99 Problems But a Spot Ain’t One

Dark spots can be annoying since they take a long time to fade, but Clinique’s newest addition promises a more even skin tone in just two weeks.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Dark spots can be annoying since they take a long time to fade, but Clinique’s newest addition promises a more even skin tone in just two weeks.

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Those who have dark spots would understand the pain of trying to treat them. Caused by inflammation and hyperpigmentation, these spots may emerge after you’ve had a breakout or a day out without sufficient sun protection. If you already see a few on your face, fret not. These spots are usually your skin’s way of shielding itself from UV rays, especially after inflammations like pimples.

Although they’re generally harmless, nobody likes having them. It doesn’t help that these dark spots usually take weeks – or even months – to fade away. But here’s the good news: dark spots are not permanent if you treat them early and diligently. And here’s the extra good news: the new Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector & Optimizer promises to diminish their appearance after just two weeks of use. How? By blending brightening ingredients into one super skin corrector called the CL-302 complex, that’s how.

There’s a botanical extract for reducing pigmentation, an exfoliating ingredient to help remove pigmented skin cells, a vitamin C derivative to lighten dark spots, and yeast extract to break clusters of pigment into smaller particles, making them easier to deal with. The serum also works preventatively by improving the condition of your skin, nourishing it with the nutrients it needs to fight free radical damage.

Most notably, the formula contains extract from the Gyokuro green tea plant, which has very potent levels of antioxidants and anti-irritants. The Gyokuro leaves are first sheltered from the sun for at least two weeks before the picking process, and only the youngest leaf buds are selected. This is to ensure optimal levels of caffeine and theanine in the leaves, which soothes inflammation. To deliver all this brightening goodness to your skin uniformly, Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector & Optimizer comes in a dual-chamber bottle – one containing the dark spot corrector formula and the other containing the optimiser formula. Just one pump twice a day is enough to reveal a brighter, more luminous complexion in two weeks.

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Want a radiant, even skin tone all year round? Here’s what you need to do.
+Don’t touch your pimples: Bacteria causes inflammation, which causes hyperpigmentation, which leads to dark spots. So when you touch your pimples, you’re just spreading more of that bacteria around.

+Cleanse and exfoliate: A thorough cleanse daily helps to kill off the abovementioned bacteria and regular exfoliation gets rid of dead skin cells, which helps your skin absorb products better.

+Don’t forget your sunscreen Your body produces melanin – which causes the dark spots – to protect your skin from getting burnt. To prevent that, load up on the SPF!

+Reach for your Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector & Optimizer at the first sign of trouble The faster you get to it, the faster the spots will fade.