A little color on your skin is what makes us look alive, glowing, and dimensional—but when the coloring turns splotchy, patchy, or extremely dark, it’s time to create a skincare routine that prioritizes a healthier and more even complexion. As hard as we may try to take great care of our skin, we’ll likely all experience uneven skin tones throughout our lives. Luckily, this guide can help offer the right products, ingredients, and routines to include for uneven skin tones.
What is Uneven Skin Tone?
First, let’s define what an uneven skin tone is and looks like. Dark spots, known as hyperpigmentation, and other skin discolorations are what make up an uneven skin tone. This typically occurs when the skin produces excess melanin due to a few reasons (more on that later!).
If you’re wondering whether you have an uneven skin tone, use these identifiers:
- Areas of skin are visibly distinct from surrounding skin
- Dark patterns or markings on the skin
- Rough or spotted texture
The Reason Behind Uneven Skin Tone
There are several causes behind dark spots and uneven skin tones—but these are the top four:
1. Sun exposure
Excessive sun exposure (especially without SPF!) can lead to a lot of hyperpigmentation. I mean, they’re called “sun spots” for a reason, and they’re entirely preventable. Too much time in the sun is a form of photoaging, and it accelerates visible signs of age like wrinkles, fine lines, and dark spots.
2. Dry skin
If you have dry skin, your skin doesn't produce enough sebum, causing your skin to crack and damage easily. If your skin microbiome is unbalanced, your skin is more prone to discoloration and may appear ashen or patchy.
3. Pollution
An often-overlooked cause of uneven skin tones includes air pollution. From smoke, smog, dust, and chemicals, there are a lot of things floating around that can absorb into your skin. If you aren’t properly cleansing your face morning and night, these pollutants can build up and cause an uneven skin tone.
4. Melasma
Melasma, which causes brown, tan, or grayish discoloration on the skin, is usually due to hormonal changes during pregnancy. These discolored patches often show up on the forehead, cheeks, nose, and above the upper lip and can occur in both men and women.
With so many causes of uneven skin tones, it’s important to consider your skin type and potential cause before creating your treatment plan to get the best results.
Our Favorite Uneven Skin Tone Products
Having an uneven skin tone is pretty much unavoidable, however there are several products and ingredients that can help brighten the skin and reduce hyperpigmentation.
First up, vitamin C-rich Amla Berry.
This brightening serum has 20x the vitamin C of an orange and is clinically proven to boost brightness, even skin tone, and reduce the appearance of dark spots. Plus, it’s rich in antioxidants that protect from environmental damage.
Next, we love a gentle-yet-effective resurfacing mask.
Meet the first-ever facial peel formulated with goat milk, potato pulp, 10% lactic acid, and 15% glycolic acid that transforms dull, uneven skin into a bright and youthful complexion. It visibly brightens the look of skin, fades the appearance of dark spots, and gently resurfaces for smoother, more youthful skin. Pro tip: be sure to hydrate your skin intensely after with a facial oil, and absolutely protect with SPF in the daytime!
You’ll definitely need an exfoliating cleanser.
Dark spots and hyperpigmentation require cell turnover to reveal brighter skin underneath which is why proper exfoliation is a must with an uneven skin tone routine. This gentle exfoliating cleanser with jojoba and oat exfoliates without abrasive scrubs and leaves your skin silky, soft, and moisturized versus dry and tight.
Finally, a good SPF is a must!
The easiest way to avoid an uneven skin tone is to prevent one from happening in the first place. So many of the dark spots and discoloration on our face are due to the sun, so we suggest wearing sunscreen every day. And our milk tint serum offers SPF 43 and provides a buildable tint that flexes to adapt to every skin tone.
The Ultimate Uneven Skin Tone Routine
Now that you know some of our favorite uneven skin tone products, it’s time to break down a step-by-step routine you can adopt to reveal brighter, more even skin.
Step 1: Exfoliating Cleanser
Our Milk Scrub is the perfect antidote to uneven skin because of its gentle-yet-effective exfoliation. By removing dirt, oil, and pollutants from your skin, plus encouraging cell turnover, this cleanser can improve the look of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
Step 2: Hydrating Toner
After any type of exfoliating, you always want to follow with a hydrating product. Our hyaluronic acid and squalane facial toner mist offers deep hydration and prevents transepidermal water loss throughout the day.
Step 3: Vitamin C Serum
Next, you need an uneven skin tone treatment that’s formulated to brighten dark spots and fade hyperpigmentation. That’s where our Golden Booster comes in. Made with vitamin C-rich amla berry, holy basil, and ashwagandha, you can expect visibly brighter skin, an even skin tone, and reduced inflammation.
Step 4: Brighten Under Eyes
Your under eyes are especially susceptible to signs of aging and dark circles, making it very important to keep this area treated and hydrated. Luckily, our Mushroom Milk better aging eye cream features 5 different types of mushrooms that combine anti-aging benefits, maintain hydration, and impede melanin formation.
Step 5: Nourishing Oil
A common culprit for dark spots and redness includes post-acne marks and scars. This type of stubborn hyperpigmentation requires a healing oil, patience, and routine. Our Mega Milk fermented barrier boosting facial oil features niacinamide, vitamin C, goat milk, omega fatty acids, and fermented plants oils to restore your skin’s natural barrier and fade dark spots. Not to mention, this holy-grail product has earned Oprah’s Beauty O-ward for Best Face Product!
Step 6: Balancing Moisturizer
As mentioned above, dry skin can cause dark spots to occur, so it’s necessary to include a deeply hydrating moisturizer in your daily lineup. Our Bloom Cream includes goat milk, niacinamide, and Epsom salt to strengthen your skin barrier, restore healthy hydration, and even out your skin.
Step 7: Weekly Treatments
If you want to take your uneven skin tone treatments up a notch, we recommend trying a resurfacing mask 2-3 times a week. Our Potato Peel is the first-ever facial peel made with goat milk, potato pulp, 10% lactic acid, and 15% glycolic acid that smooths uneven skin texture, fades dark spots, brightens skin, and is safe for sensitive skin.
Skincare for Uneven Skin Tone
Now that you’ve seen a great skincare routine for evening out your skin tone, it’s important to stick to it. Look for products high in vitamin C, niacinamide, bakuchiol, goat milk, and gentle exfoliants. These powerful ingredients will help you build a tailored skincare lineup that gives you the bright and even skin tone you’ve always wanted.
Evening Out Your Skin Tone FAQs
We’ve covered a lot of ground, but if you still have questions, we’ve got answers:
How can I even out my skin tone naturally?
Eat whole foods, wear sunscreen daily, use vitamin C serum, and exfoliate gently.What ingredients help with hyperpigmentation?
What is the difference between hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation
Are there any side effects of laser treatment for uneven skin tone?
Can I use multiple products for uneven skin tone in my routine?
Is uneven skin tone genetic?
How to get rid of uneven skin tone?
Causes of uneven skin tone