Great Body Lotions and Treatments for Dark Spots
If the dark spots on your back, chest, arms, or legs are taking a long time to fade, it might help to use treatment lotions, sprays, and other body care products that fade dark spots for more even-toned skin on your body.
Hyperpigmentation, also known as dark spots, is super common. These dark spots or patches can appear nearly anywhere on your body, and may pop up after a breakout like acne, an eczema flare, or a rash. Applying sunscreen every day is the first thing to start doing to help prevent dark spots from getting darker, but what else can you do?
The at-home body treatments listed below may help get rid of dark spots on your body a bit sooner. They contain brightening ingredients that target dark spots, like kojic acid, tranexamic acid, alpha-arbutin, azelaic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, vitamin C, and niacinamide.
Be sure to look at the entire series of skincare for fading dark spots on the face and body:
Face Cleansers for Hyperpigmentation
Body Washes for Hyperpigmentation
Each treatment is linked for you to learn more about the product; the links are not affiliate or sponsored links. Let’s jump into the list!
Good Molecules - Discoloration Correcting Body Treatment
Price: $15 for 4 fl oz
Available at: Good Molecules website, Ulta
Key ingredients:
Cetyl tranexamate mesylate (a form of dark spot-fading tranexamic acid)
Niacinamide (brightens and calms inflammation)
Glycerin (moisturizes and protects skin)
Panthenol (soothes skin)
This lightweight, non-greasy body treatment is fragrance-free, cruelty-free, and vegan.
Topicals - Faded Brightening & Clearing Mist
Price: $32 for 3.4 fl oz
Available at: Topicals website, Sephora
Key ingredients:
Niacinamide (brightens and calms inflammation)
Alpha-arbutin (fades dark spots)
Kojic acid (fades dark spots)
Tranexamic acid (fades dark spots)
Glycolic acid (exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Centella asiatica extract (soothes and hydrates)
Glycerin (moisturizes and protects skin)
A body mist that helps even out skin tone by fading stubborn dark spots that may appear after acne or other breakouts. Topicals is a Black-owned skincare brand.
Replenix - Glycolic Acid 15% Resurfacing Body Lotion
Price: $46 for 6.7 fl oz
Available at: Replenix website, Dermstore
Key ingredients:
Glycolic acid (exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A, also known as a retinoid)
Tocopheryl acetate (a form of vitamin E)
Squalane (moisturizes and calms angry inflammation)
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C - brightening)
A gluten-free blend of exfoliating and moisturizing ingredients to help resurface your skin to reveal smoother and brighter skin.
Urban Skin Rx - Super C Body Bright Oil
Price: $28 for 4 fl oz
Available at: Urban Skin Rx website
Key ingredients:
Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (a form of vitamin C - brightens)
Bearberry extract (contains arbutin to help brighten)
Tocopherol (vitamin E - moisturizes and protects skin)
Sunflower seed oil (moisturizes and protects skin)
If you like vitamin C, then this body oil may be a good option for you. It targets uneven, rough skin and stretch marks while leaving your skin glowing.
Urban Skin Rx - Fade Fix Bump & Dark Spot 10% AHA Exfoliating Solution
Price: $20 for 3.3 fl oz
Available at: Urban Skin Rx website, Ulta
Key ingredients:
Glycolic acid 8.5% (exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Salicylic acid (unclogs pores and buffs away dull skin)
Niacinamide (brightens and calms inflammation)
Alpha-arbutin (fades dark spots)
Azelaic acid (calms inflammation and fades dark spots)
Kojic acid (fades dark spots)
A body spray containing a blend of multiple active ingredients to help tackle acne breakouts and fade the dark spots that breakouts can leave behind. As a bonus, it also targets razor bumps!
Urban Skin Rx - Even Tone Smoothing Body Treatment
Price: $58 for 6.4 fl oz
Available at: Urban Skin Rx website
Key ingredients:
Glycolic acid 12% and lactic acid (buff away dullness and roughness to reveal brighter, glowing skin)
Kojic acid 2% (fades dark spots)
Niacinamide (brightens and calms inflammation)
Retinol (unclogs pores to reduce breakouts and fades dark spots)
Alpha-arbutin (fades dark spots)
Azelaic acid (calms inflammation and fades dark spots)
Squalane (moisturizes and calms angry inflammation)
An ingredient power-packed, non-greasy nighttime body lotion to fade dark spots and smooth rough and bumpy skin while you sleep. A cruelty-free formula.
OUI the People - Resurfacing Body Serum
Price: $45 for 100 mL
Available at: OUI the People website, Sephora
Key ingredients:
Glycolic acid (exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Glycerin (moisturizes and protects skin)
Lactic acid (hydrates and exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Gluconolactone (exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Salicylic acid (unclogs pores and buffs away dull skin)
Atlantic sea kelp (hydration and calms inflammation)
An exfoliating body serum containing multiple acids to help unclog pores, smooth skin texture, and brighten dark spots. This fragrance-free serum targets dark spots/hyperpigmentation but also body acne, ingrown hairs, and keratosis pilaris (dry, bumpy, rough skin patches on the upper arms, thighs, and buttocks). OUI the People is a Black-owned skincare brand.
Hero Cosmetics - Lightning Swipe Dark Spot Brightening Pads
Price: $20 for 50 pads
Available at: Hero Cosmetics website, Target
Key ingredients:
Glycolic acid (exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Tranexamic acid (fades dark spots)
Malic acid
Lactic acid (hydrates and exfoliates for smoother, more even skin)
Sodium ascorbyl phosphate (a form of vitamin C)
Niacinamide (brightens and calms inflammation)
Glycerin (moisturizes and protects skin)
Aloe leaf juice (moisturizes and calms inflammation)
Convenient pads soaked in a blend of skin-brightening ingredients that target uneven skin tone and dullness. Can be used on the face and body.
If you decide to use one of these at-home body treatments, please know that it is important to follow the instructions on the package and to use them consistently for the best results.
As a reminder, it’s also important to protect your skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen daily, especially because many of these hyperpigmentation-fighting ingredients can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Dark spots can become darker with exposure to the sun. You don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste!
Let me know if you have questions.
If you found this list to be valuable, feel free to share it with someone.
Take care,
Mimi