Let’s talk about uneven skin tone. Whether you’re suffering from melasma, genetic freckles, age spots or sun damage, there’s no escaping your skin changing. But before we tell you how to solve said problems, we first need to enlighten you as to why your skin is transitioning.
It’s this little thing called hyperpigmentation caused by the production of melanin. Once skin cells realize they’re in danger, melanin increases to protect the damaged skin. Since those with darker skin have more melanin, they have a higher chance of getting dark spots. While acne scars are created from inflamed skin during a breakout, age spots and melasma occur after spending lots of time in the sun. But fun in the sun isn’t what it’s cracked up to be when you’re left with pigment issues. While wearing sunscreen every day is essential, dark spot correctors can also help.
So we’ve gathered 10 of the best dark spot correctors around. Whether you’re battling melasma, age spots or ghosts from pimples past, these correctors will help return your skin to its former glory.
[ Related: The Four Ingredients You Need to Rid Hyperpigmentation on Dark Skin ]
10 Best Dark Spot Correctors
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #1
Hyper Skin Hyper Clear Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum, $36 at Urban Outfitters
Packed with 15 percent vitamin C and vitamin E, this formula also contains fruit enzymes, bearberry, turmeric and kojic acid. So it brightens, smooths fine lines and dramatically lightens dark marks, age spots and acne scars. It even minimizes future outbreaks.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #2
Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum, $45 at Glow Recipe
Glow Recipe combined five forms of vitamin C into its potent serum. Teamed with tranexamic and ferulic acids, the formula not only treats dark spots, it prevents them. It’s silky not sticky and absorbs in a flash. What more could you ask for?
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #3
Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, $146 at Dillard's
Clinique's corrector isn't considered the holy grail for nothing. With brightening vitamin C, exfoliating salicylic acid and the ability to reverse the appearance of dark spots, this serum is strong enough to fade acne scars and gentle enough to use all year long.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #4
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum, $72 at Murad
Tackle your most stubborn dark spots with this serum. Its intensive formula featuring antioxidant resorcinol and glycolic acid removes dull surface cells for an instant radiance boost.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #5
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Serum Visible Dark Spot Reducer, $49.99 at Target
Visibly reduce the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone with this serum. Boasting a potent combination of phe-resorcinol, ferulic acid and micro-exfoliating lipo-hydroxy acid, it also hydrates complexions and contains light-reflecting pigments to boost skin radiance.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #6
SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense, $98 at DermStore
This dark spot corrector is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of several types of skin discoloration in all skin tones. In two weeks you’ll notice an improvement in everything from stubborn brown patches to post-acne marks.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #7
Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, $42 at Kiehl's
Sometimes we can't wait six months (the average time it takes a dark spot to clear) to get an even skin tone. Good thing this fast-acting solution is packed with activated C, an active that rapidly penetrates the skin to reach deep-set spots, while preventing the development of new ones to fade any acne scars or age spots.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #8
Garnier SkinActive Clearly Brighter Dark Spot Corrector, $18.24 at Walmart
This product combines vitamins C and E, pine bark essence and exfoliating lipo-hydroxyl acid to promote skin cell turnover, which helps reveal "new skin" in as little as two weeks.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #9
Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Spot Corrector, $27.99 at Ulta Beauty
When it comes to removing dark spots, you want a product that's willing to put in work. Like this one from Neutrogena that has accelerated retinol SA fighting to renew the skin, while vitamin C brightens it, making this product great to use on stubborn acne scars and areas with sun damage.
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10 Best Dark Spot Correctors #10
Specific Beauty Intensive Skin Brightening Serum, $60 at Birchbox
A mix of licorice, niacinamide, retinol and ginger root extract delivers brighter, more even skin along with noticeably reduced fine lines.
