Discoloration Active Ingredients In Lightening Creams
- direct inhibitors of tyrosinase
- hydroquinone (HQ)
- hydroquinone derivatives
- alpha-arbutin and beta-arbutin (HQ-beta-D -glucopyranoside; bearberry Extract)
- Monobenzyl ether of HQ
- bearberry, cranberry, blueberry, some mushrooms, and most types of pears leaf extract
- mulberry plant extract
- hauronoside (mitracarpus scaber leaf extract)
- vitamin C and vitamin C derivatives
- L-ascorbic acid
- magnesium ascorbyl phosphate
- sodium ascorbyl phosphate.
- kojic acid
- azeleic acid
- Licorice Extract (glycyrrhetinic acid, glabridine)
- Arctostaphylos patula and Arctostaphylos viscida and Arctostaphylos uva ursi extract
- Brassicaceae extract
- Tego® Cosmo C250 (a natural amino acid derivative)
- block tyrosinase activation
- dithiaoctanediol
- Lumiskin
- block receptor on melanocytes membrane
- beta carotene
- Melanostat (alpa-MSH antagonist)
- selective melanocytic destruction agents and/or other mechanism of action
- Niacinamide (Vitmain B3)
- Lemon Juice Extract
- Emblica Extract
- Z Whitener
- Mequinol (4-hydroxyanisole)
- Gigawhite™
- UV absorbing ingredients
- Vitamin A (Retinol)
- Assist other lightening active ingredients
- Glycolic acid
- Lactic acid
Hyperpigmentation is one of the major skin changes by photo-aging (UV radiation). Hyperpigmentation is a general term used to describe any darkened area of the skin caused by an increased production of the skin pigment, melanin. Hyperpigmentation comes in many forms. Hyperpigmentation comes in the form of a dark age spot (also called liver spot), scars, or brown/red patches on the skin. Age spots can come in many different shapes and sizes.
There are many triggers that cause melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) to go berserk: trauma to the melanocytes such as acne or even a bug bite; and aging, or more precisely damage to the melanocytes after years of UV exposure (photo-aging). Therefore, lightening ingredients are frequently included in anti-aging skin care products to protect the skin from the damaging effects of photo-aging manifested by the appearance of age spot, brown spot; or a lightening cream is often included in a multi-step anti-aging regimen or anti-aging skin care set.
Lightening ingredient works in different ways. Mainly the skin whitening ingredients works in two ways to give you a whiter skin: 1. By absorbing the UV rays, thus preventing the sun from darkening your skin. 2. By reducing the production of melanin, the skin pigment found in your skin which is responsible for skin darkening. Some block the activation of the enzyme tyrosinase, the enzyme in the skin pigment cells (melanocytes) that make melanin. Some block the tyrosinase from reaching the melanocytes. Others inhibit the action of tyrosinase directly. There are also ingredients to shield the cells and prevent environmental factors from triggering more melanin production. Therefore, a combination of skin lightening ingredients attacking the out of control melanin on several fronts is more effective than hydroquinone alone, even though hydroquinone is the most potent active ingredient of them all.
The active ingredients to look for in a lightening cream are: 2% hydroquinone; hydroquinone derivatives such as hauronoside (mitracarpus scaber leaf extract) and arbutin (arctostaphylos uva ursi leaf extract); beta carotene; glabridine (licorice extract); paper mulberry plant extract; kojic acid; azeleic acid; dithiaoctanediol; and vitamin C derivatives in combined form, e.g. ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate.
Most skin whiteners currently on the market contain ingredients (hydroquinone, ascorbic acid, kojic acid, arbutin, azealic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid (licorice extract)) that act as direct inhibitors of tyrosinase.
Do NOT use any lightening cream containing mercury compounds. These are banned in the U.S. but they sometimes sneak in. There were cases of mercury poisoning in New York that were traced to improperly labeled imported skin lightening creams.
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