Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum for skin with dark spots

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Questions and answers

What the research says

• Chronomodulated daytime application of baicalin and nighttime application of palmitoyl tripeptide-1 synergistically improved skin luminance by 16.29%, nasolabial fold depth by -36.35%, and firmness by 24.35% in 30 female participants.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026

• A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

  Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

• Chemical sunscreens containing avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, and octisalate showed no to minimal risks of dermal irritation, sensitization, photo-allergy, and photo-irritation in human subjects.

  Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025

• A multi-modal methodology combining MALDI-MSI, in vivo RCM, echography, and histology revealed age-related decreases in extracellular matrix and epidermal-dermal junction proteins and undulation depth, while a blend of palmitoyl oligopeptide and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 improved subepidermal low-echogenic band thickness, density, and extracellular matrix structure compared to placebo.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2015

• Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, acetyl hexapeptide-8, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-10 significantly increased type III collagen levels in human dermal fibroblasts following UV exposure, with their combination demonstrating a greater effect in vitro and enhancing type I, III, and IV collagen levels in ex vivo skin tissues compared to individual components.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026

• Encapsulation of ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane in lipid microparticles significantly reduced their in vivo human skin penetration compared to nonencapsulated filters.

  Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011

• Microencapsulation of the BMDBM/HP-beta-CD complex in lipid microparticles significantly decreased the percutaneous penetration of the UV filter into the stratum corneum of human volunteers compared to the non-encapsulated sunscreen agent.

  Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011

• Following human skin application of an O/W emulsion containing 2% BMDBM loaded in lipospheres, 15% of the sunscreen accumulated in the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum without remarkably modifying skin permeation compared to unencapsulated sunscreen.

  Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2008

• Dermal application of a sunscreen containing 10% homosalate in four volunteers resulted in delayed elimination with terminal half-times around 24 h and a bioavailability of cis-homosalate a factor of 2 lower than trans-homosalate, while metabolite ratios supported using oral-route urinary excretion fractions for dermal exposure assessments.

  Archives of Toxicology, 2024

• Homosalate exhibited the highest permeation among tested filters with a relative permeability rate of 4.2% and a depth of 60 um, and specific thickeners and emulsifiers successfully reduced its permeation without inhibiting the skin permeation of niacinamide.

  Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2026

• An online-SPE-LC-MS/MS method successfully quantified specific urinary homosalate metabolites for up to 96 hours after dermal sunscreen application in a volunteer and detected metabolites exclusively in three German pilot participants who had used sunscreen within five days.

  Analytica Chimica Acta, 2021

• Simulated real-life dermal sunscreen exposure in twenty human volunteers leads to the systemic bioavailability and urinary excretion of the UV filter 2-ethylhexyl salicylate and its metabolite, reaching concentration peaks at 7 to 8 hours with 70-80% of overall excretion within 24 hours.

  Archives of Toxicology, 2019

• The application of a sunscreen formulation containing ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate, methyl anthranilate, and octocrylene does not significantly affect critical acne-related species such as Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, refuting the induction of facial dysbiosis in men.

  Archives of Dermatological Research, 2024

• Controlled single dermal exposure to an EHS-containing sunscreen in three volunteers resulted in delayed systemic resorption with elimination half-lives between 6.6 and 9.7 hours, where the parent compound EHS occurred as the dominant urinary parameter.

  Archives of Toxicology, 2024

• Incorporating rosmarinic acid into sunscreens enhanced the in vivo SPF of octocrylene by over 157% and reduced lipid peroxidation in the human stratum corneum.

  Antioxidants, 2025

• Early application of sunscreen after ablative fractional skin resurfacing significantly increased the sensitization rate of the UV-filter, octocrylene, and the sunscreen compared to intact skin.

  The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2015

• Dermal sunscreen exposure in 20 healthy volunteers led to plasma concentrations of avobenzone, octocrylene, and its metabolite CDAA reaching up to 11 μg/L, 25 μg/L, and 1352 μg/L, respectively.

  Environment International, 2019

Ingredients

Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Water, Glycerin, C15-19 Alkane, Propanediol, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Octenylsuccinate Starch, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Helianthus Annuus Wax Seed Sunflower Wax Seed, Hydroxypropyl Phosphate Starch, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Polyglycerin-3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.