La Roche-Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ for skin with dark spots
La Roche-Posay Prebiotic Thermal Water
Shea Butter
Niacinamide
Glycerin
Coco-BetaineHigh
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for skin with dark spots; a few cleansers fit it even 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 for your normal skin due to sodium laureth sulfate and coco-betaine, which help remove impurities, while glycerin and niacinamide provide general skin health benefits that are supportive but not targeted for your main goal of pigmentation.
- The formula provides moderate suitability for normal skin with glycerin for humectant action, but lacks sufficient emollient ingredients to fully address potential dryness.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your normal skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.4k+ reviewsA small minority experience breakouts or find the scentless formula has a faint chemical odor.
Highlights
Gentle & non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “left skin feeling soft”
- “didn't dry skin out”
- “no squeaky clean feeling”
Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “no strong scent”
- “good for fragrance sensitivity”
- “clean smell”
Hydrating texture Sometimes Noted
- “creamy feel”
- “provides hydration”
- “milky texture”
Versatile use Sometimes Noted
- “double-duty cleanser”
- “safe for babies”
- “great for kids”
Breakouts or reactions Rarely Noted
- “broke out in whiteheads”
- “caused burning”
- “not for my sensitive skin”
Low lather Rarely Noted
- “doesn't lather well”
- “hard to spread”
- “struggles with waterproof makeup”
Not moisturizing enough Rarely Noted
- “still need lotion”
- “not as moisturizing as claimed”
- “slightly drying”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “pump broken”
- “hard to unlock”
Unpleasant natural scent Rarely Noted
- “smell is not the best”
- “plastic smell”
- “chemical scent”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, ulta.com, target.com, lovelyskin.com, dermstore.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes La Roche-Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ a great fit for skin with dark spots?
La Roche-Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ is a great fit for skin with dark spots because it contains niacinamide, which helps decrease hyperpigmentation and increase skin lightness. The formula also includes glycerin to keep your skin hydrated while you cleanse.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for skin with dark spots?
Niacinamide in this cleanser helps fade dark spots and even out skin tone by stopping pigment from spreading to skin cells. Glycerin also supports overall skin health by keeping skin hydrated.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Prebiotic Thermal Water do for skin with dark spots?
Prebiotic thermal water is generally used to calm and comfort the skin, but it is unlikely to directly fade dark spots. To effectively target dark spots, this type of product needs to be paired with brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide.
What does Shea Butter do for skin with dark spots?
Shea butter helps dark spots by providing polar constituents with antimelanogenic activities that may improve uneven skin tone. It also offers antioxidant benefits to support overall skin health.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines as the first step after removing makeup. It gently removes impurities while keeping your skin calm, though you will need to pair it with targeted dark spot treatments to actively fade pigmentation.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol, applying the cleanser first on damp skin, rinsing it off, and following with your retinol treatment once your face is dry. Using a gentle cleanser like this helps keep your skin calm while you use retinol, which is unlikely to cause irritation since the formula has an excellent safety profile.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser twice a day in your morning and evening routines. Using a mild cleanser daily is very safe and helps keep your skin clean without causing irritation.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for skin with dark spots because it has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients. Reviewers rarely complain about breakouts or reactions.
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 near the eyes because the skin there is very thin. The safe formula makes it unlikely to cause irritation when used as directed.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Treatment with a combination of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid improved skin aging signs and demonstrated a senomorphic effect by decreasing SASP and autocrine signaling genes in women.
Scientific Reports, 2024A 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, 2017Topical treatment of nicotinamide, alone or in combination with other active ingredients, reduces the progression of skin aging and hyperpigmentation in clinical trials while being well tolerated.
Antioxidants, 2021Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.
Life, 2023Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Topical 2% niacinamide significantly decreased sebum excretion rate in Japanese individuals and casual sebum levels in Caucasian individuals compared to placebo or baseline.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006The 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, 2012The cytotoxic effect of sodium lauryl sulphate on normal human keratinocytes was significantly decreased when combined with cocamidopropyl betaine, Tween 20, and Tween 80 at concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2003
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Peg-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Coco-Betaine, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Niacinamide, Acrylates Copolymer, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocamide Mea, Disodium Edta, Glycol Distearate, Mannose, Polyquaternium-11, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitreoscilla Ferment
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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