These Lesser-Known Ingredients Are Key To Fighting Hyperpigmentation

If hyperpigmentation tops your list of skin struggles, you’re certainly not alone. Whether it’s that stubborn, old scar that never seems to go away, or that mysterious splotch that’s taken shape above your lip—suffice to say, hyperpigmentation is rarely a welcome visitor. One of the most common skin complaints, hyperpigmentation leaves its mark in the form of dark spots and patches on the skin. It can definitely be a letdown—but lucky for us, skincare technology is at its peak, and there’s no shortage of resources to combat it.

What Is Hyperpigmentation Exactly?

Hyperpigmentation is an umbrella term for any and all skin conditions in which parts of the skin turn darker than the skin around them. It occurs due to an overproduction of melanin, the pigment in our skin, which can be triggered by a number of factors, both internal and external, and it’s important to treat it with the right ingredients for you. It’s usually harmless, but in rare cases can indicate a more serious medical condition. It’s always a good idea to check in with your doctor if you’re experiencing any new signs of hyperpigmentation.

Types of Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation can manifest in many different ways. Here are just a few:

Melasma

Also known as “chloasma,” or the “pregnancy mask,” melasma is most often seen in pregnant women, although hormonal birth control, Addison’s disease, and some other factors can cause the condition, too. It generally takes the form of large dark brown or gray patches on the chin, nose, upper lip, cheeks, or forehead. And according to the American Academy of Dermatology, it may be slightly more common in women with darker complexions, likely due to their having more pigment-producing skin cells.

Post-Inflammatory

Whether the original culprit was a cut, burn, acne, eczema, psoriasis, or surgery, this type of hyperpigmentation is a reminder of the wounds that our skin has endured. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is not scarring exactly, but it’s another reaction triggered after injury or inflammation. In response, the skin produces an excess of melanin, resulting in dark spots or patches at the site of trauma.

Sun Spots

As the name suggests, this form of hyperpigmentation tends to affect areas of the body that are most often exposed to the sun: primarily the face, neck, hands, arms, and legs. Also known as age spots or liver spots, they resemble freckles, but rather than being an inherited trait, sun spots are a response to UV damage. The skin generates extra melanin to protect itself from the harmful rays of the sun—and although the usual result is tanned skin, the process can sometimes go awry, creating random spots instead. Wearing a well-formulated broad-spectrum SPF sunscreen every day is crucial when it comes to preventing sun spots and other signs of photo-aging.

How AI-Powered Skincare Can Fight Hyperpigmentation

There is a plethora of products in the world made to target skin affected by hyperpigmentation. But for a skin condition with so many different expressions and causes, what works for one person may not work for the next. PROVEN Skincare uses artificial intelligence to determine exactly what ingredients will work for your skin.

Imagine that you could sit down with a top dermatologist to determine the best approach to your skin—except instead of having access to her own knowledge alone, she was instantly able to consult all of the latest scientific research about skin conditions and skincare ingredients, real-people testimonials, and even live, up-to-date intel on the air quality, humidity levels, UV index, and water minerality in your locality. After asking you some questions about your skin woes and everyday habits, she’d whip up the perfect products for you, right then and there—like magic. Well... you don’t just have to imagine it. PROVEN makes it possible with their artificial-intelligence-powered model.

The Way It Works

The first step is to take the online Skin Genome Quiz, which asks a wide range of questions regarding your lifestyle, diet, and environment. Upon checking off hyperpigmentation as a top skin concern, you’ll prompt some pertinent questions, such as how much time you spend in the sun, whether or not you’re pregnant, and where you fall on the skin tone spectrum.

The algorithm draws from PROVEN’s in-house database, The Skin Genome Project, which just so happens to be the most comprehensive skincare index to ever exist (and the winner of the 2008 MIT Artificial Intelligence Award). It’s a nearly infinite library of over 4,000 scientific studies, 20,000 ingredients,100,000 skincare formulas, and 8 million product reviews, designed to pinpoint the most effective formulas for you.

After completing your quiz, you can order your customized skincare set, complete with everything you need in three simple products: a cleanser that doubles as a toner, an anti-pollution daily moisturizer with SPF, and a corrective night cream. It’s intended to last 45-60 days, which is just the amount of time it takes for your skin or environment to experience changes or grow accustomed to certain ingredients. For example, the hyperpigmentation-buster granactive retinol takes some getting used to—so the second set of products you receive may contain a higher concentration of the ingredient.

The Brains to Back It Up

As soon as you order your personalized skincare set, a licensed (real human) dermatologist reviews your formulas, just to make sure they’re perfectly optimized for your needs.

PROVEN boasts some of the most highly qualified, award-winning professionals in science, medicine, and technology, like PROVEN co-founder Amy Yuan, a Stanford data scientist and computational physicist who founded the Skin Genome Project; Dr. Tyler Hollmig, co-creator of the Skin Genome Quiz and head of the aesthetic dermatology department at Stanford University; and Dr. Nick Conley, an award-winning cosmetic formulator and molecular biologist, also from Stanford.

The Best Ingredients to Fight Hyperpigmentation

If you’ve so much as dabbled in a little Google searching for hyperpigmentation treatments, you’ve probably seen the more common skincare ingredients, many of which are harsh bleaching agents and strong steroids. PROVEN instead harnesses the power of natural ingredients that are as effective as they are safe, even for more sensitive skin types. Here are some of the go-tos:

The Tried-and-True

There’s a reason you’ve probably heard of these ingredients. They’re gentle but mighty, reducing hyperpigmentation by working with your skin, not against it.

Granactive Retinol:

Retinol is a vitamin-A derived ingredient that is used to treat a wide variety of skin issues, including acne and wrinkles. It’s helpful for hyperpigmentation because it encourages cell turnover and it’s able to inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme that catalyzes melanin production in the skin. Granactive retinol, specifically, is a newer form of the ingredient, known for having all of the strength and effectiveness of traditional retinol, without the irritation and instability experienced with other forms.

Niacinamide:

Also known as vitamin B3, niacinamide works as an efficient skin lightening agent because it disrupts the transfer of melanosomes, or pigment structures, in the skin cells, in essence reversing excessive pigment in the skin.

Kojic Acid:

Derived from fungi and other plant-based sources during fermentation, kojic acid is a highly effective skin brightener that can treat melasma, acne scars, sun spots, and more. It inhibits tyrosinase and boasts added antioxidant activity, to boot. Sake is a type of rice wine that, through fermentation, produces kojic acid

Arbutin:

Arbutin is a naturally occurring derivative of hydroquinone, one of the most commonly prescribed treatments for hyperpigmentation. Although hydroquinone is a highly effective, it’s also rife with side effects and can only be used under stringent medical supervision, for no more than three months or so at a time. Its gentler sister, arbutin, is considered one of the best natural alternatives. Like most lightening agents, it works by inhibiting tyrosinase—and does so with just about no reported risks.

The Lesser Known

The more we learn about hyperpigmentation and the further that scientists delve into the power of nature to solve skin issues, the greater the ingredients we have at our fingertips. You’ve probably never heard of them, but these are just a couple of the powerhouse hyperpigmentation-busters that PROVEN keeps in its arsenal:

Tranexamic Acid:

Experts have called tranexamic acid one of the biggest up-and-coming skincare ingredients on the market, and it’s demonstrated a promising ability to reverse discoloration in scientific studies. It’s gentle enough for sensitive skin types and also plays well with others, like niacinamide and vitamin C.

Mulberry Extract:

As you might expect, mulberry extract comes from the roots and stems of the mulberry plant. Like arbutin, this plant-based ingredient has been touted as a mild but potent alternative to hydroquinone. By slowing down the production of melanin in the skin, it balances the skin tone for a smooth, even complexion.

The Takeaway

Aside from protecting our skin from the sun and avoiding certain medications, we have little control over how, when, and where hyperpigmentation chooses to strike. But one thing is for certain: Not all skin is created equally, and the best skincare regimens look at an individual’s skin holistically. One-size-fits-all is so last decade and our personalized skincare sets make it easy to find the products that meet your skin's needs. AI-powered skincare delivers dermatologist-approved, cutting-edge formulas made just for you—right at the click of a button. Take the quiz and find your match!

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