Clinical Discoloration Repair Serum.

"I just picked this up mainly because it's got pucha in there, which is like an alternative to retinol. There's a lot of studies that look at pucha and look at its effectiveness in comparison to retinol, so it does pretty much a similar thing to retinol but doesn't have the sensitivity. Good retinol formulations nowadays have pucha on it because they just take down the concentration of retinol, build it up with pucha, and then suddenly you've got something that you can use all the time."

"Paula's Choice has 3% tranexamic acid but it also has 5% niacinamide. Niacinamide like tranexamic acid is a good ingredient for dark spots, redness, the moisture barrier, reducing sensitivity, it's anti-inflammatory. All of these things that tranexamic acid may do depending on the formulation, niacinamide has a lot more research supporting that it does. I like that that's included because treating dark spots and hyperpigmentation, it's not usually just one ingredient. Having multiple ingredients in there that target different arms of the pigment pathway really can lend better results. Niacinamide specifically works for hyperpigmentation because it slows down the spread of those pigment packets that are produced in the melanocytes to the neighboring keratin sites, so that's totally different from how tranexamic acid is going to be working for dark spots. Tranexamic acid is going to be working for dark spots by hopefully making its way down to the junction between the epidermis and the dermis, targeting the plasminogen pathway."

"The Paula's Choice Discoloration Serum targets hyperpigmentation with three percent tranexamic acid, five percent niacinamide and five percent bakuchiol, which is a plant derived version of retinol. So if you have sensitive skin or if your skin just cannot handle retinol, this would definitely be a great alternative for you. Tranexamic acid is great for discoloration, targeting dark spots and uneven skin tone, and niacinamide is great for controlling oil as well as pigmentation."

"I love this one because it comes in a pump. It's their Discoloration Repair Serum that has the same amount of tranexamic acid as the Discoloration Defense by SkinCeuticals—three percent. It also has five percent niacinamide and the so-called retinol alternative because that helps to target visible signs of discoloration as well. If I had to pick, I would pick this one over the other one because it's cheaper and it has a pump, but you're not getting the kojic acid in this one."

"Paula's Choice Clinical came through with bakuchiol products. This is the Discoloration Repair Serum with tranexamic acid and bakuchiol. Bakuchiol has been shown to help with hyperpigmentation, it specifically stops the melanocytes, those little cells from producing the melanin pigment, it stops that pigment from being created. This is phenomenal because it also combines that tranexamic acid which is fantastic when it comes to dark spots and hyperpigmentation. So if you're someone who struggles with those little blemishes that leave behind marks, if you are more prone to hyperpigmentation in your skin, then if you want something that isn't a retinoid because maybe it was too irritating for you, this is a great combination that actually works and actually has the levels of bakuchiol to back it up."

"Paula's Choice Clinical Discoloration Repair Serum is a really good and effective serum if you want to even out your skin tone. I would say this is probably the best more affordable option compared to products that are pricier. Like a lot of the Paula's Choice serums, the texture itself just feels fabulous on the skin—it gives you pretty much a baseline of everything you need. It's hydrating, plumping, comforting and comfortable, and it's soothing. Beyond that, it's got three percent tranexamic acid as well as five percent niacinamide, and it's also got vacuum kyle in it. Another ingredient I'm loving is silimarin, which we all know from Skinceuticals' new Silimarin antioxidant serum. So if Skinceuticals is putting their faith in it, then I think we're good. Silimarin isn't just a powerful antioxidant, but it's also been shown to have an effect on brightening skin tone and fading hyperpigmentation. This serum in my experience is really effective on more of the red marks that you get on your face, any kind of unevenness, and any redness. I have a lot of redness around the center of my face, but also if you have post-inflammatory acne marks that are left over, this has the ability to just move it along faster and help it fade faster than it usually would take. If you use this in combination with something like vitamin C, then it all helps."