Many of us love the warmth and brightness of the sun; however, sun exposure often causes damage to our skin. When our skin is exposed to sunlight, which is the primary source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, our skin gets darkened, damaged or causes various aesthetic problems, such as wrinkles, blemishes, scarring, freckles and chloasmata. These are due to the oxidative stress (i.e. generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS)) in the epidermal and dermal layers. Occasionally, the UV-induced damages may even lead to the development of melanoma (i.e. a type of skin cancer).
The invention is a specific class of natural compounds in a well-known Chinese medicine. The product gives skin whitening effect and improves skin condition. It is safe to use and is now available on the market.
Melanin is a natural pigment in both humans and animals that makes hair, skin, and eyes colour darker.
The said compounds possess both anti-melanogenic and anti-oxidative properties. In our studies, they showed a significant inhibitory effect on melanin-making cells (i.e. melanocytes) and the generation of oxidative free radicals and ROS. Besides, they are safe-proof (i.e. at least five times higher dose than the renowned anti-oxidative compound trans-resveratrol).
As these natural compounds are safe and able to reduce melanin formation in human, they should be decent depigmentation compounds against skin darkening and their antioxidant competence. In view of this, these compounds are the pertinent ingredients for the formulation of skin-whitening and skincare cosmeceuticals.
Our study has provided solid pieces of scientiļ¬c evidence that the use of our compounds can serve for skin protection and skin whitening purposes.
These compounds can be used as multi-functional constituents for cosmetic and skincare products. Besides, they are potential nutraceuticals for skin protection and skin whitening.
The active components are not only safe for applying on skin, but also for oral administration at a certain level of quantity.