Licorice extract, an active ingredient for hyperpigmented skin.

Pigment spots often impact the uniformity of the complexion. Some may appreciate them and even want to highlight them, while others sometimes want to camouflage them and seek solutions to diminish them.

Hyperpigmentation is defined as a disruption in the pigmentation process (melanogenesis).I t involves melanin, the pigment responsible for the natural coloration of the skin, being overproduced in certain areas, leading to the appearance of brown, red, or pink spots. These spots vary in size and affect all skin tones. They can be classified into three categories:

• the melasma or pregnancy mask, related to hormonal imbalances;

• thelentigo or sun spots, caused by excessive and repeated sun exposure;

• thepost-inflammatory hyperpigmentation which results from an overproduction of melanin following inflammation (injuries, burns, blemishes, acne outbreaks).

The use of certain perfumes and the intake of certain medications, such as contraceptive pills, can also be causes of hyperpigmentation. Furthermore,there are also instances where the amount of melanin produced by the body is not sufficient. In this case, it is ahypopigmentationwhich leads to the appearance ofwhite spots.

Melanogenesis represents the complex biological process intended to color the skin, hair, and eyes. This function is carried out by melanocytes, which synthesize pigments, known as melanins, and distribute them in the epidermal keratinocytes.

There are two chemically distinct types of melanins in epidermal cells:

• the eumelanins, brown to black pigments;

• Pheomelanins, red to yellow pigments, with a high concentration of sulfur.