Known for its natural ingredients and scientific approach to skincare, French beauty label Clarins will soon launch a reformulated brightening serum that it says will reduce dark spots more effectively, give skin a healthy glow and increase fairness and skin translucency.

The White Plus Pure Translucency serum, an upgrade from the brand's current White Plus Total Luminescent serum, is the result of research which identified a new cause of hyperpigmentation (the process of skin getting darker).

Clarins partnered Institut Curie, one of the largest biological research centres in France, to create the new formula.

Dr Marie-Helene Lair, scientific communications director at Clarins, who spoke to The Straits Times during a press trip to Kyoto in December, explains that the new formula contains extract from acerola, a berry-like fruit from Brazil.

"Our research has identified that the acerola extract has the ability to help control melanin overproduction."

She explains that when the skin experiences stresses such as excessive exposure to UV rays, there are structures within skin cells called exosomes which increase the skin's production of melanin (the pigment which gives the skin colour).

"The exosomes are like writers, sending messages to the skin to produce more melanin. The acerola extract helps to tell the exosomes to cut down on those messages," says Dr Lair.

The White Plus Pure Translucency serum will be available at all authorised Clarins outlets islandwide from Feb 25.

Melissa Heng