Whether you’re trying to fade a dark spot left behind by acne or spots that surface thanks to sun damage, one thing is for certain. It can be incredibly hard and frustrating to treat the condition as it’s not about simply lightening them. It requires you to address the cells responsible for your skin’s colour called melanocytes that deposit excess pigment into the deeper layers of your skin.
This knowledge, however, wasn’t lost on Chanel when they released the Le Blanc line in 2011 which contained an ingredient called the TXC molecule. A propriety one to the House, it had a 360-degree action plan against hyperpigmentation. It lightens the surface spots by “breaking” them up while getting the melanocytes to “behave” in a way that they stop depositing excess pigmentation in the first place.
One of the latest products in the line is what the House calls the Intensive Multi-Spot Treatment, a pen that contains a high concentration of TXC that is suspended within a gel-balm texture to absorb almost instantly into the skin. While it has the possibility of quickly fading fresh acne scarring, Chanel instead has designed the product to treat deep-seated dark spots like age or sun-induced spots which typically take much longer to fade.
While it can be used as a face treatment for the entire face, a tip is to pump a small amount onto your hand and use a cotton bud to pick up a small amount of the product before applying it strategically on spots. Chanel even recommends it as a pore-reducing product thanks to the inclusion of lemon balm extract.
The next consideration for the House when it comes to the brightening of complexions was a reformulation of their Le Blanc Brightening Compact, a powder foundation that provides high coverage, and the coverage itself against UV damage. Chanel considered what are some more modern aggressors that cause the skin to go into hyperpigmentation overdrive and they deduced two things.
Firstly, traffic-related air pollutants cause stress to the skin, which impedes their ability to regulate melanin production. Secondly, rising global temperatures where the heat induces inflammation, which stimulates melanin formation. Chanel’s solution was to invent two separate technologies for the compact foundation with one being an anti-adhesive field that fends off pollution particles and the second, a thermal complex that acts as a “blanket” to keep the temperature of your skin a constant.
Used as a foundation, the Le Blanc Brightening Compact provides impressive coverage like a liquid one does but if you use it with a brush, expect an illuminating effect like a loose powder can give. The compact can be used too as a natural-looking highlighter if you go one shade down but what is the brightest idea for the range? Using both products together for a full spot-treating experience.