take it a step further, make sure to stop by the shop, where you’ll be able to explore our full selection of products for dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
