The 13 Best Products for Hyperpigmentation, According to a Derm

Best Overall

Kiehl's Dark Spot Solution

$35 at Sephora $65 at Ulta View on Kiehls.com

Active Ingredients: Vitamin C | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Twice daily | Cruelty-Free: No

This product gets the job done by incorporating a potent form of vitamin C that can help fade existing dark spots and impede the production of new ones. Its formula also includes white birch extract to hydrate the skin and peony extract for antioxidant protection, making it a one-stop shop for all of your skincare needs. Use it in the morning before sunscreen or at night under a thicker moisturizer and see how it helps to brighten your complexion. 

Runner-Up, Best Overall

SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense

$110 at Dermstore $110 at Skinstore.com $110 at Skinceuticals.com

Active Ingredients: Tranexamic acid, kojic acid, niacinamide | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Twice daily| Cruelty-Free: No

Dr. Hartman is a fan of this formula, which boasts a potent concentration of tranexamic acid, one of his favorite brightening ingredients. He also lauds it for containing HEPES, a synthetically derived acid. Also nice: He says this formulation is safe to use during pregnancy, a choice product for moms-to-be who are navigating pregnancy-induced melasma. Brian Hibler, MD, a board-certified dermatologist also recommends this product, praising it for how easy it is to layer with other products in your skincare routine.

Best Budget

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Toner

$9 at Sephora $13 at Ulta $9 at Target

Active Ingredients: Glycolic acid | Size: 8 oz | Dosage: Once daily, PM | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Use this toner nightly, post-cleansing, to reveal clearer, more even skin. It’s formulated with glycolic acid at a pH of 3.6 which maximizes its effectiveness at exfoliating the skin and breaking down discolored skin cells without creating irritation. With added ingredients such as aloe vera, amino acids, and ginseng it has the added benefit of stimulating collagen production over time. Tasmanian pepperberry also helps to counteract any sensitivity created by the glycolic acid. And let’s not forget to mention it costs less than $15 which we always appreciate from The Ordinary. 

Best Without Hydroquinone

Murad Dark Spot Correcting Serum

$81 at Amazon $29 at Sephora $83 at Ulta

Active Ingredients: Peptide, vitamin C, niacinamide | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Twice daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Hydroquinone is effective, but has some drawbacks; it can’t be used for long periods of time and there are some concerns about its safety. This formula, one of the best-selling brightening products out there, recently got a revamp to eliminate HQ (as it’s often called). Instead, Murad's dark spot corrector relies on a brightening peptide, vitamin C, and a niacinamide complex. Bonus points for the inclusion of light-reflecting pearls, which instantly make skin look brighter. After using this treatment alongside a simple, gentle skincare routine, we’re happy to report that we noticed visible benefits to our skin texture. 

Best for Sensitive Skin

First Aid Beauty Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum

$34 at Amazon $42 at Sephora $42 at Ulta

Active Ingredients: Niacinamide | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Twice daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The hard truth of the matter is that many of the best brightening ingredients—like hydroquinone, vitamin C, and retinol—can be too irritating for sensitive skin. That’s why we appreciate that this serum relies on niacinamide instead, a great spot-fading ingredient that also happens to hydrate and even reduce redness and inflammation. It also contains golden kiwifruit for a boost of antioxidant protection against free-radical damage while licorice root also helps to brighten and soothe the complexion. And true to the brand’s sensitive skin-friendly vibes, it’s generally super gentle and fragrance-free.

Best Splurge

SkinMedica Lytera 2.0 Pigment Correcting Serum

$165 at Amazon

Active Ingredients: Tranexamic acid, tetrapeptide, niacinamide | Size: 2 oz | Dosage: Twice daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Pricey, yes, but this product is effective at knocking out even the most stubborn dark spots and discoloration. It’s another one of Dr. Hartman’s recommendations and relies on tranexamic acid along with a litany of other ingredients that help to both fade existing marks and prevent new ones from forming. Dr. Hibler also likes it, noting that the tranexamic acid is combined with niacinamide, which makes it extra effective, and that it can be used to help fade pigmentation anywhere on the face or body. It works on all skin tones, too, and in a brand-backed clinical study, (results shown on the product page) 100% of participants said it made their skin tone look more even after about three months of use.

Best with Retinol

Dr. Dennis Gross Retinol + Ferulic Texture Serum

$76 at Amazon $76 at Sephora $76 at Dermstore

Active Ingredients: Retinol, bakuchiol, ferulic acid | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Twice daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

There’s no shortage of reasons why retinol is a fan-favorite ingredient among dermatologists. It works both in the deeper layers of the skin, where it helps to stimulate collagen production, as well as on the surface of the skin. Here, it helps stimulate skin cell turnover, which results in fewer clogged pores and brighter, smoother skin. Case in point: It’s a great brightening ingredient that also delivers tons of other benefits. This newbie combines retinol with bakuchiol, a plant-derived ingredient that has similar benefits, plus ferulic acid, a potent antioxidant. The best part? It’s specifically formulated to not irritate (a common side effect of retinol) and is gentle enough for super sensitive skin.

Best for Dark Skin

Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Serum

$31 at Amazon $18 at Sephora View on Mytopicals.com

Active Ingredients: Tranexamic acid, niacinamide, azelaic acid, kojic acid | Size: 1.7 oz | Dosage: Once daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This serum has gone viral over the past year, and for good reason: It contains over four active ingredients that are proven to brighten the skin. Formulated with azelaic acid, niacinamide, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, and more, the Faded serum is able to not only fade spots and discoloration but also improve the skin's overall tone and texture. We love that even though it has so many active ingredients, the formula is still gentle and won't irritate sensitive skin.

Best for Dark Skin, Runner-Up

MELE Even Dark Spot Control Facial Serum

$8 at Amazon $21 at Target View on Walgreens

Active Ingredients: Niacinamide, retinoid | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Once daily | Cruelty-Free: No

As we said, hyperpigmentation can be an especially pesky problem for deeper complexions, which is why we love that this treatment is specially formulated to meet the needs of darker skin. It’s a bi-phase serum (so give it a good shake before using) that relies on a trio of proven brighteners: niacinamide, hexylresorcinol, and a retinoid. We love the texture and can report that, with consistent use, it works well to fade all kinds of spots.

Best Face Wash

Revision Skincare Brightening Face Wash

$44 at Amazon $44 at Dermstore $44 at Skinstore.com

Active Ingredients: Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, vitamin C, licorice extract | Size: 6.7 oz | Dosage: Once daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

While a face wash may not be as intense as a leave-on product, Dr. Hibler says using one in the morning is a good way to up the efficacy of and complement your overall brightening routine. He likes this formula, which he says is good for normal, oily, and combination skin types and contains a combination of alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids, plus licorice extract and vitamin C, to deliver exfoliating and brightening benefits. Vitamin E and white tea extract also add antioxidant protection which helps protect the skin from environmental damage on a day-to-day basis. 

Best with Vitamin C

BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner

$85 at Amazon $85 at Ulta $85 at Dermstore

Active Ingredients: Vitamin C | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Once daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

In the world of spot-fading ingredients, vitamin C is one of the best options, not only for its skin-brightening abilities but because it has the added benefit of acting as an antioxidant and stimulating collagen production, too. Sign us up. This particular pick (developed by a cosmetic chemist) boasts a 20% concentration of the most potent form of the vitamin, L-ascorbic acid, to deliver brightening, firming, and smoothing benefits in one fell swoop. It also helps to reduce the appearance of large pores, fine lines, and wrinkles while reducing redness with squalane and green tea-derived Pure EGCG. 

Best with Vitamin C, Runner-Up

Glow Recipe Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum

$45 at Sephora View on Glowrecipe.com $45 at Kohls.com

Active Ingredients: Vitamin C, tranexamic acid, ferulic acid | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Twice daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

There are five different types of vitamin C to be found in this newbie making it a powerful way of brightening the complexion. As if that wasn't enough, there’s also guava extract and seed oil (another good source of vitamin C and additional antioxidants), plus dark spot-reducing tranexamic acid in the mix, too. We loved how well it brightened our skin, as well as its lightweight feel and lightly fruit scent (which is naturally derived, we should add). While the formula works for all skin types, we found that some with sensitive skin may find it too harsh.

Best with Azelaic Acid

Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

$36 at Amazon $39 at Sephora $39 at Dermstore

Active Ingredients: Azelaic acid, salicylic acid, licorice root extract | Size: 1 oz | Dosage: Once daily | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Azelaic acid is a somewhat underrated ingredient when it comes to fading hyperpigmentation, but it's just as effective as the more popular ones that we frequently see in brightening products. This serum contains a 10% concentration of the ingredient, alongside 0.5% salicylic and licorice root, which work together to even the skin tone and fade dark marks. It can also be used to calm redness and inflammation in the skin while smoothing bumpy patches. During testing, we saw results quickly and loved that it didn't irritate our skin. The brand recommends this for all skin types, but you may find it particularly effective if you have rosacea or acne-prone skin.