Reduce Sun Damage with These Beauty Expert-Approved Skincare Products

Experience is a funny thing. Sometimes you learn from an experience immediately, and sometimes it takes years for the lesson to sink in. As a SoCal native, I grew up in the sun and only wore “suntan lotion” when I went to the beach. Years spent at outdoor sporting events and family gatherings in the sun have taken their toll, but that doesn’t mean I’m not battling back with everything I can find.

Properly formulated skincare can and has improved the evidence of my sun seeking ways, and manufacturers have seriously stepped up their ingredient game and started delivering efficacious topicals for at-home use that can help reduce the appearance of sun damage while also fighting off daily environmental stressors.

Here are five that are overwhelmingly approved by Beautytap’s community of professional beauty experts. And they all easily slip into any routine, whether you’re looking for a toner, serum, or moisturizing multitasker.

Gentle Acids + Vitamin C Sweep Away Dead Skin and Help Reduce Discoloration

Skin brightening ingredients aren’t just found in serums. For those in search of a quick sweep-on product that tackles the telltale signs of healed acne or those dreaded sun-induced dark marks, Versed is a champ. The Weekend Glow Brightening Toner combines four beloved acids – azelaic, glycolic, lactic, and kojic acid – in a non-irritating formula that will have you loving how your skin looks and feels even before you apply anything else. In addition, you’ll find bearberry extract plus vitamin C, which further brighten skin without stripping away its moisture. It’s gentle enough for daily use, and you’ll even find it at Target.

Exosomes Repair Skin at the Cellular Level

For next level skin improvement for challenged skin, regenerative skincare is key. The INTENSE Serum from (plated)™ Skin Science minimizes the look of brown spots, dullness, redness, and wrinkles via a calming serum that also prevents further environmental damage. Through the brand’s clinical trials, the Renewosome™ technology helped participants boost collagen production, and 98% said they would continue using the product after the trial period. Why? Trillions of exosomes act as intercellular messengers and exchange proteins and lipids with damaged cells. Keep in mind that skin rejuvenation takes time, and you should start seeing results after six weeks. And if you’re currently using Retin-A and experiencing skin irritation (like me) adding the (plated) Intense Serum to your nighttime routine may help your skin look more even and less red each morning.

Add a Brightening Multi-tasker to Your Routine

When it comes to brightening products, the serum category is jam-packed with options … maybe too many. If you already have a dedicated serum, it may be time to consider a moisturizer, makeup primer, or sleeping mask instead. The NUDESKIN Citrus-C Mask & Daily Moisturizer does all three, thanks to vitamin C-rich fermented yuzu oil. I have normal-to-dry skin and enjoyed using this turmeric-infused cream as a sleeping mask. It forms an occlusive barrier to lock in moisture overnight and gives my skin a radiant glow upon waking.

Never Underestimate the Power of Ingredient Cocktailing

For years, vitamin C has been the darling of the skin brightening world, but a host of other ingredients are giving it a run for its money. Niacinamide and licorice root are practically omnipresent in Korean skin brightening formulas, and small research studies have found promising evidence that tranexamic acid improves the appearance of hyperpigmentation in individuals with melasma.

The Problem Solver Brightening Treatment from YSE Beauty by Molly Sims is a creamy cocktail that banishes dark spots and boosts overall brightness while you sleep. If you suffer from post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) from healed acne, niacinamide can improve its appearance while also making your pores look smaller. Couple that with brightening licorice root extract and tranexamic acid, and you get a dreamy trifecta of skin improving goodness in a pillowy nighttime treatment that makes skin silky soft simultaneously.

Choose Encapsulated Retinol and Retinal for Irritation-Free Results

When thinking of sun damage and skin brightening, retinol may not be the first product that comes to mind. Yes, it encourages faster skin cell turnover, but it’s still going to take a while and irritate your skin, right? Wrong! Microencapsulated retinol is, quite literally, delivered to the deeper layers of the skin via a protective carrier – often a lipid or fatty acid. Much like mixing essential oils with jojoba oil or sweet almond oil, encapsulating retinol molecules in a moisturizing ingredient reduces the risk of topical irritation while improving the ingredient’s stability.

Encapsulated retinol works for all types of skin – including sensitive skin – and the Cosmedix Serum 24 Renewal Complex contains both encapsulated retinol and retinal – the latter being the closest approximation to prescription strength vitamin A (aka tretinoin or Retin-A. Retinal works faster than retinol, and by encapsulating both molecules, Cosmedix has lowered the likelihood of irritation. If you’re planning to introduce a product like this into your routine, try it a few nights per week initially to see how your skin responds.

With time, you may be able to work up to nightly usage without experiencing the flakiness and irritation inherent in prescription retinoids. P.S. Plan to wear sunscreen every single day. You want to protect that new, bright skin from further damage.

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What is your favorite product for reducing the appearance of sun damage?