Our busy lives coupled with environmental factor often leaves our skin feeling like it has lost its shine and luster, and instead gained dark sports and pigmentation ,thus making it look uneven. To rejuvenate the skin’s lost innate glow an even tone correcting serum is the best skincare product you can get your hands on. Taking charge of your skincare routine and incorporating products that repair your tone will permanently reduce the appearance of imperfections and reduce annoying flaws such as redness, hyperpigmentation, deep acne scarring, discoloration, and uneven patches of skin. Serums are notably lightweight and are quick to absorb into the skin, leaving the skin feeling refreshed, radiant, and full of color.

Dr. Vanita Rattan, Doctor and Cosmetic Formulator for SKin of Color, says, “The most important thing for you to note is if you are not wearing spf, none of these serums are going to work.” Not only does a great even tone serum help revive discolored skin, but it is multipurpose and can aid just about any skin concern. That is of course, provided you apply it religiously and pick a formula that’s tailored to your skin type. Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered. 

Here are our top five favorite picks for the best tone correcting serums:

• 1
  Best Overall

  TruSkin Vitamin C Serum for Face

  Buy on Amazon

The TruSkin Vitamin C Serum for Face contains vitamin C that helps even out the skin tone, combat free radicals, and increase collagen. This in turn enhances the glow and reduces the appearance of dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles, thus paving the way for fresh, radiant skin! The tone correcting serum is also infused with botanical hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, aloe vera, jojoba oil, and MSM which helps brighten, calm, and protect skin. It is a purposefully balanced blend that primarily caters to skin nutrition. A bonus -  it is vegan and cruelty-free without added parabens or other harmful chemicals and uses natural antioxidants, nutrients, and botanical actives to improve skin wellness. So not only are you doing a service to your skin, but also the environment.

2

Best Hypoallergenic Serum

CeraVe Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid

Buy on Amazon

Formulated with 10% l-ascorbic acid, also known as the purest form of vitamin C, the CeraVe Vitamin C helps brighten skin complexion while promoting a plumper, more even skin tone. The tone correcting serum also contains hyaluronic acid to facilitate skin hydration, tone, and texture for a radiant, healthy-looking complexion. It has a gel-like consistency to ensure a non-greasy feeling. The formula meticulously crafted to be fragrance-free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic, allergy tested, and developed in close collaboration with leading dermatologists thus making their products suitable for all skin types including dry skin, sensitive skin, oily skin as well as acne-prone skin.

3

Best for Skin Brightening

BIODERMA Pigmentbip C-Concentrate

Buy on Amazon

Unveil your skin's natural radiance with Bioderma's Pigmentbio C-Concentrate! It will soon become your go-to vitamin C serum to get rid of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Crafted with the needs of sensitive skin in mind, this serum doesn't just reduce the appearance of dark spots but also makes the skin smoother and its texture more refined. With consistent use, your complexion will appear more even, hydrated, and luminous. All you have to do is apply it to your face and neck to reap its benefits and feel more confident.

4

Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum

Buy on Amazon

The Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum is a lightweight, fast-absorbing tone correcting serum.  Equipped with hyaluronic acid, it strengthens and plumps skin for a radiant glow and an anti-wrinkle effect. Aside from its brightening properties it also helps clear skin of impurities like acne scars, discoloration, hyperpigmentation, etc. It has anti-aging properties and over time creates a visible difference in fine lines and wrinkles. The formula is also fragrance-free, and thus ideal for sensitive skin. Its consistency is concocted in a way that a tiny dab is more than enough to cover both the face and the neck.

5

Best Drugstore formula

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Retinol + Vitamin C Correcting Cream

Buy on Amazon

With vitamin C, retinol, and hyaluronic acid, the Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Retinol + Vitamin C Correcting Cream promises noticeably even skin tone in just one week. Designed to have a cream-like texture, the even skin tone serum has been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of even stubborn dark spots, diminish the appearance of discoloration, smooth the appearance of fine lines, and reduce the appearance of deep wrinkles. Vitamin C helps lighten the skin’s impurities and while also balancing skin tone. The hyaluronic acid present in it adds a component of moisturizing and plumping to aid in hydrating and revitalizing the appearance of the skin. The formula also includes retinol, a dermatologist-proven form of vitamin A that fights signs of aging including fine lines, dullness, and wrinkles. A gift that keeps giving, the cream is also free of parabens, mineral oil, and dyes.

6

Best Lightweight Formula

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Vitamin C Face Serum

Buy on Amazon

The L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Vitamin C Face Serum is an anti-aging, even tone correcting serum loaded with vitamin C and designed to revive skin tone, improve the appearance of wrinkles,and give the skin a matte finish. The formula is highly concentrated, potent, and lightweight, specifically curated for optimal penetration. It comes packaged in an innovative air-tight metal tube for increased stability and efficacy, thus effectively shielding the product from UV and oxygen exposure. The serum is also fragrance-free and completely void of any added parabens, mineral oils, and synthetic dyes. This makes it completely safe to use on sensitive skin.

7

Hassle-Free Skincare

Stila One Step Correct Serum

Buy on Amazon

We all know Stila, the makeup brand. Allow us to introduce you to stila, the skin care extraordinaire. The Stila One Step Correct Serum is an innovative, triple-swirled helix serum that doubles as a primer with its gel-like consistency. Aside from color-correcting, the even tone serum also brightens and nourishes the skin. The formula is supercharged with Stila's youth revival blend, an exquisite concoction of 15 different skin-nurturing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Given that it contains no artificial dyes, the serum is completely transparent creating a glowy, radiant canvas for your makeup. So it leaves your skin looking like skin, just eons brighter!

8

Best Luxury Pick

Dark Spot Corrector Face Serum for Even Skin Tone by L’Oreal Paris

Buy on Amazon

The Dark Spot Corrector Face Serum for Even Skin Tone by L’Oreal Paris expertly fades and lightens the skin tone, dark spots, and discoloration. The formula screams quite an extravagance and swiftly absorbs into the skin for effortless radiance. The light-infused facial serum makes skin appear more refined, hydrated, and luminous in the bat of the eye. If you use it long term, in just four weeks of use, dark spots, age spots, sun spots, and acne scars will begin to visibly disappear. The tone correcting serum is gentle and won’t clog your pores. Bye bye oily skin!

9

Best Targeted Serum

Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum

Buy on Amazon

The Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum provides instant relief by rapidly reducing the appearance of dark spots and promoting an intense surface cell turnover. Backed by scientifically proven remedies, this even toner is an innovative skin-lightening treatment for sun spots, black spots, and dark spots. The formula is crafted in a way to make it ideal for all skin types including balanced, oily, combination, and dry skin. It uses tranexamic acid to soothe, brighten and revive dull skin and glycolic acid to exfoliate and clean skin off dead skin cells.

10

For Stubborn Discoloration

SkinMedica 2.0 Lytera Pigment Correcting Serum

Buy on Amazon

The SkinMedia Lytera 2.0 is an advanced pigment-correcting serum formulated specifically to address the appearance of stubborn skin discoloration - irrespective of where or why it starts. The serum has been shown to promote even tone by reducing the appearance of even the most stubborn hyperpigmentation marks across a diverse range of skin tones, types, and concerns - both external and genetic. To see the best results in just two weeks, apply one pump of the serum twice daily after cleansing and toning the skin, in the morning and in the evening. And do not forget to use sunscreen after!

11

Best Hydrating

57N Cloud Berry & Vita Serum with Vitamin C

Buy on Amazon

Behold the ultimate vegan option! Last but never least, the 57N Cloud Berry & Vita Serum with Vitamin C is a vegan formula that promises an eventone by restoring the skin’s natural complexion and helping recover weakened skin. It is formulated with Swedish cloudberry as the main ingredient. It is a powerful antioxidant-rich fruit stuffed with vitamins and nutrients and helps repair and regenerate damaged skin cells while providing intense hydration and nourishment. The serum is supplemented by unsaturated fatty acids, one of the main components of a skin cell, to help moisturize the skin and strengthen the skin barrier. This helps lessen the loss of the epidermis and keeps skin hydrated.

Now that you have gone through our curation of the best even tone serums to revive your skin, you must have a lot of questions. Fret not, we’ve got you covered!

It can be challenging to choose a tone correcting serum that works best for your skin as the market is cluttered with many such products. It is important you opt for the one best suited to your skin needs. 

• If you have dry or sensitive skin - when checking ingredient labels, look out for formulas that contain hyaluronic acid also known as sodium hyaluronate. It is one of the most common ingredients found in skin tone-correcting serums. It is a powerful humectant that binds moisture to the skin, leaving it refreshed, plump, and hydrated. Other potent hydrators which attract moisture include glycerin and aloe vera.

• If you want to brighten your skin - another key ingredient to check for is hydroquinone which is a widely famous skin lightening agent. It works by stimulating the production of melatonin in the skin which contributes to skin color. 

• If you want to unclog your pores - Any serum that contains AHAs and BHAs will work to buff away dead skin cells that clog the pores.

• If you want to increase collagen content: Other ingredients like vitamin C and kojic acid work to brighten skin by boosting collagen production. 

• If you want anti aging benefits - Opt for serums with retinol. Retinol firms skin and improves overall quality and texture.
• If you want exfoliation - Salicylic acid is your best friend since it does wonders for skin congested with dirt and debris and gently exfoliates and removes the impurities to clear complexion.

The best skin tone correcting serum is one that tends to your skin issue gently without making you break out or flare up with redness. Always invest in formulas that contain natural ingredients and do not contain parabens, sulfates, and alcohol. Over time these harsh chemicals deteriorate the skin’s innate make up and leave it dull and dehydrated.

Our contributor Ghanima Abdullah, an expert hair and beauty consultant, says, “Evening is the best time to use your skincare serum for maximum absorption and efficacy, because the skin thins overnight and repairs itself.” So, include a serum in your night routine too.

For best results, make sure you clean your face properly with a cleanser or facewash before you use a serum. Washing your face beforehand allows you to scrub off excess oils that might interfere with the effectiveness of the product. Do not wash your face post-serum application as it will wipe the serum off your face and nullify its effectiveness. 

Once the skin has mildly dried, pump a dollop of serum onto your palm and rub it to warm it up. Pat it gently onto your face and neck, massaging it in a circular motion. Allow it to soak into your skin for five to ten minutes. Once dry, follow up with a moisturizer to lock in the benefits of the even skin tone serum. 

Conclusion: Skin discoloration can occur over a multitude of factors, both internal and external. Whether it is harsh sun damage or merely poor genetics, there is no point crying over split milk. It’s time you take charge of your skin, and revive it for the better so you can feel your best, most flawless self! Our list of the ten best even tone correcting serum will not only help you eliminate discolorations and flaws but also protect your skin against future damage. Let us know which is your favorite product from the list!

Contributor: Dr. Vanita Rattan, Doctor and Cosmetic Formulator for SKin of Color

Ghanima Abdullah, Cosmetologist, The Right Hairstyles