Top 12 Beauty Innovations of the Year

THE DEAL: Countless dark- splotch fixers have inhabited our cabinets, but many of our freckle pile-ups return shortly after the bottle runs dry. Lancôme’s Dreamtone attempts to end the ricochet effect with a new target. Previously, it was believed that overactive melanocytes (cells that produce melanin), spurred on by genetic and environmental elements such as sun exposure, were the cause of hyper-pigmentation. But scientists have discovered that these melanin factories are greatly affected by collagen-constructing cells called fibroblasts. This serum—300 trials and nine patents in the making— aims to keep fibroblasts effective using peptides and a proprietary sugar-protein molecule (Pro-Xylane). In one clinical study, murky patches stayed clear for at least four weeks after 12 weeks of treatment. Available for three skin tones, each lightweight lotion is spiked with an additional skin-perfecting ingredient: micro-algae to fight fair skin’s redness, mushroom extract to correct medium skin sallowness and salicylic acid to lighten dark skin blemishes.
IT WORKS: Our brighter skin isn’t perfect yet, but we’ve left the house foundation-free.