
Dark Spot Serum
Facial Care
$41.99
- $6 US shipping · ships in 1–3 business days, arrives in 3–7 more
- First order? 10% off with code TLM10 at checkout
- All sales final · anything damaged, defective or wrong is replaced or refunded
Most brightening serums hide one cheap active behind a blend name. This one names kojic acid, hexylresorcinol, azelaic acid and niacinamide on the INCI, each on its own line.
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ABOUT THIS PRODUCT
Dark Spot Serum is a daily cosmetic brightening serum for the look of dark spots, post breakout marks and uneven tone. It is built on kojic acid, hexylresorcinol and azelaic acid, with niacinamide, atelocollagen and three named mushroom extracts behind them. It is for the guy whose tone reads older and messier than his skin actually is, and who wants a real daily step rather than a miracle claim. A small amount on clean, dry skin, morning or night, always under sunscreen in the morning.
THE SCIENCE
Kojic acid and hexylresorcinol are the two front line brightening actives, both named on the INCI. Hexylresorcinol is the pricier, more refined choice against the arbutin most drugstore serums lean on, and it sits above niacinamide on the list. Both work at the surface for a brighter, more even looking tone.
Azelaic acid is here for the look of texture and to calm the appearance of redness. Niacinamide is on the list too, a cosmetic staple for the look of an even tone that the old copy did not even bother to mention. Resveratrol, green tea leaf extract, d-alpha-tocopherol and pomegranate seed oil are the antioxidant layer against the look of environmental damage.
Then the part you do not see in a typical brightening serum: atelocollagen, a low molecular weight form of collagen used as a surface hydrator, sodium chondroitin sulfate for hydration, and three named mushroom extracts, tremella fuciformis, trametes versicolor and lentinus edodes, listed by species instead of as a generic botanical extract line item. Chamomile flower extract soothes.
One honest note: this formula contains fragrance. It is near the end of the INCI and it is disclosed in the warning. Most of our line is fragrance free and this is the exception, so patch test it if your skin is reactive.
WHAT IT WILL NOT DO
It will not change how your skin makes pigment, it works at the surface for the look of a more even tone. It will not do anything if you skip sunscreen, because the sun made the spots and the sun will keep making them. Judge it at 8 to 12 weeks, photographed in the same light at the same time of day. Not at 8 days.
THE STANDARD
Every active is named on the INCI in order of concentration. No brightening complex hiding a single cheap active, no fairy dusting of a hero ingredient, and where the formula does contain fragrance, it says so plainly instead of hiding it. Manufactured in state of the art, FDA registered facilities in the USA, with best in class ingredients. Read the full standard.
HOW TO USE IT
Apply a small amount to clean, dry skin and massage gently until absorbed. Use morning or night, or both once your skin is used to it. Follow with moisturizer, and with sunscreen every morning without exception, or you will undo the work. Patch test first if your skin is reactive. Take a photo on day one and judge it at 8 to 12 weeks, same light, same angle.
WHAT ACTUALLY CAUSES DARK SPOTS?
Sun exposure, marks left behind after a breakout, and irritation that leaves a patch of skin darker than the skin around it. The look of a spot builds over months or years, which is why fading its appearance takes consistent daily use and daily sunscreen, not one application. Skipping sunscreen while using a brightening serum is the single biggest reason guys do not see the change they expected.
HOW LONG DO DARK SPOTS TAKE TO FADE IN APPEARANCE?
Give it 8 to 12 weeks of consistent use before you judge it, and photograph your face in the same light each time so you are comparing photos, not memory. The appearance of discoloration fades gradually, not all at once, and sun without SPF during that window will visibly slow it or undo it.
DOES KOJIC ACID ACTUALLY WORK ON THE APPEARANCE OF DARK SPOTS?
Kojic acid is one of the most established cosmetic ingredients for helping skin look brighter and more even in tone. It is named on this INCI, working at the surface of the skin, and it does not change how your skin makes pigment at a biological level, because a cosmetic does not do that. Here it is one of three named actives, with hexylresorcinol and azelaic acid, so no single ingredient is carrying the formula.
CAN YOU USE A BRIGHTENING SERUM EVERY DAY?
Yes, this one is built for daily use, morning or night or both, and consistency is what produces a visible change with a cosmetic brightening serum. If you notice dryness, redness or sensitivity, drop to once a day or every other day and build back up. Note that this formula contains fragrance, so patch test first if your skin is reactive. Daily sunscreen is not optional if you want the result to hold.
Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Lentinus Edodes Extract, Trametes Versicolor Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Gluconolactone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hexylresorcinol, Ethyl Linoleate, Niacinamide, Kojic Acid, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Azelaic Acid, Lecithin, Atelocollagen, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Sodium Gluconate, Fragrance, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, d-Alpha-Tocopherol, Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed) Oil, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Resveratrol
Origin: Manufactured in state of the art, FDA registered facilities in the USA.
Size: 1 fl oz / 30 ml
Warning: Avoid contact with eyes. Contains fragrance. In case of irritation, discontinue use. Keep out of reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place.
This is a cosmetic product for the appearance of your skin. It is not a drug and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
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