Hyperpigmentation Claims Are on the Rise

Over the past few years, the industry has been abuzz with Sephora Kids, but what about the rest of us skincare users?

According to JAMA Dermatology, acne affects only about 12% of women over age 34. With a number that low, why do 43% of new skincare launches since 2020 in Mintel’s GNPD feature brightening and anti-blemish claims? While TikTok feeds overflow with consumers yearning for smoother, clearer skin, one has to wonder: Is acne really to blame for these woes?

Not all facial blemishes are acne, and only recently has the online conversation started to break blemishes into subcategories. Two of the biggest culprits are Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation and Post-Inflammatory Erythema. And while there's still very little mainstream language around either, we’re here to break it down for you. Here's your TL; DR.

PIH vs PIE

What is it?

• PIH (Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation) is a condition where inflammation in the skin triggers an overproduction of melanin, leaving behind excess pigment and dark spots.

PIE (Post-Inflammatory Erythema) is when acne and inflammation damage the small blood vessels just beneath the surface of the skin, leaving broken capillaries.

How it appears

• PIH: Depending on your skin tone, PIH shows up as brown, gray, or black spots. It's more common in medium-to-dark skin tones, where melanin production is naturally higher. These spots can darken with UV exposure, which makes sun protection essential.

• PIE: These marks appear pink, red, or purple. PIE usually follows inflammation from rosacea, acne, trauma-like skin picking, or harsh treatments, and it's most common in fair and lighter skin tones.

What's Happening Beneath the Surface

• PIH is a melanin response. When inflammation disrupts the skin, melanocytes overproduce melanin, leaving brown-to-black marks. These spots are pigments sitting in the skin.

• PIE is a vascular response. When a blemish damages the skin's top layer, tiny blood vessels dilate and leak, leaving a pink, red, or purplish mark. These spots aren't pigment at all. They're dilated capillaries showing through the skin.

How to Treat

Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation is all about accelerating cell turnover and inhibiting tyrosinase.

Cell turnover

• AHAs: water-soluble acids derived from natural sources like sugarcane, milk, and almonds. These chemical exfoliants buff away dead skin for a smoother, brighter tone. The most popular acids are glycolic, lactic, and mandelic.
• Retinol & retinoids: speed up cell turnover and stimulate collagen production, helping pigmented cells shed faster.

Inhibiting tyrosinase

• Alpha-Arbutin: inhibits the enzyme responsible for melanin production.
• Niacinamide: interrupts the transfer of pigment to surface skin cells and helps fade existing spots.
• Kojic Acid: a natural metabolite that inhibits tyrosinase activity.
• Tranexamic Acid: interrupts melanin synthesis by inhibiting tyrosinase.
• Vitamin C: brightens and supports melanin regulation while adding antioxidant protection.
• SPF: prevents further UV exposure, which can darken PIH.

Post-Inflammatory Erythema is all about blood flow. Stick with soothing, anti-inflammatory ingredients.

• Aloe Vera: calms inflammation and soothes redness while supporting skin repair.
• Azelaic Acid: antibacterial and anti-inflammatory; reduces redness and excess keratinization.
• Green Tea Extract: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory; helps buffer the effects of UV damage.
• Retinoids: support cell turnover, gradually softening the appearance of PIE.
• Niacinamide: reduces redness and supports barrier repair.
• SPF: limits UV exposure, which can otherwise aggravate vascular inflammation.

The Takeaway

Here's the thing: brightening claims will keep climbing, but a serum can't do its job if it's aimed at the wrong target. PIH and PIE can look nearly identical in the mirror, yet they live in completely different layers of the skin. One is pigment, the other is plumbing. Treating one like the other is how people end up six products deep with nothing to show for it.

So before you reach for the next "anti-blemish" launch, figure out what you're actually looking at. Press gently on the mark, if it briefly fades or blanches, you're likely dealing with PIE. If it stays put, it's probably PIH. From there, the ingredient list does the talking.

And whatever camp you fall into, the one product both have in common is SPF. Pigment darkens in the sun and inflamed vessels flare in the sun, so daily protection isn't the boring afterthought. It's the whole strategy.

The brands paying attention to this distinction are the ones who'll earn trust in a category that's about to get very crowded. If you want to chat more about creating the next miracle PIE or PIH product, reach out to a member of our sales team!