Characteristics
- INCI
- Arbutin
- Ru.
- Beta-Arbutin
- CAS
-
497-76-7
This is the substance number in the Chemical Abstracts Service registry. The CAS number uniquely identifies a substance regardless of language, trade name, or synonyms.
- EC
-
207-850-3
This is the substance number in the European chemical identification system (EC number), used in European regulatory databases including ECHA/CosIng.
- IUPAC
- 4-Hydroxyphenyl-Beta-D-Glucopyranoside
- Functions
- antioxidant, bleaching, skin conditioning
Who it's for
Description
A pretty well-known and often used ingredient with the magic ability to fade brown spots. It's used traditionally in Japan and can be found naturally in a couple of plants, including the leaves of pear trees, wheat and bearberry.
Arbutin seems to work its magic and hinder the pigmentation process at the second step of it. An enzyme called tyrosinase is needed to create melanin (the pigment that causes the brown spots) and while several other skin lightening agents work to inhibit the synthesis of tyrosinase itself (like vitamin C or licorice), arbutin lets tyrosinase be and rather hinders the melanin-forming activity of the enzyme. (So it might be a good idea to combine arbutin with some direct tyrosinase inhibitors for more skin lightening effect.)
All in all, arbutin is one of the better-known skin brightening agents, that's probably worth a try if pigmentation is an issue for you.
Evidence & Research on Arbutin
-
1
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics February 1996, 276 (2) 765-769; Arbutin: mechanism of its depigmenting action in human melanocyte culture
-
2
Leslie Baumann, MD, Cosmetic Dermatology, 2nd edition, Arbutin - page 280
Products with Arbutin (1 491 total)
Most often found in Missha products (32 items)
