doTERRA Facial Cleanser for skin with dark spots
Melaleuca Alternifolia Tree Oil Leaf
Peppermint Oil
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Glycerin
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for skin with dark spots; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate cleansing and hydration for your normal skin, with Glycerin and Sodium PCA providing humectant benefits and Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil offering emollient action, though it lacks specialized ingredients to target your main goal of pigmentation.
- The formula is generally safe for your normal skin, as it avoids harsh ingredients and contains Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate and Glycerin in concentrations that gently cleanse without stripping natural moisture.
- This product is highly suitable for your normal skin type due to its humectant and emollient properties.
How to apply
- You can use this cleanser AM and PM every single day. Start slowly 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in your morning routine or the second step in your evening routine. Follow it with toner and moisturizer.
- Massage a small amount of cleanser gently onto your face using circular motions. Rinse well with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- For the best results, apply your cleanser directly to wet skin to help wash away dirt. Make sure your face is clean before you begin.
- Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes. Always do a quick patch test before using the product for the very first time.
Questions and answers
How well does doTERRA Facial Cleanser work for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser works moderately well for your skin, though other products fit dark spots better. It gently cleanses and hydrates with glycerin and macadamia oil, but a cleanser for this skin needs specialized brightening ingredients to effectively target dark spots.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser works for your skin because glycerin helps keep your skin soft by holding in moisture, while macadamia oil smooths it. However, a product for this skin needs soothing and brightening ingredients to effectively target dark spots.
What does Tea Tree Oil do for skin with dark spots?
Tea tree oil is typically used to target breakouts and blemishes rather than dark spots, though it helps calm angry skin. To effectively fade dark spots, this type of skin needs brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide.
Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 2007Antioxidants, 2023
What does Peppermint Oil do for skin with dark spots?
This product type may not be the best fit for dark spots, as peppermint oil lacks proven brightening ingredients. Skin with dark spots typically needs targeted ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, or gentle exfoliants to help fade discoloration and create a more even, smooth tone.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser goes in your morning and evening routine as the first cleansing step to gently wash your skin. To properly address dark spots, a cleanser of this type needs to be paired with targeted brightening ingredients and treatments.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser before retinol, as its gentle ingredients wash your face without stripping natural moisture. To care for dark spots, a cleanser of this type needs added brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide to help fade discoloration.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily as part of your morning and evening routine. It gently cleanses without stripping natural moisture, making it a safe choice to use regularly.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is generally safe for your skin and is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts, as it avoids harsh ingredients and gently cleanses without stripping natural moisture. To properly target dark spots, a product of this type needs specialized brightening ingredients.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body, but you should take care around the thin skin of the eyes as body and facial washes are often too strong for that delicate area. This gentle formula cleans without stripping natural moisture, though a product for dark spots needs targeted brightening ingredients.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol and limonene). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
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, 2017Sodium cocoyl isethionate micelles are too large to penetrate stratum corneum aqueous pores, resulting in significant steric hindrance that prevents skin barrier perturbation and explains its skin mildness.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Tea tree oil nanoemulsion containing adapalene gel demonstrated significantly greater reductions in total, inflammatory, and non-inflammatory acne lesions as well as acne severity index compared to adapalene marketed gel in 100 patients with acne vulgaris over 12 weeks.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022Topical 5% tea tree oil gel significantly improved total acne lesions and acne severity index compared to placebo in 60 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris, showing 3.55 times and 5.75 times greater efficacy respectively.
Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 2007Topical application of menthol-based cooling gel decreased intramuscular temperature by 1.9 °C and increased cutaneous blood flow by 0.3 ml/min in healthy males compared to placebo gel.
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2018Cooling skin temperature or applying topical menthol reduced histamine-induced itch intensity and flare diameters in healthy male volunteers.
Neuroscience Letters, 1995Topical 3.5% menthol gel decreased pain perception and resulted in 116.9% higher tetanic force compared to ice in 16 subjects with delayed onset muscle soreness.
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2012The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
Why other cleansers fit skin with dark spots better
Transgenic cucumber expressing poly-γ-glutamic acid synthesis genes increased water content by 6-14%, reduced water loss by 11-12%, decreased facial wrinkles and roughness by 19.58% and 24.97%, decreased skin melanin by 5.27%, and improved facial elasticity in human skin and zebrafish compared to controls.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Tree Oil Leaf, Peppermint Oil, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Phytate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Pca, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Yucca Filamentosa Root Extract, Limonene
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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.