Best Sunscreen for Hyperpigmentation: What to Look For

Every skincare expert will tell you, sunscreen is the most important step no matter what your skincare goal is. My personal skincare goal is to fade my post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. I’ve spent my fair share of money buying fading creams, brightening serums, soaps, gels, you name it. But essentially none of that matters if your skin isn’t properly protected.

So I decided to do a deep dive to determine if any of the sunscreens in my skincare stash have doing me any justice. And to my surprise only the sunscreen that has been fully protecting my skin is Supergoop Protectint Daily SPF 50. You can check out my first impression of the Supergroup Protectint Sunscreen here but today I’m going to break down what I’ve learned so you can make progress on your hyperpigmentation journey too.

Sometimes all we need is better understanding to solve our issues.

What Is Hyperpigmentation?

There are different types of hyperpigmentation and with that come different routines to help fade these spots. Hyperpigmentation is any patch of skin that has become darker than your normal skin tone.

The skin becomes darker because it produces too much melanin, as a response to protect it from damage. The types of hyperpigmentation are categorized by the cause; hormonal changes, eczema, burns, long term UV exposure, genetics, etc.

The most common is post inflammatory hyperpigmentation which s what I’ve struggled with over the years. Caused mainly from my in ability to resist popping a pimple and the monthly date I have with my chin and a pair of tweezers.

Light makes hyperpigmentation worst. How? UVA and UVB triggers melanin production and makes your skin think it needs more protection.

Even a few minutes of exposure adds up over time.

Here’s a surprising fact: Visible light also worsens hyperpigmentation! Phone lights, ring lights, indoor lights. That’s why we need to do a deeper dive to understand which sunscreen will actually give us results. If your current sunscreen only protects against UV light, this may be part of the reason you’re not getting your desired results.

Another interesting fact is that heat can also trigger melanin production through inflammation. Personally, I get eczema flare ups in the summer. My skin becomes so inflamed with tiny bumps and by the time the inflammation has calmed down on a cooler day I’m left with dry, dark, peeling skin.

Without sunscreen, your routines wont work as effectively and results wont last.

What does sunscreen do for hyperpigmentation?

Sunscreen shields your skin from harmful light. Our skin is exposed to light all day and tiggers our skin cells to produce melanin as a defense mechanism.

✘ Without sunscreen, light hits your skin, your skin makes more melanin, and your dark spots get darker.

✓ With sunscreen, harmful light is blocked, melanin production isn’t triggered as much, and dark spots can actually start to fade.

There’s a myth with in our community that darker skin does not need sunscreen because we already have a lot of melanin. But the truth is there’s a difference is in the way our skin responses to UV ray: darker skin may tan or darken. Lighter skin may burn or peel.

Sunscreen Non-Negotiables: SPF and Broad Spectrum

Lets decode what we’re actually looking at while standing in the sunscreen aisle. Instead of staring at a wall of numbers let actually breakdown what you should be looking for.

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) protects you from UVB rays. UVB are the rays responsible for burning the skin; hints the “B”.

When you see SPF + a number, this is telling you how long you can stay in the sun. So to keep things simple the higher the number the longer you plan to be out in the sun. SPF 30 is good for daily commutes, running errands, etc. If your planning on doing eventful activities where you plan to be outside longer like going to a festival or beach SPF 50 would be the better choice.

Since our goal is to decrease the appearance of dark marks the term broad spectrum is non-negotiable.

We mentioned how UVB causes sunburns, but UVA actually goes even deeper triggering dark spots and premature aging. A sunscreen can have an SPF of 50 and still provide no protection against UVA rays. When you see broad spectrum it simply means you’ll be protected against both type of rays.

Mineral or Chemical Sunscreen: Which One is Better for Hyperpigmentation?

Before you get flashbacks of the white cast you sported last summer, there’s actually a method to the madness.

Both mineral and chemical sunscreen will protect your skin from UV damage but they work differently especially when it comes to hyperpigmentation.

Mineral sunscreen sits on top of the skin and blocks UV rays by using ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These two ingredients are sunscreen filters, they block and scatter UV rays. Best part about mineral sunscreen is it starts working as soon as it’s applied.

The ingredient in chemical sunscreen gets absorbed into the skin and turns the UV rays into heat.

This fact alone is why chemical sunscreen is not the best choice for hyperpigmentation. The heat itself can trigger hyperpigmentation, but it’s the popular choice because it’s typically lightweight and easy to blend compared to mineral sunscreen.

Ingredients that will work overtime

Now a days you can find many sunscreens that are formulated with skincare ingredients that will give your skin some extra help to fade hyperpigmentation. Here are some common ingredients you might spot on the label.

Niacinamide: Reduces the inflammation that triggers pigmentation, strengthens the skin barrier
Licorice Root: reduces melanin production
Vitamin C: brightens skin tone
Vitamin E: Supports skin repair

The Gatekept Secret: Tinted sunscreen

I always thought of tinted sunscreen as a makeup preference and not a skincare staple. But a good tinted sunscreen can help simplify your makeup routine by replacing your SPF, moisturizer and light coverage foundation in one step.

At this point you’re probably asking yourself, “should I buy a mineral sunscreen or a tinted sunscreen?” To keep it simple, in mineral sunscreen you’ll find titanium dioxide which is what give you that white cast we hate to see.

Tinted sunscreens have iron oxides which acts like a pigmented filter, blocking out both visible light and blue light. This is important because some studies have shown that visible light can cause more pigmentations in darker skin than UV rays.

So if your goal is to fade hyperpigmentation, a tinted sunscreen is your best bet. You’re getting protection against both UV and visible light, plus the bonus of simplifying your morning routine in one step.

	Chemical Sunscreen	Mineral Sunscreen	Tinted Mineral Sunscreen
Key Ingredients	Avobenzone, octinoxate, oxybenzone	Zinc oxide, titanium dioxide	Zinc oxide, titanium dioxide + iron oxides
UV Protection	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Visible Light Protection	✘ No	✘ No	✓ Yes
White Cast?	None	Yes	Minimal to None
Best For	General sun protection, all skin tones	Sensitive skin	Hyperpigmentation/ Redness

If your goal is to fade dark spots is remember you’re battling more than just UV rays. Even a high SPF won’t protect against visual light, which can trigger melanin production and worsen dark spots. A tinted formula will.