According to the invention, zerumbone, derivative and/or analog thereof, or of a plant extract containing it, is used for a treatment of hyperpigmented areas on the skin (to prevent them from appearing and/or to treat them once they are present so that they fade and/or disappear), through the phosphorylation of Akt, ERK-1 and ERK-2 metabolic pathways, and the reduction of PGE2 production, influencing the tyrosinase and melanin production, therefore its transfer from the melanosome to the keratinocytes. The zerumbone or the plant extract containing it is from the Zingiberaceae family and the extraction is carried out using a supercritical fluid.