In 1998, Japanese scholar Akiu et al. extracted and isolated arbutin from bearberry leaves and obtained a substance that can achieve whitening effects. It has various pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antitussive, expectorant, and antiasthmatic. , it is also an inhibitor of tyrosinase in human melanocytes, so it quickly became the darling of the whitening industry.
Arbutin, also known as arbutin, is chemically p-hydroxyphenyl-D-glucopyranoside and is in the form of white needle-like crystals or powder. Easily soluble in hot water, methanol, ethanol and aqueous solutions of propylene glycol and glycerol, but insoluble in ether, chloroform, petroleum ether and other solvents. The molecular formula is C12H16O7, and its structure is as follows:
Arbutin is a molecule composed of organic groups composed of polyvalent hydroxyl groups. The aqueous solution is colorless and transparent, so it has good compatibility and can be easily used as an additive in creams. In addition, it has good moisturizing properties, is more convenient to use with makeup, has a soft and comfortable skin feel, and has a slightly white and clean feeling after application. These characteristics are determined by the structure of polyhydroxyl glycosides.
In addition, arbutin has a unique inhibitory effect on melanin.
Melanin is a dark pigment substance that can cause skin coloration. It is formed by the oxidation of tyrosine through tyrosinase. We can regard tyrosinase as the main rate-limiting enzyme for the production of melanin in the skin. The activity of tyrosine determines the amount of melanin formed.
How to inhibit the catalytic activity of tyrosinase is one of the key research directions in the whitening industry. Traditional whitening agents such as hydroquinone (1,4-hydroquinone) can effectively inhibit the activity of tyrosinase and have a certain depigmentation effect on the skin. However, external use can cause irritating reactions and can easily cause skin itching, stinging, and peeling. Allergic symptoms such as dandruff and erythema may even cause permanent damage, so its clinical application is subject to certain limitations.
The structure of arbutin is similar to that of hydroquinone. Its structure has one more glucose molecule than hydroquinone, making it more stable and more skin-friendly. It can also effectively inhibit tyrosinase activity and melanin production. , not only can remove stains, but also has certain bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects.
It has low cytotoxicity and is relatively safe and non-toxic to the skin. It can effectively inhibit the activity of tyrosinase and prevent the formation of melanocytes. It can also directly combine with tyrosinase to accelerate the decomposition of melanin. and emissions to reduce the deposition of melanin in the skin, so arbutin is the ideal compound people are looking for.
According to different structures, arbutin can be divided into α-arbutin, β-arbutin and deoxyarbutin (D-arbutin).
Since α-arbutin is mainly obtained through biological transformation and enzymatic synthesis, and the production scale is limited, most of the arbutin currently on the market is β-arbutin, but the whitening effect is only as good as α-arbutin. One-fifteenth.
Research shows that it is appropriate to add 3% arbutin to cosmetics, which is 90% effective in depigmenting freckles, butterfly spots and melanin deposits.
Both α-arbutin and β-arbutin are water-soluble, and the double-layer lecithin structure of the human epidermal cell membrane is more conducive to the absorption of fat-soluble components, so deoxyarbutin came into being.
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Post time: Apr-12-2024
