This $19 Drugstore Face Cream Visibly Reduces Dark Spots

We updated this article in March 2023 to ensure all products tested and vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab were in stock, available and accurately priced.

When dark spots (a.k.a. sun spots, age spots or hyperpigmentation) pop up, they can make your complexion look uneven, less clear and even dull. Dark spots can appear on your face, hands and décolletage as a result of sun exposure, genetics, hormones and inflammation, says Howard Murad, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and founder of Murad Skincare, and often become more prevalent with age.

Instead of just covering them with concealer, seek out a dark spot corrector skincare product that can help fade hyperpigmentation for good. "Dark spot correctors are used to lighten and diminish skin hyperpigmentation resulting from acne, sun damage or an otherwise uneven skin tone," says Alan J. Parks, M.D., dermatologist and founder of DermWarehouse in Columbus, Ohio. "They work by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, which is responsible for the production of melanin in the skin, and may also increase the rate at which skin cells renew themselves, ridding the skin of the dead, damaged cells faster and making way for fresh, new cells."

Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab scientists evaluate hundreds of skincare products every year, including ones that claim to correct dark spots, from moisturizers and pore minimizers to serums including anti-aging, antioxidant and vitamin C serums. The products are analyzed both in the Lab using technical instruments over a set time period and with consumers at home, who provide feedback on factors like ease of use and look and feel of skin before and after application. Hundreds of data points are then collated to find the most effective products to remove dark spots on the face and body.

Our top picks:

Whether your dark spots are from the sun, post-acne scarring darkened by UV exposure or caused by melasma, read all about the best dark spot correctors that really work, as tested by the GH Beauty Lab and recommended by dermatologists. Pair the right dark spot corrector for your skin with one of our top-tested night creams or anti-aging wrinkle creams.