Skin Brightening Active Ingredients

Skin brightening can be achieved by reducing the concentration of melanin, a pigment responsible for the skin colour. The amount of melanin can be effectively reduced by inhibiting the tyrosinase enzyme in the skin cells. Tremendous demand for skin brightening and skincare products has escalated a relentless quest for effective ingredients.

Currently, most of the cosmetic companies incorporate either hydroquinone, kojic acid or arbutin into skin whitening products. These compounds selectively target hyperplastic melanocytes and inhibit key regulatory steps in melanogenesis. However, due to the risk of carcinogenesis and complications of these compounds for long term application, there is still a great need for safer and more effective skin whitening alternatives. Our active benzamide analogues have been subjected to toxicology testing for assessing safety and efficacy profiles so that they can be used safely as the active ingredients in skin whitening cosmeceuticals.

We have been successful in identifying a novel class of small molecules which has strong inhibition against tyrosinase. These active ingredients can be formulated safely into a range of cosmetic products for skin brightening. The potential application will be in the use of the active ingredients to any cosmetics products with the intention for skin whitening. Some example of applications can be on facial wash, moisturizer and serums.

The active ingredients that we have identified can reduce the risk of carcinogenesis and complications for long term applications.