Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
The Ultimate Guide to Skincare for Dark Spots & Hyperpigmentation
21
items Dark spots have been one of my biggest skincare challenges, so I've spent years researching ingredients and testing skincare products that target hyperpigmentation. This is my ever-growing guide to the products that help fade dark spots, post-acne ma...
Sections
6
Vitamin C 🍊
Azelaic Acid 🌿
Tranexamic Acid 💛
Retinoids 🌙
Other Brighteners ✨
Sunscreen ☀️
Vitamin C 🍊
Vitamin C is one of the most popular ingredients for improving the appearance of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone. It works by helping to reduce excess pigment while protecting the skin from free radical damage, making it a great ad...
This is still my favourite vitamin C product for targeting dark spots. The formula combines pure vitamin C with vitamin E and other brightening ingredients, and I love how lightweight it feels. It's one of the products I keep coming back to whenever ...
Melano CC - Vitamin C Premium Essence
This is my favourite vitamin C serum from The Ordinary. I found pure ascorbic acid a little too much for my skin, especially alongside the rest of my active ingredients, but Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% fit into my routine beautifully. It's a gent...
The Ordinary - Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%
I really enjoyed using this vitamin C serum. The texture is lovely and it felt like a beautiful product to use. Unfortunately, the 20% vitamin C was just a little too strong for my skin, so I couldn't keep it in my routine long term. If your skin han...
Timeless - 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum
Azelaic Acid 🌿
Azelaic acid is a multitasking ingredient that helps improve the appearance of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone by reducing excess pigment production. It also helps calm redness and blemishes, making it a popular choice for anyone d...
This has been one of my favourite azelaic acid products. It layers beautifully with the rest of my routine and has become a staple whenever I'm focusing on brightening my skin and improving overall tone. I use it in the morning and it makes me feel f...
Cos De BAHA - AZ Azelaic Acid 10 Serum
I've used this one and really liked it. You get a solid 10% concentration of azelaic acid at a really affordable price. The silky cream-gel texture is a little unusual, but I found it an easy way to incorporate azelaic acid into my routine for dark s...
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
This lightweight booster combines azelaic acid with other brightening ingredients to target uneven skin tone and post-acne marks. It's a popular choice for anyone looking for a multi-ingredient approach to pigmentation.
Paula’s Choice - 10% Azelaic Acid Booster
Tranexamic Acid 💛
Tranexamic acid is a targeted brightening ingredient that helps improve the appearance of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone by interrupting the processes involved in excess pigment production. It's particularly popular for stubborn p...
This is one of my favourite tranexamic acid serums. I love that it combines 4% tranexamic acid with 10% niacinamide, so you're getting two well-known brightening ingredients in one lightweight serum. It layers beautifully with the rest of my routine ...
Anua - Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum
This one caught my eye because you get tranexamic acid and niacinamide together in a really affordable serum. I love the ingredient combination for dark spots and post-acne marks, and it's a great budget-friendly option to have on your radar.
Good Molecules - Discoloration Correcting Serum
A higher-strength option that combines tranexamic acid with several complementary brightening ingredients, making it a popular choice for stubborn pigmentation.
Naturium - Tranexamic Topical Acid 5%
Retinoids 🌙
Retinoids help improve the appearance of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone by increasing skin cell turnover, allowing pigmented skin cells to shed more quickly. They're also one of the most well-researched ingredients in skincare, ma...
This was my go-to retinoid for a long time. I found it to be an easy way to introduce a retinoid into my routine, and it layered well with my other skincare products. If you're looking to start using a retinoid or want something gentler before moving...
The Ordinary - Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
This is one of the newer K-beauty retinol serums that really caught my attention. It combines pure retinol with peptides and barrier-supporting ingredients, so you're getting the benefits of vitamin A in a formula that also focuses on keeping skin co...
celimax - The Vita-A Retinol Shot Tightening Serum
If you've been curious about k-beauty retinoids, this is one of the standout products. It combines retinol, retinal and bakuchiol to help improve dark spots, skin texture and fine lines, while ceramides and panthenol help keep your skin barrier happy...
SOME BY MI - Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum
Other Brighteners ✨
There are plenty of underrated ingredients that can help improve dark spots and uneven skin tone beyond the usual skincare favourites. This collection includes some of my favourite ingredients for improving dark spots, post-acne marks and uneven skin...
There's a reason this serum keeps appearing across so many of my skincare lists. INGU has created a thoughtfully formulated brightening serum that combines niacinamide with innovative ingredients like Crystalide and Sepiwhite to help improve dark spo...
INGU - Brightening Crystal Serum
It's easy to see why this toner has become a K-beauty favourite. I really enjoy how lightweight, hydrating and soothing it feels. Licorice root extract helps brighten the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone, making this a simple way to add ...
acwell - Licorice pH Balancing Cleansing Toner
I added this one because I love the combination of rice extract and alpha arbutin. Alpha arbutin is the ingredient that really interests me here for dark spots and uneven skin tone, while the rice gives it that very K-beauty approach of combining bri...
Beauty of Joseon - Glow Deep Serum
This is one of The Ordinary's most popular serums (for good reason!). Alpha arbutin is a well-researched ingredient that helps improve the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone, while hyaluronic acid adds a boost of hydration. If you're after...
The Ordinary - Alpha Arbutin 2% + Hyaluronic Acid
If your skin is prone to irritation as well as dark spots, this ampoule is well worth a look. It combines brightening ingredients with SKIN1004's signature Madagascar Centella to help improve the appearance of uneven skin tone while keeping skin feel...
Madagascar Centella - Tone Brightening Capsule Ampoule
Glutathione has become an increasingly popular ingredient for targeting dullness and uneven skin tone, and this serum combines it with a thoughtful blend of vitamins and other brightening ingredients. It's a great example of the newer generation of K...
numbuzin - No.5+ Glutathione Vitamin Concentrated Serum
Sunscreen ☀️
No brightening routine is complete without sunscreen. UV exposure is one of the biggest contributors to dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and without daily sun protection, it can be much harder to see results from your other skincare products. These ...
This has been one of my favourite everyday sunscreens for years. It feels more like a moisturiser than a traditional sunscreen, making it comfortable to wear every day. I love that it leaves my skin feeling hydrated without a heavy or greasy finish, ...
COSRX - Aloe Soothing Sun Cream
It's easy to see why this has become one of k-beauty's most-loved sunscreens. With a lightweight, moisturiser-like texture, it glides onto the skin without feeling greasy or leaving a white cast. Rice extract and probiotics help keep skin feeling nou...
Beauty of Joseon - Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics
True to its name, this feels more like applying a hydrating serum than a traditional sunscreen. The lightweight formula combines hyaluronic acid and Madagascar Centella to keep skin feeling plump, soothed and comfortable, making it an excellent choic...
Madagascar Centella - Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum