Our Favourites
Best Overall :
Carrot & Stick Pigmentation Routine
SECOND:
Formulyst Dark Spot Solutions
- Sephora Buy now for $105
- Amazon Buy now for $104
- Walmart Buy now for $106
- Ulta Buy now for $102
As if it’s not enough to deal with wrinkles, dark spots are another aging factor that can make us look older than our years. Discoloration causes your complexion to look dull and mottled, robbing it of its radiance — which is where the best dark spot correctors come into play. While a dark spot remover is not a miracle worker, it can significantly improve the skin’s clarity.
The main culprit in the battle against age spots and dark spots is tyrosinase, a key enzyme in melanin production. As you may already know, melanin is the pigment that gives our hair and skin its color, and its role is to protect the skin. It’s often heightened in the skin by tanning and general sun exposure. Though it’s necessary, too much melanin is what causes dark spots and discoloration, so it’s time to reach for the best products for dark spots, such as dark spot serums.
Not sure what to look for in the best age spot remover? No worries. Here at the Derm Review, we’ve reviewed hundreds of products with a scientific lens to ensure you’re creating a skincare regimen that’s safe and effective. Ahead, best dark spot correctors to help you restore a more youthful-looking complexion.
Best Age Spot Removers & Dark Spot Correctors: The List
BEST OVERALL
BEST: Carrot & Stick Pigmentation Routine for Age Spots
FULL LIST
Formulyst Dark Spot Solutions
Dr. Brandt Dark Spots No More Triple Acid Spot Minimizing Concentrate
SkinMedica Lytera
Verso Dark Spot Fix
Murad Rapid Age Spot And Pigment Lightening Serum,
Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Dark Spot Serum
The Science Behind Dark Spot Correctors
When it comes to how the best dark spot correctors work, it all comes down to ingredients. Thank nature (and science!) for all of the ingredients available to halt or inhibit tyrosinase. Since the following help fade dark spots in different ways, they are incredibly effective when combined.
- Hydroquinone, vitamin C, niacinamide, and mulberry root have the power to stop tyrosinase in its tracks.
- Exfoliators like glycolic acid and salicylic acid work hard to “unglue” the skin cells that bind together and cause dullness. Once those offending cells are sloughed away, radiant, glowing, and even-toned skin can emerge.
- Retinol is another exfoliating ingredient — and perhaps one of the most celebrated skincare ingredients for targeting the signs of age. Retinol causes the skin cells to turn over, which begins the process of removing the pigmented cells. As dark spots are sloughed away, your skin replaces them with normally pigmented cells.
What to Expect from a Dark Spot Remover
It can be challenging to determine whether a dark spot remover will work because not every dark spot is the same. There’s no such thing as a universal solution, which is why you may have to do a little trial and error with products formulated with the ingredients mentioned above.
- Darkness from acne spots or dyspigmentation (an abnormality in the formation or distribution of pigmentation in the skin) tends to respond well to over-the-counter dark spot remedies. Keep in mind that it can take up to three months to start to see results.
- Age or sunspots, as well as freckles, are caused by sun exposure. While there’s no harm in trying the best age spot remover, discoloration caused by the sun may have a better response to a prescription cream or dermatological treatment such as laser resurfacing.
- Even after you’ve chosen one of the best products for dark spots, don’t forget to wear a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 every day. Sunscreen will help prevent current spots from becoming dark while helping to prevent new ones from forming.
Best Age Spot Removers & Best Dark Spot Correctors
BEST OVERALL
BEST: Carrot & Stick Pigmentation Routine for Age Spots
Carrot & Stick’s Pigmentation Routine contains highly effective plant-based compounds combine to correct the look of age and dark spots, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone.
FULL LIST
Formulyst Dark Spot Solutions
Dr. Brandt Dark Spots No More Triple Acid Spot Minimizing Concentrate
This potent spot reducer harnesses the power of a 15% complex of three acids (azelaic acid derivative, tranexamic acid, and phytic acid) along with 5% niacinamide, plankton, and turmeric. Along with visibly reducing the number, intensity, and size of dark spots, it also soothes the skin and combats any irritation associated with the lightening process.
Verso Dark Spot Fix
Three potent ingredients combine to give Verso Dark Spot Fix its dark spot fading abilities. Retinol 8, turmeric, and niacinamide are the dark spot enemies promising to banish discoloration regardless of its cause. Retinol 8 is a less irritating but eight times more potent form of retinol. Unlike retinol, it can be used during the daytime without fear of any adverse reactions.
Retinol 8 exfoliates to fade away excess melanin and reveal a more even-toned, brighter complexion. Turmeric and niacinamide have been proven to lighten dark spots over time, and, in combination with retinol 8, they work even better. These time-tested ingredients can be trusted to help you fade dark spots from both the face and body.
SkinMedica Lytera
Loaded with skin lightening ingredients, SkinMedica’s Lytera Skin Brightening Complex targets dark spots on the face and other areas with precision. The reason it works so well is that it contains a large variety of dark spot lightening ingredients, including tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (vitamin C), niacinamide (vitamin B3), ethyl linoleate, retinol (vitamin A), Dunaliella salina extract, hexylresorcinol, and licorice root extract. Rounding out the list are tetrapeptide-30 and 4-ethoxybenzaldehyde.
Murad Rapid Age Spot And Pigment Lightening Serum
While it’s not our favorite ingredient because it can be potentially dangerous, Murad Rapid Age Spot And Pigment Lightening Serum
contains 2% hydroquinone, the highest percentage available without a prescription. Hydroquinone is a very effective skin lightening agent that can remove dark spots, even skin tone, and lighten age spots. This formulation also contains vitamin C and glycolic acid, two of the top ingredients on our spot-correcting ingredient list.
Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum
Several plant extracts in the Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum make this a powerhouse against hyperpigmentation. Similar to Clinique’s Dark Spot Corrector, this formulation contains turmeric root, mulberry root, cucumber fruit, barley, grapefruit peel, and rice. Many of these ingredients have shown the ability to halt tyrosinase from producing more melanin.
Barley contains azelaic acid, an ingredient often found in many anti-dark spot serums because of its ability to stop tyrosinase activity. Rice has been shown to “down-regulate melanin synthesis” in animal studies. Furthermore, this serum allows for exfoliation with its inclusion of salicylic acid.
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Dark Spot Serum
La Roche-Posay‘s Pigmentclar Dark Spot Serum combines the forces of Phe-Resorcinol, ferulic acid, and LHA to break down dark spots and make them disappear. According to the company, Phe-Resorcinol is 100 times more skin lightening than kojic acid, one of the best skin lightening ingredients.
Ferulic acid is an antioxidant found naturally in the seeds of apples and oranges and some other vegetation. Studies have shown it to be effective against melasma, which is often stubborn and difficult to get rid of. LHA is an exfoliator much like glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Its mechanism involves removing dead skin cells and revealing newer cells that make skin look more radiant.
Best Products for Dark Spots: The Bottom Line
The main culprit in the battle against dark spots is tyrosinase, a key enzyme in the production of melanin, the pigment that gives our hair and skin its color, and its role is to protect the skin. It is often heightened in the skin by tanning and general sun exposure.
Dark spots can pretty much pop up anywhere, especially areas of your body that are exposed to the sun. Luckily, skincare products contain ingredients that halt or inhibit tyrosinase, including hydroquinone, vitamin C, niacinamide, mulberry root, and glycolic and salicylic acids.
Our favorite dark spot corrector is Carrot & Stick Pigmentation Routine.
What’s the best dark spot corrector, in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below!
FAQs
Both are incredibly effective. Vitamin C brightens and improves pigmentation issues, while retinol stimulates collagen production, another way to remove dark spots. You have to be careful not to use retinol that’s too strong for your skin because it can cause inflammation and exacerbate dark spots. You can find some dark spot serums that are safely formulated to include both active ingredients, which is a win-win.
Those with darker skin tones may have a higher risk of discoloration or hyperpigmentation from the use of retinol, so this ingredient (along with prescription-strength ingredients) should be used sparingly.
Sources:
“Quantifying Dyspigmentation in Facial Skin ageing: an Explorative Study,” US National Library of Medicine National Center for Biology.
“Reduction in the Appearance of Facial Hyperpigmentation by Topical N-undecyl-10-enoyl-L-Phenylalanine and its Combination with Niacinamide,” Research Gate.
“Topical Treatment of Melasma,” US National Library of Medicine National Center for Biology.
Body Positivity in the Beauty Industry | The Derm Review - The Dermatology Review Original review: Jan 21, 2021.
[…] represent the wide range of the human form. This may include eye creams, anti-aging eye creams, or dark spot correctors that showcase aged models. Other areas for opportunity and focus may include sunscreens, […]