All About Skin Lightening: Featured Ingredient: Mulberry Extract

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Featured Ingredient: Mulberry Extract

NOTE: I realized I may be confusing people with my post on mulberry extract and paper mulberry. There is a difference between them, however a lot of skin lightening products state mulberry extract, but upon actually looking at the website ingredients for the scientific name, it will show up as morus bombycis or morus alba (white mulberry). Rarely is paper mulberry listed in it's proper name, Broussonetia papyrifera (derivative).

The point is all three are skin lighteners. They vary in terms of their composition, and paper mulberry is the one used in the study. Mulberry extract, and white mulberry extract are also valid, very effective tyrosinase inhibitors.

Another skin lightening extract from Japan, mulberry extract (or sometimes dubbed as paper mulberry) comes from the skin of a dried out mulberry. The tyrosinase inhibiting quality of mulberry root is not only one of the most potent, but most gentle. It is known to be soothing and not cause any irritation, even in high concentrations.

The skin lightening effect from mulberry extract was proven in a study which did a comparison of topical mulberry with a 10% kojic acid concentration and a 5.5% hydroquinone product. The skin that was treated with mulberry showed a 50% decrease in tyrosinase compared to the kojic acid and hydroquinone, and the concentration of the mulberry extract was 0.396%.

Scientists and dermatologists believe it's the anti-irritant qualities in combination with strong, powerful melanogensis inhibiting qualities which make mulberry ideal for skin lightening. Mulbery extract also has a free radical scavenging ability. Notice how products that mimick antioxdiants translate into skin lightening?

Unfortunatley there aren't many products out there with mulberry, and if they do it's generally so far down the ingredient list and has a concentration lower than 0.396%.

Interesting Articles/Studies to read:

Antioxidant Effects of Morus Alba (mulberry root)

Melanogenesis Inhibitor from Paper Mulberry - name of the study which did the comparison of low concentration of mulberry with high concentrations of hydroquinone and kojic acid, and found similar outcomes.

Inhibition of Tyrosinase

Recommended Products that contain Mulberry Root/Extract:

Hypercreme Extratone Fade Cream

O'tentika Premium Fade Out Crean

DDF Brightening Cleanser

Makari Body Beautifying Milk

I'll be updating the recommended products throughout the week as I read more about products which have mulberry.

Check next Tuesday for the next featured ingredient.
=)

Labels: featured ingredients

25 Comments:

Anonymous said...: paper mulberry and mulberry root aka morus alba are not the same thing

This post makes it seem like they are; January 26, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Mileena said...: You're right. I only stated that it was 'dubbed' as paper mulberry since some skin bleaching creams have paper mulberry on the packaging however most of the time on the ingredient list at the back of the products (not all but I find a lot with ones to have 'paper mulberry') it's just mulberry extract (morus alba derivative).

=); January 26, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Anonymous said...: :-) thanks for responding i have used HQ products myself for a few weeks now and have had great success ...however i know i will not be using this as a ''forever'' routine so im always intrested in other lightening ingredients
I have had my eye on paper mulberry for quite some time but i know most companies add so little of these ingredients in the actual products
I did however see this product lighten up by pureskinjunkie and it ''looks'' like it could be a great product from reading the ingredients dont know any of the percentages whats your opinion on this serum?...; January 26, 2010 at 12:57 PM
Mileena said...: I've never heard of pureskinjunkie - just checked out their site and they look good, they even have a retinalehyde product. I only thought Avene carried this ingredient.

The Lighten Up looks promising, do you have the full ingredient list on you? I wouldn't mind analyzing that to see the inactives and such. =D; January 26, 2010 at 2:11 PM
Anonymous said...: no sadly i dont have the full ingredients list just what i have seen on the website
Although it looks like there is 2 versions of the lighten up including a RX version which is on the pureskinsolutions so if this does have a much higher percent of actives then i cannot wait to use it!!if only for the paper mulberry then it may well be a jackpot :-); January 26, 2010 at 4:26 PM
bency said...: Hi Mileena,

i started using the retin a gel which you have advise. i started to see iam getting acne is that normal .i used it only 2times should i continue or stop using retin a gel it . .iam putting on phto gel first and waiting half an hour before putting retin a gel is that the right way of doing it. i will appreciate if u can write to me .

bency; January 26, 2010 at 5:42 PM
Mileena said...: I'll e-mail them to see what the ingredients are. =); January 26, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Mileena said...: Hi Bency,

Yes getting some acne is normal in the beginning. Stick with it, it will subside usually no more than 2 weeks sometimes even less. It's the purging period, where comedones rise up to the surface of the skin. Be gentle to your skin in this process, no harsh products like very abrasive scrubs and such.

And yes using the Phyto+ first and then waiting to apply the Retin-A gel is right.; January 26, 2010 at 6:24 PM
Anonymous said...: great hopefully u can do a review on them maybe they will give you free samples :-P

jasmine; January 26, 2010 at 8:25 PM
Mileena said...: That'd be awesome, lol =D

But hopefully they will reply back sometime today or at least tommorrow.; January 27, 2010 at 6:57 AM
Anonymous said...: Great i will be waiting fr the update fingers crossed

jasmine; January 27, 2010 at 5:29 PM
Mileena said...: Hey Jasmine,

I got a reply back from Pure Skin Junkie and the full ingredient list for Lighten Up is:

Licorice, MSM, Paper Mulberry, deionized water, organic witch hazel, veg. glycerine Rumex occidentalis, phosphatidylcholine, Lemom peel, L-lactic acid, gaba, watercress, bearberry, ursolic acid, tetrahydrocurcuminoids, retinaldehyde, isoliquitigenin, oils of sweet orange, tangerine, japanese honesuckle, jasmin alcohol, xanthan gum

seems pretty good. It isn't oil-free but if you aren't terribly acne prone then it seems fine. Some good ingredients in there (and high on the list too, which means they are more concentrated), and if you do plan on using it, use it at night because it has retinaldehyde which is very close to pure tretinoin (retinoid) and those can degrade in sunlight.

=); January 28, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Anonymous said...: ooooohhhh paper mulberry is high up great stuff! i will buy this in a few months ready for summer i have high hopes for this stuff lol!

thanks :-)

jasmine; January 28, 2010 at 1:04 PM
Mileena said...: Your welcome ;) Please keep me updated once you get it and start using it. Am curious about this product as well, looks good.; January 28, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Anonymous said...: Please help!! I've done a lot of research and decided that a niacinamide & n-acetyl-d-glucosamine combination (which seem to be synergistic) would be best for skin lightening. Best and easily available for decent prices online ;) -- agree? Next, though, I'm concerned what the optimal concentration of each would be. I've seen some studies with 4% niacinamide and 2% glucosamine, 2% niacinamide & 4% glucosamine, 3.5% of each, etc. But then again, I remember reading that a concentration of 5% niacinamide is optimal for skin lightening purposes... so this makes me wonder about these previously cited <5% concentrations. Granted, they're in combination with glucosamine, but regardless, I feel it *should* be 5% niacinamide in the final mixture..? I'm just looking for the optimal concentration!! Haha, have any idea? Thanks!!; January 31, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Anonymous said...: I also wanted to add that it seems it will be an extra hassle to also purchase the glucusamine and the evidence shows niacinamide is very effective, as it is.. so, do you think it's worth it to even get the glucosamine and combine the two? Or do you feel the niacinamide, when combined into a regular moisturizer or applied as a simple water-based mask will be sufficient? Sorry for all the questions!; January 31, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Mileena said...: Yeah, the combination of niacinamide and n-acetyl-d-glucosamine inhibits melanin. It's sad that Proctor & Gamble's scientific team discovered this, and their Olay Definity line (which carries this synergy) has low levels of each ingredient (below 4% niacinamide, and below 2% glucosamine). It's also probably the base they use, and it would be more effective if they put some BHA or AHA - some kind of penetration enhancer. The reviews I've read for Olay Definity are very disappointing.

You're on the right track though, making your own mixture is probably the best way. There are some good niacinamide products out there with high concentrations of niacinamide (or derivatives of it). NIA 24 comes to mind, it doesn't utilize niacinamide but a very effective derivative.

As far as mixing with glucosamine, it would make sense that the concentration doesn't have to be 5% since the core effectiveness of the combination is the two of them working together to supress melanin. I haven't done much research on making a niacinamide mixture (aside from a mask that I used) but I think the general rule when combining these 2 ingredients is to have both of them above 2%. Getting the right pH and such is more important.; January 31, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Mileena said...: I agree with this. Originally when I was interested in making a niacinamide mask and toner, I wanted to incorporate glucosamine in it some way, but I would probably have to lower the concentration of niacinamide in order to compensate for proper pH (pH should be around 4-5).

I would focus on making a 5% niacinamide mixture, either as a toner or leave-on product.

I haven't done it yet, but you can try niacinamide powder (from vitacost, gardenofwisdom etc.), water and some propylene glycol. I'm sure that can make a bland treatment product.

I've read on some message boards about a 5%niacinamide toner with a spray bottle (for easier application) using 85 ml of distilled witch hazel, 10 ml of vegetable glycerin and 5 g of niacinamide powder. This results in a 5% niacinamide toner, sprayed on the skin with a pH of 5.

Seems worth a shot. =); January 31, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Anonymous said...: Hey Mileena, thank you very much for your rapid responses. You're great! So I looked over that post you wrote, where you made a mask with just water and the product.

First, how often do you think is best to use such a "mask", like how many times a day and how many days a week is advisable?

Second, would you say such a mask can replace making a cream/niacinamide mixture?

(Third), if it would not, how many times a day, and how many times a week would you use the cream/niacinamide 5% mixture? I'm interested in keeping costs low :D so, I probably won't go for the Nia24 and other such commercial creams. In research studies, the test subjects were simply given a 5% niacinamide cream mixture and they got all the benefits of lightening, so I think I'll try to stick with this approach instead ;)

(Fourth) I decided to order those 0.5 g , 200 tablet bottle of niacinamide, by the way from VitaCost that you mentioned since it's already weighed and packaged into pills that I can break as I need. Sound good?

(Fifth) in your opinion, do you think mixing maybe 0.25 g niacinamide (1/2 tablet) with a few drops of water to dissolve it.. then mixing with 4.75 ml of a cream to make a 5% niacinamide mixture would work? What if the cream is Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid? :x From what I can see, the Olay is "pH balanced/neutral" or pH 7 in other words. So you think mixing the water/niacinamide and then this mixture with the Olay would create a suitable product?

(Sixth) By the way, my skin is.. I don't know what. It tends to get a bit oily over the course of a day. Yet, when I wash with Neutrogena salicylic acid wash, it gets very dry, so I'm forced to apply moisturizer. So I'm not sure if it's dry or oily... or just sensitive. Either way, whatever I choose, be it the mask thing you did and/or the cream mixture I was considering, I hope it works with my skin type. Do you think either or both will?

THANKS! I really appreciate the advice since I'm a noob in this area hah.; January 31, 2010 at 1:46 PM
Mileena said...: 1) The mask that I make I would use once a week. I'm sure it can be used twice or even three times a week, but it's hard to find time to squeeze it in since it can cause a little flushing (redness) upon rinsing off. Plus if you are completley new to niacinamide (like me) it can take your skin some time to adjust to it. It's funny though, I didn't really put into account the pH or whatnot, just wanted to give it a whirl with water and I did get results. My skin looked brighter.

2) No. I don't think it can replace a mixture/treatment. I always much prefer leave-on products (even if they are just toners, as long as they are not just rinsed off) over a mask.

3) Making a 5% niacinamide mixture is strong stuff but you're right, it is more cost effective. I think it all depends on your skin's barrier function and tolerance (which at first to any new powerful ingredient, is sensitive to).

5% niacinamide is quite a strong concentration. If you do jump into that right away, maybe apply the mixture or toner (whatever you decide to create) every third day for the first 2 weeks and then go every other day for a week, and then finally by the 4th week use it on consecutive days.

Or you can start out by making a 2% niacinamide (where you won't see any skin lightening or pore clearing but it's relatively gentle) mixture. If you've used niacinamide products in the past (Olay Regenerist) without any irritation or flushing/redness than I would suggest for the first 2 weeks start out using the 5% every 3 days plan.

4)Yep those are fine, I used those for the mask.

5) I think so. Well in order for niacinamide to be effective and completley useful is if the *end* or final result of a mixture has a pH of 5 - 7. Now if the base of your mixture (which is the Olay) has a pH balance of 7 then it should be fine actually. I'm not sure if introducing the niacinamide actually alters anything, usually not unless there is another active ingredient in the Olay like Vitamin C (which I doubt). Vitamin C is usually at a pH of 3.5 which kinda messes up a niacinamide prescence. But from what it looks like, it seems fine.

6) Are you oily in your T-zone area (forehead, nose, sides of the face) or all over? Most people get oilier throughout the day, it's normal from just day to day actions.

Also most skin types become dry after using a salicylic acid cleanser since those tend to be drying. I try not to use cleansers that are so drying.

I have oily skin on my T-zone and only get dry around my mouth and chin. I use a cleansing oil plus a mild foaming wash to remove my sunscreen and such (I have all that info in my Current Regimen post if you check the archives in November of '09).

Anyway it doesn't really matter since if you already use that Olay product without any adverse reactions (breakouts etc.) than adding some niacinamide in it won't do you any harm. Niacinamide is acne fighting at 5% anyway.

The toner is probably the most easiest to apply since you can mix it in a spray bottle and spray it on your face. So that is probably best for the summer months when your skin is just constantly more oily.

The actual leave-on mixture would work really well in your case, after cleansing and applying over the dry spots.

Whatever you choose, keep me updated. I'm interested to know how it'll work for you.
<3; January 31, 2010 at 2:41 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey Mileena, sorry for the delayed response but yeah, I'll totally keep you in the loop :D; February 4, 2010 at 12:09 AM
josephmoss said...: Niacinamide:

Niacinamide and Niacin are two different forms of vitamin B-3. Niacinamide does not cause a niacin flush. Niacinamide (B-3) is an essential member of the B-vitamin family. Niacinamide on Discount at NutroVita.com.

For more details please visit:
http://www.nutrovita.com/23644/now-foods/niacinamide.htm; July 17, 2010 at 12:14 AM
Mileena said...: That is true, but if niacinamide is applied alongside BHA without waiting (pH neutralization) it is converted into niacin which causes flushing.; July 17, 2010 at 6:32 AM
Stephanie said...: Thought you would like to know that we just introduced a new product called Snow Skin Cream with a high concentration of White Mulberry Extract. It contains all natural ingredients - no HQ - including the additional whitening power of Arbutin and Pearl Powder. If you'd like to try it, I'd be happy to send you a sample.; December 8, 2010 at 6:08 PM
Mileena said...: E-mail me at gmail your info just so I get a better knowledge of your company :) I would love to recommend your product - it sounds wonderful.

mileenathursan@gmail.com; December 8, 2010 at 8:40 PM

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Featured Ingredient: Mulberry Extract

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