In an industry where there is an overwhelming amount of product launches daily, Product Of The Week helps you cut through the noise. To help you find your new beauty and wellness favorites, this series highlights the tried-and-true products that our writers can’t live without.
My biggest insecurity? Hyperpigmentation. For as long as I can remember, it wasn’t the pimples I had a real problem with. It was the irremovable mark they left behind. Not just on my self-confidence, but on my skin. For so long, it made me feel like my skin was unhealthy or constantly needing to be fixed. So, when I tried EADEM’s new The Mark Advanced Dark Spot Concentrate, I realized there was hope.
While I’m a regular tretinoin and Lotion P50T user, the only targeted treatment I had in my skincare arsenal were pimple patches, which target active blemishes—not necessarily the aftermath. That’s the whole point of this dark spot concentrate—it’s like a pimple patch for dark spots (but can also be used on new and healing blemishes).
For one, because the gel-patch texture locks onto where it’s actually applied, working to brighten just the dark spot as opposed to my entire face. But also, the actual applicator is skinny and precise unlike other hyperpigmentation products on the market, including the ones I use. While my skin is used to tretinoin (a prescription-strength retinoid), salicylic and lactic acid, the ingredients behind The Mark are a bit different.
Its actives are tranexamic acid, which address what’s causing the dark spot in the first place, like inflammation and pigment transfer. Alpha arbutin brightens the spot to make your skin tone more even. And, finally, kojic acid, which works similarly to alpha arbutin but for lingering discoloration. Then, there’s a tone-refining peptide (Acetyl Glycol Beta-Alanine to be exact) which helps reduce the appearance of future discoloration. And, of course, what holds it all together on your mark: hydrating glycerin, spreadable butylene glycol, and film-forming sodium polyacrylate.
But, more than just the science behind the product (which may be hard to understand), what’s more important is that it visibly works. In a 6-week consumer perception study, 95 percent of participants agreed this was the best dark spot treatment they had used, with the majority reporting clearer, smoother, more even-looking skin over time. And, I couldn’t agree more.