Eight natural ingredients that can even out skin tone
Young skin (and we’re thinking about babies and small children here) has a beautiful habit of looking the same colour all over. No blotches and splotches; just smooth mono-tone perfection. But as the years skip by, that one-colour gorgeousness is interrupted by freckles, scars, hyper-pigmentation, age spots and broken blood vessels.
While it’s not realistic to expect a return to youthful purity, there’s a lot you can do to fade the marks of time. However we strongly you recommend a natural approach, because some skin lightening products contain nasties like mercury. All lightening treatments, including the natural ones, can make your skin more sun-sensitive – you’ll need to be extra careful about sunscreen.
Here are some natural ways to even out your skin tone, some of which might be lurking in your fridge.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is used as a treatment to even-out skin tone, reduce hyperpigmentation and generally reduce the signs of ageing. [1] It’s a bit of a wonderchild in the skincare world, however using it comes with some challenges. The big issue is that vitamin C breaks down when it comes into contact with air, heat and light. So how vitamin C treatments are put together can determine whether they will work.
Methods of protecting vitamin C until it reaches your skin include putting it in capsules or presenting it in powder form, allowing you to mix it into other skincare products. Be wary of cheap vitamin C serums; there’s a high chance any vitamin content will be long gone before you use it. When you start using vitamin C, take care because it’s acidic. If you notice redness or feel itchy after a couple of days, back off and reduce the dose. [1]
Niacinamide
Also known as vitamin B3, niacinamide is known as an effective skin lightening compound that works by inhibiting melanin production. [2] It’s also known to help with acne, eczema, oil regulation, skin firmness and pore minimisation.[3] It’s a real all-rounder. Niacinamide is often combined with hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
Kojic acid
Derived from fungi, koji acid is a skin lightener, an antioxidant and a natural preservative. To reduce hyper-pigmentation, it works by blocking an amino acid called tyrosine, which is needed to support the production of melanin. Available data suggests that the use of skincare products containing kojic acid with a concentration of 2% for products is considered safe. [4] Kojic acid comes as a powder. To avoid using too much, it’s safer to buy a product that includes it as an ingredient.
Kiwifruit
Good ‘old kiwifruit is great for your health – it’s rich in vitamin C and high in fibre. You can also use it to reduce under-eye dark circles.
Dark circles under your eyes can be due to brown pigment sitting in the skin, but you have to be super-careful about how you approach lightening the skin under your eyes. For this job, find a cream that contains kiwifruit extract. Studies have shown that kiwifruit extract improves skin radiance, reduces the appearance of fine lines and reduces dark circles under eyes.[5]
Sophora Root
Bet you’ve never heard of this one! Sophora root (sophora flavescens) is a herbal treatment used in Chinese medicine. A study carried out in Korea concluded that naturally sophora flavescens extract might be useful as a whitening agent in cosmetics. [6]
Tea extract
Green, black and white tea leaves contain polyphenols. Tyrosinase inhibitors that regulate melanin production are phenol derivatives, so using tea extract as a skin-lightening agent makes perfect sense. [7] You might want to stick to a green tea or white tea extract, because black tea extract could potentially give you a fake tan effect!
Lemon juice
Lemon juice is an old-fashioned way to lighten skin. Does it work? Yes, but don’t expect results in a hurry. Beauty regimens from the past recommended using lemon juice as a type of toner on a daily basis to combat age spots. But lemon juice is highly acidic, so the skin stings like crazy after it’s applied. A better approach is to use lemon juice in a face mask. You can mix the juice with yoghurt, beaten egg, mashed avocado or facial-quality clay.
Curcumin
Curcumin is a plant-derived polyphenol that’s been shown to suppress melanin production.[8] The richest source of curcumin is turmeric, the bright-gold spice that stains your shirt when you’re messily eating curry. Adding turmeric to a face mask is standard practice in India for bridal wedding preparations, however it’s important to allow a couple of days between using the mask and appearing in public! Just like it stains your shirt, turmeric stains your skin, but it’s temporary.
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325801.php
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12100180
[3] https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/niacinamide
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319599.php#is-kojic-acid-safe
[5] https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0711/S00082/high-value-ingredients-from-the-kiwifruit-waste.htm
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24106757