MELine

MELine is a Spanish professional skincare line specialising in the treatment of hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone. It is developed and owned by InnoAesthetics Laboratories, a Barcelona-based medical-aesthetic company, and was launched in 2016 as a range dedicated specifically to pigmentary disorders [9]. The line is sold through clinics and selected authorised retailers rather than ordinary retail, pairing professional in-clinic procedures with at-home maintenance products.

The brand remains active. Its global site carries a current copyright year and an active maintenance notice, and the line continues to be distributed through professional networks.

MELine grew out of InnoAesthetics, a Barcelona laboratory whose roots the company traces to a family pharmacy opened in 1898 by Antonio Fita Trías, the great-grandfather of its current chief executive, Fernando Bouffard [9]. Bouffard, who holds a doctorate, took over the laboratory in 1992 after pharmaceutical studies and a collaboration with J. L. Cisneros Vela, described as a pioneer of cosmetic dermatology in Spain.

Sources differ on which year to treat as MELine's founding. The parent company's official history records 2016 as the launch year of the MELine line itself [9], while one trade publication dates the company to 1998, when it says Bouffard established InnoAesthetics [12]. The 1998 date refers to the parent business rather than the MELine range, which the company places in 2016. According to the company, Bouffard's research into transdermal delivery systems — methods of carrying active ingredients through the skin — led to the discoveries behind the line.

The wider InnoAesthetics business developed over several decades before MELine appeared. The family pharmacy expanded into a laboratory in the 1930s, and the company introduced what it describes as the first topical anaesthetic on the market, ANESTOP, in 1997. In 2015 the group consolidated its various brands under the InnoAesthetics name and obtained ISO certifications [9].

MELine launched the following year, in 2016, presented by the parent company as the first brand to offer dedicated depigmenting treatments [9]. In 2017 a clinical study led by Cisneros Vela tested the protocol on 60 participants with Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV [5]. In 2018 InnoAesthetics introduced its SMART GPS technology and announced a laboratory expansion costing five million euros.

MELine is owned by InnoAesthetics Laboratories, which is headquartered in Sant Just Desvern, in the Barcelona area. According to a 2024 feature in Anti-Age and Longevity Magazine, the parent company is present in more than 80 countries, with a particular presence across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and it cites MELine among its flagship lines [11]. The company has not reported any acquisition of the brand; MELine was developed in-house.

MELine positions itself as the first product line specialised exclusively in hyperpigmentation. Its central idea is that treatment should be matched to a person's skin phototype, since lighter and darker skin tones respond differently to depigmenting actives. The brand notes that lighter skin types can tolerate stronger concentrations, while darker skin types carry a greater risk of pigmentation triggered by inflammation. This thinking is reflected in parallel formulations labelled for "Caucasian" skin (types I-III) and "Ethnic" skin (types IV-VI).

The approach is built around the clinic. Professional treatments are intended to be combined with at-home products to reach and maintain results, and the line is described as a complete range of professional depigmenting treatments with accompanying home care.

The range is organised around pigment control and supporting care. Its signature products include the Caucasian and Ethnic Skin Day Serums, the corresponding Night Creams, and a Pigment Home Mask, alongside cleansers, moisturisers and tinted SPF products such as BB creams, plus targeted items for the eye area, age spots and intimate areas.

According to InnoAesthetics, the formulas combine acids for chemical exfoliation with melanin-inhibiting ingredients and antioxidants; the company says these work by inhibiting tyrosinase — an enzyme central to the production of melanin — and reducing pigment in the upper layers of the skin [10]. The brand describes its professional method as "controlled chemical dermabrasion", a four-step protocol of preparation, peeling, post-treatment care and repeat sessions [12].

MELine makes strong efficacy claims. The company states that the line can reduce visible uneven skin tone by up to 90-95% within 60 to 90 days when the protocol is followed [2]. It also cites the 2017 study by Cisneros Vela, reporting that 90% of participants achieved very good results after 60 days; the same research is summarised elsewhere as showing excellent results in 95% of hyperpigmentation cases [12].

MELine is an active brand. Its international site melineskin.com displays a current copyright year together with a notice of ongoing maintenance, and the line continues to be sold through clinics and authorised distributors [8]. No editorial coverage from major consumer beauty press was identified, which is typical of professional, clinic-distributed lines.