Step one
ClearMark Bar
Salicylic, azelaic and kojic acid in a solid cleansing base. Clears the surface so the serum is not working through sebum and dead cells.
$14.99
Luminé · Dark spot correcting serum
Four actives. One step.
A single morning serum built to fade what the last five products left behind. Fragrance-free. 30 mL.
Formulated at
pH 5.5
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The Cellura Ritual
Three steps, in order. Each does a job the next depends on.
Step two
Luminé Serum
Niacinamide 10%, tranexamic acid 2%, kojic acid 1% and alpha-arbutin, with licorice root and centella. Four actives interrupting pigment formation at different stages.
$24.99
Step three
Cellura Balm
GHK-Cu copper peptide in tallow and squalane. Seals the routine and supports the barrier the acids just worked on. Not a brightener.
$39.99
The complete ritual is $69.97 — $10.00 less than the three at their current prices.
Add the ritual — $69.97
The first step, up close
ClearMark Bar · 100 g
Start where the marks start.
Post-acne marks begin as acne. The bar is the step that deals with the cause while the serum works on what it left behind.
- Salicylic AcidOil-soluble — works inside the pore
- Azelaic AcidAntibacterial, and calms the redness
- Kojic AcidChelates tyrosinase's copper
- NiacinamideBarrier support while you strip oil
- Zinc PCAModerates sebum
Sixty seconds of contact, twice a day. A wash-off bar does groundwork, not correction — that is what step 02 is for.
Luminé — NiacinamideAlpha-ArbutinKojic Acid
Tranexamic Acid30 mL serum
Cellura Balm — GHK-CuGrass-fed tallowRaw manukaMethylene blueSqualane90 mL balm
ClearMark Bar — KojicAzelaicSalicylicNiacinamideZinc PCA100 g bar
All three — fragrance-free
Luminé — NiacinamideAlpha-ArbutinKojic AcidTranexamic Acid30 mL serum
How to use Luminé
Four steps · 40 seconds
01
Three drops.
No more.
A full dropper is a waste of good actives. Three drops covers a face; the fourth just sits on the surface and oxidises.
02
Onto clean,
slightly damp skin.
Damp skin pulls the serum in faster. Not wet — patted, still cool to the touch.
03
Press.
Don't rub.
Rubbing drags at the barrier and spreads pigment-prone areas thinner. Press with flat fingers and let it set for thirty seconds.
04
Then SPF.
Every day.
Without daily SPF, brightening actives are working against a tap you left running. This is the step that decides whether the other three matter.
Scroll-linked · 35 frames
A dark mark is a chain, not an event.
Each active in Luminé works on a different link in it. That is the whole reason for combining four rather than chasing one.
-
Stage 1
Something sets it off
Sun, or the inflammation left behind by a breakout, signals skin to start making pigment.
Tranexamic acid -
Stage 2
An enzyme starts work
Tyrosinase begins building pigment deeper in the skin.
Alpha-arbutin · Kojic acid -
Stage 3
Pigment is packaged
The pigment is bundled up, ready to be passed upward.
Not addressed -
Stage 4
It reaches the surface
Surface cells take delivery. Now the mark is visible.
Niacinamide
Two of our four actives work at the same stage, so “four actives” means three points of interruption, not four. Nothing in this formula addresses Stage 3. We would rather tell you that than let you find it.
Our concentrations are not the concentrations in the published studies. Kojic acid has been studied at 2%; Luminé contains 1%. Niacinamide has been studied at 4%; Luminé contains 10%. Tranexamic acid has been studied at 2–5%; Luminé contains 2%. Alpha-arbutin has been studied at 5%; Luminé does not state its figure, so we will not invent one. We publish both numbers so you can judge for yourself.
The formula
The four,
in detail.
The chain above is where each of these acts. What follows is what each one is, how it works, and what is actually known about it. Everything on these cards describes Luminé only.
01
Niacinamide
Reduces pigment transfer (Hakozaki et al., 2002)
Pigment is made in melanocytes, then passed to the surface cells you actually see. Niacinamide helps reduce that transfer, so less of it becomes visible. It also supports the skin barrier.
Vitamin B3 · needs ongoing use and daily sunscreen
02
Alpha-Arbutin
Reduces new pigment production (García-Jiménez et al., 2017)
Alpha-arbutin acts on tyrosinase, the enzyme at the centre of melanin production, lowering how much new pigment gets made. Better at limiting what forms next than at clearing what is already there.
A tyrosine look-alike that competes in melanin-making chemistry
03
Kojic Acid
Disrupts the enzyme’s copper (EU Regulation 2024/996; UK SI 2024/1334 — 1% max)
Tyrosinase depends on copper at its active site. Kojic acid binds that copper and lowers the enzyme’s pigment-making activity — a different route to the same enzyme arbutin works on. Held at the maximum EU and UK law allows in a face product.
From koji fermentation · keep out of light
04
Tranexamic Acid
Interrupts pigment-triggering signals (González-Molina et al., 2022)
UV and inflammation feed into plasmin-related signalling that drives pigment production. Tranexamic acid works on that pathway rather than on the enzyme itself. Its strongest topical evidence is in melasma; it may also help marks left by breakouts.
Also studied for post-inflammatory marks
05
1
One step
The actual point
Four serums layered is four chances to skip the routine. One bottle is the version you keep doing at 7am.
Luminé · 30 mL · $24.99
Drag, scroll or use ← →
The evidence
We publish the parts
other brands leave out.
Full ingredient percentages, not just names. Graded evidence with linked sources. And the findings that do not flatter us — mechanism, the concentrations researchers studied, how long trials ran, and where the evidence is thin.
Order by
| Active | What it does | How it works | Studied concentration | In Luminé | Assessment window | Strength of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Niacinamide Vitamin B3 | Evens visible tone · supports the barrier Helps keep excess pigment from becoming visible at the surface, and supports a calmer, more resilient-looking complexion. | Reduces the transfer of melanosomes from pigment-producing cells to the surrounding skin cells you actually see. | 4%in a randomised trial · 2–5% common in topicals | 10%above the concentration used in the trial | 8wk | Moderate One small randomised trial against hydroquinone 4%, plus the 2002 study that established the mechanism. Less extensively trialled than prescription options. Navarrete-Solís et al., Dermatology Research and Practice (2011) — niacinamide 4% vs hydroquinone 4%, PMID 21822427 Hakozaki et al., British Journal of Dermatology (2002) — mechanism, PMID 12100180 |
| 02 Tranexamic Acid TXA | Targets the signals behind uneven tone Works on the processes that tell skin to make excess pigment — particularly where discolouration follows irritation or sun exposure. | Modulates the plasmin pathway and the downstream inflammatory signalling involved in melanin formation. | 2–5%topical formulations with clinical data | 2%within the range studied topically | 8–12wk | Moderate A 2026 review of topical and intradermal formulations reports pigment-score reductions comparable to hydroquinone, with first visible change around weeks 4–8. Formulas and study designs still vary widely. AlJabr et al., Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2026) — topical & post-inflammatory marks, PMID 41601401 González-Molina et al., J Clin Aesthet Dermatol (2022) — plasmin pathway |
| 03 Alpha-Arbutin Hydroquinone glycoside | Slows excess pigment production Supports a more even-looking tone by reducing one step in the skin’s pigment-making process. | Competitively inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme at the centre of melanin synthesis. | 5%from a split-face trial pairing it with kojic acid 2% | Not disclosedno concentration is stated on the carton | ~12wk | Limited The 5% figure comes from a 27-person split-face pilot that paired alpha-arbutin with kojic acid 2%, so the two cannot be told apart. Evidence for alpha-arbutin on its own is thin. Tantanasrigul et al., Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2025) — n = 27, 12 weeks, PMID 39555866 Boo, Antioxidants (2021) — review, PMID 34356362 |
| 04 Kojic Acid From koji fermentation | Reduces pigment production Interrupts the skin’s melanin-making process, supporting the gradual fading look of dark marks over time. | Chelates the copper at tyrosinase’s active site, lowering the enzyme’s output. | 2%in trials — but EU and UK law caps face products at 1% | 1%the legal maximum for a face product in the EU and UK | 8–12wk | Moderate Controlled studies exist, but the strongest test it alongside another active. Since 2025 the EU and UK cap kojic acid at 1% in face products, below the concentration most trials used. Zilles et al., Experimental Dermatology (2022) — review, PMID 35960194 Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996, Annex III — 1% max, face and hand products |
Studied concentrations and timelines describe published research — not necessarily the concentration or expected performance of this formula. Where a studied concentration sits above the legal maximum for a face product, the law is the binding number. Every source above is linked by DOI or PMID so you can read it yourself. Results vary by the type and depth of discolouration, the formula, skin type, consistency of use, and daily broad-spectrum sunscreen. Cosmetic product; not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
And then
Everything above
was about fading.
What follows is about rebuilding. Different job, different formula, different room entirely.
Cellura
GHK-Cu
Copper Peptide Balm
Grass-fed tallow, raw manuka, squalane and a copper tripeptide — in amber glass, 90 mL.
01 — The colour
You are looking
at the formula.
Methylene blue carries its own deep pigment. What you see in the jar comes from an ingredient doing a job, not from a colourant stirred in at the end.
02 — The peptide
GHK-Cu,
held in place.
A copper tripeptide suspended in tallow and squalane. The occlusive base is the point — it keeps the peptide sitting against skin instead of evaporating off it.
03 — The jar
90 mL.
3.0 fl oz.
Amber glass, because light degrades what is inside it. A jar this size is a season of nightly use, not a sample sachet.
Scroll-linked · 40 frames
Six, deliberately
Nothing in here
is filler.
A balm can afford fewer actives than a serum, because the base is doing half the work. These six were chosen to hold each other up.
Cu
GHK-Cu Copper Peptide
A copper tripeptide — glycyl-histidyl-lysine carrying a copper ion. Studied for skin repair and firmness.
◍
Grass-Fed Beef Tallow
Mostly oleic, stearic and palmitic acids. An occlusive that slows water loss — a different lipid profile from sebum, not a copy of it.
⬡
Raw Manuka Honey
A humectant that pulls water into the outer layer. The manuka grade is what carries its antibacterial reputation.
MB
Methylene Blue
A redox-active dye: antioxidant at low concentration, and the reason the balm is blue. It also stains.
E
Vitamin E
Tocopherol. A lipid-phase antioxidant whose first job here is keeping the oils in the base from going rancid.
◇
Squalane
Hydrogenated squalene. An emollient that slows water loss without the weight of a heavier oil.
Ingredient descriptions are cosmetic only — nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Methylene blue is a pigment as well as an antioxidant: it can stain fabric, grout and light surfaces, so apply with clean hands and let it absorb before it meets a pillowcase.
Cellura
Two fingertips, warmed. Last step of the night, over everything else.
Cellura
Night. Two fingertips. Over everything else.
Back to the daylight half
Three products.
One shelf.
Two that work in the morning, one that works while you sleep.
What to expect
Nothing for three weeks.
Then tone, then spots.
Pigment already at the surface has to complete its normal turnover, and nothing you apply meaningfully accelerates that. Overall clarity shifts first; discrete marks take longer because they are denser and often deeper. Eight to twelve weeks is the honest assessment window — every study we cite runs to at least eight.
Deeper pigmentation may not fully clear, regardless of ingredient.
Wk 2
Nothing visible
Skin tolerance settles. If you are going to get irritation, it shows up here, not later.
Wk 4
Tone evens first
Overall brightness shifts before any individual spot does. Most people notice it in photos, not the mirror.
Wk 8
Edges soften
Post-acne marks fade ahead of sun-related spots. Borders blur before the centre lightens.
Wk 12
The honest window
Where older sun spots show real change, if the routine has been daily. Marks still visible here need more than a serum.
Sunscreen is not optional. Brightening actives slow pigment production; ultraviolet light triggers it. Used without daily broad-spectrum SPF you are running both at once, and UV usually wins. It is the single most common reason people conclude a product did nothing. We do not sell sunscreen — we are telling you anyway.
These timings describe a typical use pattern, not a guaranteed outcome. Results vary with skin type, how deep the discolouration sits, what caused it, and how consistently the serum is used. Cosmetic product — not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
Take one,
or all three.
That is the whole range
4
Actives, one bottle
0
Added fragrance
5.5
Formulated pH
30 mL
Roughly 10 weeks
Start the twelve weeks
Begin now, not
next season.
Twelve weeks from today is a date on the calendar either way.