Cover L’Oréal Paris Glycolic Bright Anti-Dark Spot Brightening Serum (Photo: L'Oreal Paris)
L’Oréal Paris Glycolic Bright Anti-Dark Spot Brightening Serum (Photo: L'Oreal Paris)
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In conversation with Dr Richard Betts, Scientific Director at L’Oréal Paris, we uncover the science behind Melasyl and how it’s set to transform the way we treat dark spots
For nearly two decades, L’Oréal Paris has been on a mission to tackle one of skincare’s most frustrating concerns: dark spots. This 18-year journey of extensive research and rigorous trials has culminated in a major scientific breakthrough with the development of Melasyl, a multi-patented molecule that intercepts the formation of excess melanin before it surfaces as visible hyperpigmentation on the skin, providing a universal solution for a brighter, more even complexion for all skin tones and types.
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This innovative ingredient takes centre stage in the reformulated L’Oréal Paris Glycolic Bright Anti-Dark Spot Brightening Serum. Powered by a potent blend of Melasyl™, glycolic acid, and niacinamide, this newly enhanced serum is clinically proven to significantly reduce various skin pigmentation manifestations, from sun damage and age spots to acne marks.
We had the opportunity to speak with Dr Richard Betts, Scientific Director at L’Oréal Paris, to learn more about the development of Melasyl, the science behind its unique efficacy, and how it enriches the new Glycolic-Bright Anti-Dark Spot Brightening Serum.
Above Dr. Richard Betts at the L’Oréal Paris House of Science in Malaysia
Dr. Richard Betts at the L’Oréal Paris House of Science in Malaysia
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What is Melasyl and what does it do?
Melasyl is the brand-new brightening and anti-dark spot molecule in the new Glycolic Bright serum by L’Oréal Paris, the culmination of 18 years of intensive research to find the best solution for fighting dark spots. The heart of a dark spot and uneven skin tone is the excess production of melanin, the key pigment responsible for skin tone. This excess melanin accumulates in some areas of the skin and not others, resulting in dark spots and uneven tone. The Melasyl in the new Glycolic Bright serum helps fight this excess melanin to reduce 77 per cent of sunspots, age spots and acne marks.
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Can you break down the science behind the effectiveness of Melasyl and what makes it so unique compared to other anti-pigmentation ingredients?
The strategy is simple; if you can reduce the excess melanin, you can fade the dark spot. The classical anti-dark spot approach, however, is to shut down melanin production. This can certainly work, but melanin is also critical for sun protection and is responsible for the huge diversity of skin tones we see across the world. Because of this, we were interested in other ways of controlling excess melanin. Melasyl works differently from the classical mechanism, by capturing the melanin precursors and stopping them from turning into the excess melanin.
The end result is excellent performance in fighting dark spots and improving skin tone evenness while respecting diverse skin tones. When we tested Melasyl against 13 other anti-pigmentation actives in a big published clinical study, we saw clear superiority for Melasyl in preventing pigmentation versus all others. This includes some of the most popular and common anti-dark spot ingredients, demonstrating how Melasyl is our strongest anti-pigmentation molecule yet.
It took 18 years of research to develop Melasyl. Can you share more about the process behind the development of this innovative ingredient and some of the challenges your team faced?
The discovery and development process for Melasyl was a massive, global research undertaking. We started with 100,000 different molecules and tested every single one. This takes years, and most of the molecules will fail these initial screenings. Some will be promising though and go to the next rounds of testing, and so the process goes. Large new ingredient projects like this will walk down many blind alleys; a molecule may initially look promising but ultimately doesn’t perform to expectation, or the efficacy may be good, but it doesn’t meet our high safety standards. There are constant setbacks but in the end. with the discovery of Melasyl, we were able to blend excellent efficacy with an extremely high level of safety to find that one in 100,000 needles in the molecule haystack.
The reformulated Glycolic Bright Serum combines Melasyl with glycolic acid and niacinamide. Can you explain how these ingredients work together to maximise the overall effectiveness of the product?
The way a dark spot forms is initially due to excess melanin production at the base of the skin’s upper layer, often due to age, sun exposure or inflammation such as from a pimple. This melanin then spreads through this layer and travels up to the skin surface, where we perceive the dark spot. If we can act on every step of this process, we can get the best results for fading the dark spot. The glycolic acid in Glycolic Bright has a gentle exfoliation effect, helping to remove some of that excess melanin on the skin’s surface. The niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties and fights the spread of excess melanin through the skin.
The star of the show is Melasyl, working at the heart of dark spots to capture the melanin precursors before they turn into the excess melanin—that is the foundation of dark spots and uneven skin tone. Hitting each step provides a comprehensive solution to even skin tone, fade dark spots and prevent them from coming back. This strategy is why 97 per cent of consumers in our clinical study agree that their skin looks brighter, and 94 per cent say their dark spots were reduced.
How did L’Oréal Paris ensure that the formulation of the Glycolic Bright Serum would be effective for various skin types, especially given that dark spots can be caused by a variety of factors?
Glycolic Bright with Melasyl was specifically formulated with Asian skin in mind. We have tested our formula on all different skin tones and skin types, including both sensitive skin and acne-prone skin in Asia, for a total of over 2,500 consumers worldwide. We have proven performance on different types of dark spots including sunspots, age spots and acne marks. These big clinical and consumer studies are time-consuming and expensive, but we know Glycolic Bright with Melasyl delivers the performance and is suitable for all different skin tones and skin types because we’ve done the work to generate the hard data.
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How should we incorporate the Glycolic Bright Serum into our skincare routines to ensure we get the best results?
There are a few key steps to get the best performance. Following a good skincare routine with a cleanser and toner is a good start. Apply Glycolic Bright serum twice a day for the best results, followed by a moisturiser to ensure our skin is hydrated. Finally—and this is critical—we need good sunscreen. UV exposure is a key aspect of causing dark spots to form and making the existing ones worse. We don’t want a situation where Glycolic Bright and Melasyl are working to fade your dark spots at the same time as UV exposure is making them worse, resulting in two opposing forces and sub-optimal results. Using a good quality sunscreen, such as L’Oréal Paris UV Defender, with high protection from UV and a very lightweight texture, will help ensure your skin has the best conditions for optimal Glycolic Bright performance.
Are there plans to incorporate Melasyl into other L’Oréal Paris products, perhaps a sunscreen or moisturiser?
For a new, high-efficacy ingredient like Melasyl we definitely want to find different ways to leverage its performance, so stay tuned for more innovation from L’Oréal Paris!
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Phyll Wu is the Style Writer of Tatler Malaysia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she's an avid fashion geek who loves all things beauty, pop-culture, and film.
