A certain K-beauty line has been gaining popularity as of late, but there’s nothing particularly glamorous about it. Armpits on display; textured skin, dark spots and the natural pigments of the body; these girls are raising up their arms to the world—for the benefit of everyone out there. The products they’re all raving about? Medicube’s Kojic Acid Turmeric line, now considered a holy grail for treating hyperpigmentation in an especially stubborn area: your underarms.
@donatsuyang Kojic acid and turmeric make an excellent duo for treating hyperpigmentation @medicube global #hyperpigmentation #darkspots #kojicacid #skincare #medicubepartner ♬ original sound – Doona✿
No one is stranger to the darker spots or uneven shadows in our underarm area. It makes the best of us self-conscious, especially during a summer beach holiday or simply when we’re wearing a tank top out. Yet, no matter how much scrubbing we do in the shower, these dark patches have declared their longevity. To equate the everyday affair to a bout of bad personal hygiene or specific health issues, however, would be a falsehood. It is a natural occurrence for most of us, and considering how it traps heat, sweat and bacteria on a daily basis—especially in a humid climate like ours—there are plenty of reasons why we may have dark underarms. A variety of factors are often at play; think skin irritation due to the use of chemical deodorants or shaving, friction from wearing skin-tight clothes, and hormonal fluctuations, which directly affects melanin production.
Inhibiting melanin production
It is the latter—melanin production—which can be actively countered by the two abovementioned ingredients in Medicube’s current star line. Melanin is what gives us our colour; the production of melanin being the biological process that is responsible for creating the pigment of our skin, eyes and hair. On the flipside, kojic acid and turmeric both directly inhibit melanin production, by preventing the formation of a specific enzyme, tyrosinase, that is required to produce melanin. Overall, they’re effective in working together to fade any discolouration or dark spots that have been aged or left behind on the skin.
Understandably, there is no such thing as a miracle product—or ingredient for that matter. For one, whilst kojic acid, turmeric and other ingredients such as vitamin C help to prevent melanin production, they do not necessarily fade or counteract against pre-existing melanin. Kojic acid as an ingredient alone, might be preferred to vitamin C for some, especially if they have sensitive skin. Meanwhile, actives such as niacinamide help prevent melanin transfer, meaning it prevents pigment from reaching the outer skin layers. To add, any one of the above might need to be combined with topical retinoids to help to exfoliate and increase cell turnover—shedding dead skin cells and the pigmented top layer as you go. Armed with this knowledge, here’s a Vogue-approved list of products that might go the long way in helping to brighten up your underarms—or any stubborn dark spots on your skin for that matter—and combat hyperpigmentation.
