BY JULIA BENITO
Away from dark spots!
Renowned for their transparency in the creation of their products alongside their attainable price points, The Ordinary has come a long way from being a trending beauty brand to becoming the go-to skincare authority for a plethora of different skin issues, from acne to dryness to the dreaded hyperpigmentation. As one of the trickier issues to resolve, treating hyperpigmentation can be cumbersome, requiring a dollop more patience to help get you through this long and winding journey of skin perfection.
However, The Ordinary has no shortage of products that can help with just that.
But First, What is Hyperpigmentation?
In its essence, hyperpigmentation is usually harmless, signified by small patches of skin appearing darker than the rest of the skin. This darkness occurs when more melanin, the brown pigment that produces skin color, forms deposits on the skin. It can come to be from different factors, such as age spots due to sun damage, melasma due to hormonal changes, and dark marks from acne that have since cleared out.
What Products from The Ordinary Can I Use?
While The Ordinary boasts of its no-frills approach to beauty, sometimes — or a lot of the time — we can still find ourselves confused as to what these ingredients do. To help you make more informed skincare choices, we’ll break down some of their best products for nicking away those pesky dark spots.
Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
We know what you’re thinking: what the heck is Alpha Arbutin? Let’s make this simple.
This active ingredient limits the production of excess melanin, allowing it to target dark spots and uneven skin tones. With a higher 2% concentration as compared to the typical 1% concentration — hence the term alpha — this ingredient gives a much stronger effect than its lesser counterparts, being Arbutin or Beta Arbutin.
With the inclusion of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) — a powerhouse for hydration — this formula reduces the appearance of dark spots without drying out the skin.
Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA 2%
Beauty junkies worldwide know all too well what vitamin C is capable of. This potent ingredient is used in many products, such as this one, to help brighten the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Much like Arbutin, vitamin C inhibits the production of melanin, allowing the skin to appear brighter. As an antioxidant, this ingredient also helps protect the skin from harmful free radicals from environmental stressors such as the sun or other outdoor pollutants that may further damage the skin condition.
Salicylic Acid 2% Masque
Formulated with a beloved ingredient for chemically exfoliating the surface of the skin, the Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is another great option for helping clear out your dark spots. Firstly, because salicylic helps the skin shed dead skin cells from the top layer, it can help treat and decrease inflammation — a prime cause for hyperpigmentation. Infused with charcoal and clays, this product deeply cleanses the skin, lifting away dead skin cells and impurities to reveal the more radiant skin underneath. Alongside its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, salicylic acid is also keratolytic that breaks down the keratin in our skin to help lighten dark spots.
EUK 134 0.1%
With a product with a concentration of 0.1%, one may wonder about if effectiveness. However, it should be noted that this product comes with extreme potency, going over the suggested concentration of 0.05% and below, is by far one of the strongest antioxidants available out here. As you may know, antioxidants help protect the skin’s surface from oxidative stress caused by free radicals, making it a go-to not only for anti-aging effects, but for its protective, preventive, and reparative properties.
As mentioned above, free radicals come from aggressors such as harmful UV rays and pollution. What this product does is provide enhanced protection for the skin against said environmental aggressors while helping the skin repair itself. Inflammation, a core cause of hyperpigmentation, hinder the skin’s renewal process. By treating inflammation, a powerful antioxidant can let the skin repair and correct visible damage while stimulating the production of collagen, a naturally occurring protein in the body that keeps the skin youthful, plump, and healthy.
“Buffet” Serum
With such a vast list of ingredients, it’s no wonder this water-based serum is called “Buffet”. Packed to the brim with anti-aging properties, including an array of peptide complexes, this treatment helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and — you guessed it — dark spots. However, it does much more than that. It deeply hydrates the skin by using probiotic complexes, hyaluronic acids, and amino acids to promote a healthier skin barrier that can better heal and withstand damage from external aggressors.
Want to see more from The Ordinary? Come to ZALORA and discover products perfect for your dark spots.