PoreWise One finding · Review article · 2026
Study title
The Influence of Sunscreen Use on Skin Pigmentation Disorders: Melasma, Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation, and Vitiligo
- Kind of evidence
- Review article 2026 · People with melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or vitiligo · PMID 42793277
- Measured outcome
- Skin effect
- Year
- 2026
- Who was studied
- People with melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or vitiligo
- Sample size
- Measured outcome
- A 2026 review of the 2015-2025 literature concluded that sun protection plays a central role in the prevention and treatment of pigmentation disorders including melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and that broad-spectrum sunscreens with visible-light protection may enhance protection against hyperpigmentation.
- Certainty
- Moderate
- Who was measured
- People managing or preventing pigmentation disorders, particularly melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; those with darker skin phototypes (IV-VI) where visible light can worsen hyperpigmentation.
- Study limits
- 2026 · People with melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or vitiligo. · PMID 42793277
Where it comes from
- The Influence of Sunscreen Use on Skin Pigmentation Disorders: Melasma, Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation, and Vitiligo
Published by Current Issues in Molecular Biology (Azevedo B, Lorigo M, Cairrao E) · Last checked 2026-11-10
Ingredients it was measured on
Skin concerns studied
Other findings on the same ingredient or concern
- Skin effectSunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial
In a randomized controlled community trial of 903 adults under 55, daily use of a broad-spectrum SPF 15+ sunscreen slowed skin aging over 4.5 years: the daily-sunscreen group showed 24% less photoaging than the discretionary-use group (relative odds 0.76, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.98). The trial measured the act of using a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Human trial · 2013 · 903 people · adults under 55 in Nambour, Australia · Daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen in adults under 55 living in a high-UV climate. · The trial assigned a broad-spectrum sunscreen. It ran in Australia at a high-UV latitude and stopped at 4.5 years, and the relative effect was modest (24%).
- Legal limitsCosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database
UV filters are permitted up to the maximum concentrations set by each market's regulation.
Official ingredient listing · Products making a sunscreen claim. Limits differ between the EU, the US and China. · Reapplication and the amount applied matter more than the label. · Ingredient database · AVOBENZONE · HOMOSALATE · OCTISALATE
- Skin effectA double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial of Serratulae quinquefoliae folium, a new source of beta-arbutin, in selected skin hyperpigmentations
In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of 102 women with melasma or solar lentigo, a cream with 2.51% arbutin applied twice daily for 8 weeks lightened discolouration in 75.86% of the melasma group and 56.00% of the solar-lentigo group.
Human trial · 2015 · 102 people · women (54 study / 48 control) with melasma or solar lentigo · Women aged 26-55 with melasma or solar lentigo, applying a 2.51% arbutin cream twice daily for 8 weeks. · The active was an aqueous extract standardised to 2.51% arbutin.
- Skin effectA cream of herbal mixture to improve melasma
In a randomized, double-blind, controlled study of 90 volunteers with melasma, the arbutin-cream arm showed a significant fall in melasma severity score from 12.65 to 10.84 over 12 weeks; two participants had mild erythema and itching that resolved after stopping the cream.
Human trial · 2019 · 90 people · volunteers with melasma · Volunteers with melasma using an arbutin cream twice daily for 12 weeks (one of three arms: herbal mixture, arbutin cream, placebo). · Small per-arm sample and a single active agent among three comparison groups; tolerability was good overall with two mild irritation events.
- Skin effectRandomized Clinical Trial on the Efficacy of Oral Tranexamic Acid Versus Topical Tranexamic Acid in Treatment of Melasma
In a randomized trial of 50 female melasma patients, a topical 5% tranexamic acid cream applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced the Melasma Area and Severity Index by 50.88% (p=0.001).
Human trial · 2025 · 50 people · female melasma patients · Female melasma patients applying a 5% topical tranexamic acid cream twice daily for 12 weeks (compared with an oral tranexamic acid arm). · Small sample (50) and a single-centre study; the trial compared topical against oral tranexamic acid.