By Nia Decaille

• I’m so in love with Allies of Skin’s Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum. Mandelic acid helps to slough off older, hyperpigmented cells and treats the source of the breakout as well. It’s generally gentle but, just in case, I’d start by using it every other evening for two weeks, until you’re sure that your skin tolerates it.
• Retinol fades hyperpigmentation by speeding up cell turnover. It can take a couple of months to really show its work, but you can see results a lot quicker with Shani Darden’s Retinol Reform, thanks to the addition of lactic acid.
• CeraVe’s Resurfacing Retinol Serum has a less intimidating price point and one of my favorite ingredients: licorice root. It’s underestimated, but licorice root inhibits excess melanin production, is an antioxidant — which reduces free radical damage that can lead to hyperpigmentation in the first place — and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Kojic acid is a very effective tyrosinase inhibitor, meaning it prevents the overproduction of melanin without bleaching the skin. Topical’s Faded serum contains kojic acid, licorice root and niacinamide, and it’s non-exfoliating, which is very helpful if you have exfoliants elsewhere in your routine or have sensitive skin.
• For hyperpigmentation on the body, though, you’re better off with a strong exfoliant, which the skin below the face can better handle. I like Glytone’s Exfoliating Body Wash and Nécessaire’s scrub, which also has glycolic and lactic acids.

• Certain skin-care products have only one active ingredient, so you’re buying, like, five different ones to treat hyperpigmentation. I like combination products such as LaRoche Posay’s Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum, which has a proprietary pigment-reducing ingredient, as well as niacinamide, which is probably the easiest active to find in the drugstore [for fading dark spots].
• Another superaffordable multi-ingredient option is Good Molecules’ Discoloration Correcting Serum. In addition to niacinamide, it has tranexamic acid, which may help improve melasma.
• One of the products I’ve been the most impressed by is the L’Oreal Paris Bright Reveal Dark Spot Exfoliant Peel. It has a blend of A.H.A., B.H.A. and P.H.A.s — three different types of exfoliating acids. I’ve used it myself and have seen some of the clinical studies. It’s as close as you’ll get to the kind of peel that we’d offer in a dermatology office.
• There’s this idea that expensive automatically means better, but that just isn’t true. For example, Walgreens has a 10 percent azelaic suspension, which is the highest concentration you can get over the counter, and it’s around $9. Azelaic acid is helpful for reducing melasma and other forms of hyperpigmentation, redness and acne.
• Another over-the-counter active is Thiamidol, which blocks pigment and reduces the appearance of dark spots. I’d recommend Eucerin’s Radiant Tone Dual Serum.

• I used to experience a lot of scarring and collagen loss from acne. I use Caudalíe’s Vinoperfect Serum, which is made with a brightening ingredient called viniferine, a vitamin C alternative. In the morning, after rinsing my face with cold water, I apply Vino Perfect and SPF. I also apply the serum every other night and use it on my body, too, for hyperpigmentation from different laser and electrolysis treatments.
• On the evenings when I don’t use the Caudalié, I’ll typically swap in the Dr. Idriss Major Fade Hyper Serum. It not only targets dark spots with niacinamide but also reintroduces hydration, which I love when I’m double cleansing and my skin is feeling dry.
• Vitamin C is an essential for me. Ole Henriksen’s Banana Bright+ Eye Crème has been so life-changing [in terms of] what can be done topically for dark under eyes. I’ll add a thin layer of an occlusive like Vaseline to help seal the product in.
• I’ve never been a body-cream person; I [prefer] serums. Necessaire’s the Body Vitamin C feels amazing on my skin. I think, in addition to seeing results, [the sensation of a product] is a huge part of the experience.
• I’ve gravitated toward skin-care and beauty brands that focus on [melanated skin]. I use the [P.O.C. company] Live Tinted’s Superhue Hyperpigmentation Serum Stick specifically under my eyes. It has a very balmy texture, and the second it hits your skin, it melts in.

• Inkey Tranexamic Acid Serum, $18.
• Dr. Barbara Sturm Anti-Pigmentation Supplement, $75.
• Mother Science Molecular Hero Serum, $89.