We have sung its praises time and again. Best Exfoliating Brightening Serum: L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum. The final ingredients worth noting are salicylic acid, an acne-fighting exfoliant, and tea tree oil which has some antibacterial effects (but gives a strong medicinal smell). Once you achieve the results you want you can keep using the gentle brightening serum for maintenance. Retinol 24 Night Serum . This serum contains natural orange and lavender fragrances which make it quite pleasant to use, but add a small sensitivity risk. Those with darker skin are often more prone to hyperpigmentation than light-skinned folks. Derm-approved picks for the best serums to fight wrinkles, hydrate, and lighten dark spots. 5 SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum. Best Brightening: Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Buy on Olehenriksen.com Buy on Walmart. Keep reading to find out which brightening serums are the best of the best. Enter brightening serums, your key to getting the perfectly toned, even skin that we all dream about. The majority of the serums on our list include some of these ingredients! Surf Chaser Reverse Aging Serum… We’ve identified three ingredient categories that brighten the skin in three different ways. Their product combines antioxidants with a host of ingredients aimed to banish dryness and discoloration without causing any breakouts or that weighted feeling even. There are clinical studies backing the efficacy of this specific formula when it comes to repairing photodamage (i.e. The next strongest option is the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum, while the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum presents a more gentle and affordable option. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum ($85) … Apply your brightening serum directly to clean skin, in gentle, pressing motions. Best Exfoliating Brightening Serum: L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum, 6. Users find that Klairs helps with pigmentation, but maybe not as quickly as higher-percentage serums like the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum. Glycolic acid also has moisture-attracting effects (boosted by the addition of glycerin), which is another way that this serum helps to increase glow. Below, we’ve compiled the best brightening serums on the market, from the gentlest ceramide-rich serum to multi-purpose products we turn to time after time. Why we like it: This … There is one other drawback to this product. Like the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum, this is another intense brightening serum that we recommend with a few caveats. 1 TruSkin Vitamin C Serum. We will never send you spam. $46.99 SHOP NOW. If you’re not dealing with hyperpigmentation, you might be looking for a brightening serum that can just get rid of dullness and make your skin glow. It comes in a clear dropper bottle that doesn’t do a great job of keeping the serum stable. The glow comes from reflective mica pigments. It also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid and panthenol that give the skin a general glow. Ingredients like retinol and AHA solve the issue by getting rid of the excess dead skin! And how will you put them together? turn brown and lose its efficacy) within 4-6 months of opening. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring polysaccharide found in the human body. For best results, use one brightening serum at night and another in the daytime. Step 3: Vitamin C 20% & Hyaluronic Acid Serum - 30 ml. For best results, apply in the morning in the form of a moisturiser or serum, like the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, before following with (you guessed it) SPF. It’s a great option for fading hyperpigmentation and it also has some serious anti-aging benefits. The Best Brightening Serums April 27, 2020 / The Bare Beauty Babes. While there are a few higher-priced options on our list, they offer something special that justifies their cost. Any company can take a liquid, slap the word “brightening serum” on its label, and charge big bucks for it. The main ingredient in here is alpha-arbutin, a derivative of the much more intense and slightly controversial hydroquinone. For best results, use this at night while using a gentle melanin-inhibitor like the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum in the daytime. Best Glowy Brightening Serum: Neutrogena Bright Boost Illuminating Serum, CeraVe Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid, L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum, Neutrogena Bright Boost Illuminating Serum, Key Ingredients: 10% Ascorbic Acid, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Key Ingredients: Alpha-Arbutin, Hyaluronic Acid, Key Ingredients: 15% Ascorbic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Vitamin E, Key Ingredients: Azelaic Acid, Niacinamide, Key Ingredients: Retinol, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Key Ingredients: Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Botanical Polysaccharides, Vitamin E, Key Ingredients: 2% Hydroquinone, Lactic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid, Key Ingredients: 5% Ascorbic Acid, Centella Asiatica, Botanical Extracts, Key Ingredients: Acetyl Glucosamine, Tetrahydrocurcumin. Best Premium Brightening Serum: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, 4. They include vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and many others. Dead skin build-up makes the skin look dull, so exfoliation can brighten it quickly. Team Byrdie loves these too, so rest assured that they're tried-and-true. Shine on. The best brightening serums to fix that are made with hydrating and skin-repairing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides, as well as various soothing and healing vitamins and vitamin-rich plant extracts. At 2% it’s available over-the-counter, but any higher and it requires a prescription. Allow the serum to sink into your skin completely, and then follow it up with a moisturizer or sunscreen. By Taylore Glynn. There are a ton of other useful ingredients in here for overall skin luminosity, clarity, and hydration! It breaks down the connective material between dead and live skin cells and helps the skin to shed its top layer. If you do decide to try this serum, we recommend giving the acetyl glucosamine in it a better chance to work by also using a serum with niacinamide, like the Cos de BAHA Azelaic Acid 10% Serum, since the two ingredients have a synergistic effect. So it’s not that this serum is bad: the key ingredients in it may help fade discoloration, and they certainly have antioxidant and skin-soothing effects. These powerful products often contain potent antioxidants, like vitamin C, to help diminish dark spots, refine skin texture, and create an overall luminous complexion. While they have a ton of different skin-brightening options, we think their alpha-arbutin serum stands out as both unique and quite effective. Sometimes it seems like a product is cheap when it actually comes in a smaller quantity, so we also mention how much serum you get in each bottle. There is also lactic acid which exfoliates and speeds up the overall effects of this serum. Thankfully, brightening serums are total skin-savers! This lightweight serum is full of natural ingredients that promise to minimize the appearance of dark spots and impart a luminous look on skin, and it's safe for even the most sensitive of skin types. Best Korean Brightening Serum: Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop, 10. Below, find the 12 best brightening serums that’ll give you the glowy skin of your dreams—no expensive facial required. When our skin is healthy it has a gorgeous natural glow. It's formulated with a 2% concentration of alpha arbutin, a powerful skin brightener known for being gentler than its counterparts. irregular melanin-production that leads to sunspots, melasma, or post-acne scarring.). LilyAna Naturals Vitamin C Serum. “The other major benefit of vitamin C is its skin brightening properties.” Pick the best serum, and it can have a huge impact on the overall health of your complexion. The strongest anti-pigmentation serum on our list is the PCA Skin Pigment Gel, but it’s also the most likely to have negative side-effects. If this is your first time trying a serum and you’re a little nervous, this is a very beginner-friendly option. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum from $70 Now you’re equipped with all the brightening and skin evening info – go forth and glow! While it doesn't compromise on quality, it does come in at a very affordable price. Because it’s fragrance-free and made with so many reparative ingredients this is one of our favorite skin-brightening serums for sensitive skin. Sunday Riley C.E.O. There are some amazing ingredients out there that combat pigmentation and give the skin a glow! sun-induced skin damage), protecting from the aging effects of sun exposure, and lightening pigmentation. It might not be strong, but it’s not likely to irritate the skin. The strongest renewing option on our list is the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum which is made with both retinol and salicylic acid. This serum generates some mixed feelings for us. Putting in the effort to figure out what will work for you is totally worth it. US$49.00 buy now. And to top it off, it was awarded the Soko Glam 2015 Best of Beauty Award. It won’t fade hyperpigmentation, but it can prevent it while giving your skin a glow and countering dullness. Best Brightening Serum for Dark Skin: Cos de BAHA Azelaic Acid 10% Serum, 5. The $55 Skin Brightening Vitamin C Serum … Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our This serum from L’Oreal is a little different from the rest of our selection. It’s not an alternative to the other brightening serums on this list, but instead, it’s a complementary serum that can significantly boost their efficacy. She loves researching the latest techniques and reading about new skincare ingredients. The Vitamin C serum from LilyAna Naturals is the overall highest rated brightening serum on the list. This combination improves the skin's appearance on all fronts—delivering not only a brightening effect but a dose of hydration as well. As far as the brightening effects of this serum go, this is not the most powerful serum on our list. Contents hide. It’s also a fantastic treatment for those dealing with acne, rosacea, and skin sensitivity. The only thing that prevents this serum from being truly appropriate for everyone is the addition of some floral essential oils that can be irritating for some. While there is vitamin C in here, it’s a stabilized form that has antioxidant and anti-acne effects but doesn’t reduce existing pigmentation. The brightening effect comes from 10% ascorbic acid, which is the most potent form of vitamin C. While the amount isn’t huge, it’s enough to have an effect on hyperpigmentation. 4 Neutrogena Bright Boost Illuminating Face Serum. The L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum is a slightly more gentle (though still intense) choice. We don’t want you to spend a ton of money and end up disappointed, so we kept some important factors in mind when selecting the best brightening serums for our list. $85.00 When exposed to light and air, those ingredients degrade quickly and lose their effectiveness. In our reviews, we discuss how stable these serums are, whether through packaging or formulation. There’s also niacinamide, which has its own mild brightening effects. It’s particularly helpful for improving skin texture and reducing fine lines, but it also has anti-pigmentation effects. SkinCeuticals did groundbreaking and expensive research that proved that by combining ascorbic acid with antioxidants vitamin E and ferulic acid at a low pH, the result is a more effective formula that’s also stable for a lot longer. We don’t recommend using this along with other exfoliating serums, but it’s fine in conjunction with a gentle serum like the CeraVe’s Vitamin C Serum. This ingredient is also helpful for preventing acne breakouts, so we’re happy to recommend this serum for acne-prone skin. In practice, this serum doesn’t give the same results with long-term use. This gentle night serum contains a powerful anti-aging blend of retinol and niacinamide, says Dr. Claire Chang of Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York. It’s claimed to be a serum that can target pigmentation while also giving the skin a glow. We’d love to see Klairs switch to a dark, airtight container. While formulas like CeraVe’s Vitamin C Serum are also stable and effective, this one is stronger so you can expect faster results, although you won’t enjoy the same level of moisturization. Best Natural Brightening Serum: TruSkin Vitamin C Serum, 8. To help you choose which serum will be your new holy grail, we've rounded up favorites for every price point. It has a selective effect on abnormal melanocytes, so it brightens hyperpigmentation without changing the overall skin tone. If your skin looks dull because of dead skin buildup, then check out this next category, as well. The issue is that they’re not as well-studied as more proven ingredients like ascorbic acid or even the relatively mild arbutin. Coming in at under $10, this serum packs a huge punch without breaking the bank. This brightening serum is famous for its potent formula and its high price-point. It is the fastest-acting and most powerful option for reducing pigmentation, although it can also have side-effects like irritation. This makes those formulas likelier to irritate the skin. An anti-ageing facial … She ignores marketing buzzwords and instead dives deep into formulations and performance, to always recommend the most effective cosmetics on the market. The brand recommends keeping it in the fridge to keep it fresh for longer, but even then it can oxidize (i.e. We also suggest only using it a few times a week at first, to prevent over-exfoliating the skin. Dermatologist Dr. Alexis Stephens recommends that those with darker skin use arbutin, like in The Ordinary’s Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, or azelaic acid like in Cos de BAHA’s Azelaic Acid 10% Serum. For example, you can use the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum in the morning and alpha-arbutin at night. The reason why we azelaic acid works well for darker skin is its unique method of action. These face brightening and tightening formulas—suitable for a wide range of skin types, including acne-prone, hyperpigmentation, oily, dry and sensitive skin—are the best vitamin C serums … A high potency vitamin C serum that protects the skin from ageing free radicals and pollution whilst visibly brightening and evening out skin tone. If your skin can handle really intense exfoliation, you can go even stronger and choose the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum, instead. bea-skincare.com. In the “Quick Facts” section we’ll give a rundown of the main active ingredients in each serum, then, throughout the reviews, we’ll explain how they actually work. These are serums that help the skin shed dead cells and trigger cell turnover. If you’re an avid fan of natural, vegan-friendly cosmetics you may like this natural brightening serum. That’s why we mention the fragrance in the “Quick Facts” section of every review. As its moniker suggests, it's a magical blend of vitamins C and E, plus ferulic acid that transforms and evens skin tone both instantly and over time, leaving behind an impeccable glow. If you have sensitive skin, you’ll prefer the fragrance-free options we’ve included, but if you don’t, you might want a nicely scented product. If you’re looking for a serum that can give the skin hydrated luminosity while also targeting pigmentation, this one absolutely fits the bill! We explain them in detail here, so you can pin-point the best ingredients for you. It acts as a cushioning and lubrication agent for our joints, nerves, hair, skin, and eyes. Introduce it into your routine gradually to see what works for you. Société Brightening Serum 15ml. It also speeds up the overall repair and renewal process that’s needed to eliminate pigmentation in the skin. We always recommend allergy-testing new skincare on a small patch of skin, but with this product, this safety measure is even more important. Estheticians that focus on deeper skin tones like Tiara Willis have noted that vitamin C serums aren’t as effective for hyperpigmentation, although they’re still very beneficial as antioxidants. View Gallery 14 Photos 1 of 14. We have some important tips when it comes to getting the most out of your brightening serum! If you’ve come here, chances are these are the effects you want, so keep reading to discover the best brightening serums. 1. Because of its simple, lightweight texture and fragrance-free formula, we can safely recommend this brightening serum for all skin types. The blend of ingredients gives it a texture somewhere between a lotion and a serum, which can be especially nice for dry skin, while those with oily skin could use it instead of moisturizer. It looks as though it’s lit from within! By Emily Knott For Mailonline. Because of the lactic acid, it’s extremely important to use sunscreen diligently while using this serum. Because of these, this serum simultaneously combats breakouts while fading the pigmentation that pimples can leave behind. Exfoliating too frequently can irritate the skin, so while this serum might be fine on a daily basis, those with sensitive skin should only use it a few times a week. Arbutin hasn’t been directly compared to other skin brightening ingredients like vitamin C, but most users find that it’s a little less intense. If you’d prefer a slightly stronger de-pigmenting product, even if it’ll be less moisturizing, we’d recommend you try SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic. This serum is no exception. It’s made with 72% organic ingredients in a very lightweight formula that can work especially well for combination and oily skin. Caudalie. It seems to us as though they prioritized having an exclusive and easy-to-stabilize formula over having the same well-researched ingredients all the other brands use. Ingredients like green decaffeinated coffee gently exfoliate skin while water lily extract soothes and prevents further damage, resulting in a product that not only sounds indulgent but also delivers enviable results. This brightening serum, in particular, is a good entry-level option that will introduce you both to vitamin C serums and to Korean skincare. Some users find that regular exfoliation also increases the efficacy of arbutin, in which case we’d recommend also purchasing the L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum. Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Complexion Correcting 15th Anniversary (Limited Edition) $98.15. Here are our favorite skin brighteners. Otherwise, there are lots of hydrating agents and antioxidant-rich plant extracts that make the skin just generally bouncy and glowy. Key Ingredients. This makes the skin look brighter and allows it to absorb hydrating and depigmenting ingredients. K-beauty always offers something fun and exciting, and this also applies to brightening serums! Dr. Roebucks. They’ve released a promising serum that combines arbutin and vitamin C, though the jury is still out on how well it works. This brightening serum is a quintessential CeraVe product, which means that it’s reasonably-priced, gentle, and genuinely effective at its main purpose, which is to brighten the skin. This fast-absorbing serum revives and hydrates skin in order to promote a healthy glow and smoother texture with daily use. Alchimie Forever Pigment Lightening Serum, Tata Harper Concentrated Brightening Serum, Dr. Dennis Gross C + Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum, Chantecaille Blanc Gardenia Brightening Essence, America's number one favorite product for evening skin.