All About Skin Lightening: Featured Ingredient: Arbutin

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Featured Ingredient: Arbutin

Arbutin is a skin lightening ingredient that has garnered a fair share of controversy in the dermatology world. It is a glycosylated hydroquinone form that lightens skin by inhibiting tyrosinase as well limiting melanosome maturation (melanin creation and transfer into cells).

It is obtained from a variety of plants like Vaccinicum Vitis-Idaca. It is a botanical lightener and it is not toxic to melanocytes (it's safe. I would never feature an unsafe ingredient on here). It is a form of hydroquinone, but because it does not hydrolyze, it does not create hydroquinone in the skin. It is very commonly used in Japanese skin whiteners and lightening products with a concentration of 3%.

I was suprised to discover that arbutin has some antioxidant properties. The free radical scavenging abilities are very minimal, but they are apparent at even low concentrations.

Several studies prove that arbutin is not as effective as other botanical lighteners or hydroquinone for that matter. It is less effective than Kojic Acid when treating hyperpigmentation and liver spots (localized pigmentation issues).

There is also an alpha form of arbutin (alpha arbutin) which is an epimer of arbutin. It is claimed to be more efficient and effective at skin lightening, however very little research or clinical studies have been done on alpha arbutin.

Interesting Articles/Studies to read:

Antioxidant Effect of Arbutin

Melasma Treatment: Arbutin

Recommended products that contain Arbutin:

SkinWhite Pro Alpha-Arbutin Ultra Whitening Serum

Makari Day Cream

SkinBright Skin Brightener

Dr. Michelle Kopeland Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Formula

^_^

Labels: featured ingredients

16 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Hi Mileena,

I suffer from melasma/Acne at same time i've reading your blog for quite sometime i had Numerous of treatments for my melasm including laser Yang laser therapy spent thousands of dollats i had used hydroquinne based cream prescribed by my dermatologist with laser treatments it helped about 90% in 2008. But after i stopped treatments and used hydroquinne based cream (i believe was 6% hydroquinne)and retin a which one i was using until last week my melasma came back in Mar2009 and then i got acne as well on cheeks and chin no forehead though now i have to use product for acne and melasma and i can not use harsh products for my acne because my melasma will get worse it's all trial and error trying new products and getting allergies or flare up then i have to stop using them from last week or so i stop using everthind just cleanse and La roche posay erxtreme fluide at night i just introduced Vivite vibrance therapy after reading your review last week so far no irretation or flat up i think its too early for any visible result but i will give you upudat in month or so about this one and from all the stuff i used in the past now i have melasma/acne/ and nasty acne scars on my chin and cheeks .I feel very embarssed when i go out in public i don't use makeup just occasionally. now i want to stick with something safe effective regimen for my skin i was thinking to interduced any type of antioxidant to my daily skin care regimes i need your opinion on this one i heard that Obagi's c serum are good and stable and also Prevage MD is a powerful antioxidant designed to prevent and reduce the appearance of aging. What would you recommende for my skin type obagi or Prevage MD or something else . or i don't add antioxidant to my skin regimen. pls help; March 10, 2010 at 9:59 AM
Mileena said...: Hey

I'm sorry about what you've been through. You're not alone by no means though. The majority of e-mails and messages I get from people struggling with melasma experience the same issues. There have been success stories too.

Take it easy with your skin. Sunscreen is the most important thing right now for you since that can lighten up acne marks on it's own, but in due time. Plus it's the number one anti-aging product to use.

Because your skin is so reactive to products, I would definitley not recommend a strong or potent Vitamin C serum. Vitamin C does help in fading dark spots, acne marks and breaking up melasma (to an extent). It does build collagen as well.

I think it would be a wise decision to introduce an antioxidant to help improve the overall look of your skin. Out of the Obagi C Serum range - get the 5%. Vitamin C is tough stuff, people underestimate L-ascorbic acid but it can cause some serious redness and irritation if jumped into too quickly. Stick with the 5% (you will see results with that) and build skin tolerance. For the first 2 weeks, use every morning underneath your sunscreen. Then by week 3 if your skin is responding well to it, use it every morning.

Good luck
<333; March 10, 2010 at 10:20 AM
Anonymous said...: Thank you so much.Do you prevage would not be good choice for antioxidant for now for my condition.; March 10, 2010 at 10:37 AM
Mileena said...: You're much better off with a gentle L-ascorbic acid serum like Obagi. ;); March 10, 2010 at 11:12 AM
Mileena said...: Your welcome. <3

Hopefully it gets only better from here on out.; March 10, 2010 at 12:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Mileena,

I just want to ask you that can i use antioxidant serum with AHA in the day time i do use suscreen daily and i have melasma on my face . I like to try antioxidant but the one i am looking for seems good but has AHA acid in it.; March 12, 2010 at 2:10 PM
Mileena said...: Hi,

That is perfectly fine. AHAs and Vitamin C can go together well (although if you have very sensitive skin, prone to redness and such - it can be a bit too potent of a combination).

Since they are both low pH, they don't conflict with another. The whole low pH, layering thing mainly applies to niacinamide and low pH products. You have to wait a full 30 minutes to apply niacinamide on top of an AHA or Vitamin C product.

But with sunscreen, no problem. You can just wait 5-10 minutes. And that is mainly for just absorption reasons.

=); March 12, 2010 at 2:39 PM
Anonymous said...: Thank you very much , Will AhA make my skin more senstive to sun or not i just asking because i have melasma on my cheeks i try to avoid sun at any cost. if aha does not make your skin senstive to sun then i will use that. I just do not want to worsen the condition than i already have (i mean for melasma).
Thank you; March 12, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Mileena said...: Yes it does make skin more sensitive to the sun, but assuming that you are wearing sunscreen everyday it shouldn't be a problem. Any exfoliant - AHAs, BHA (salicylic acid), retinoids, scrubs make skin more sensitive to the sun.

If you are wearing a decent sunscreen everyday you are fine. I use retinoids (they slough off the epidermal layer of the skin) every night and wear sunscreen everyday and I am definitley not getting any sun damage (or darkening).

Even if you aren't using AHAs, you must wear sunscreen everyday or the melasma will never fade. You can be using the best products in the world and it will be futile if sunscreen is not worn everyday - rain or shine.

;); March 12, 2010 at 4:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Mileena,

I am suffering from melasma for last 5 years i've tried every treatment available in the market and from dermatologists including hydroquinne , laser , cosmelan mask, they worked but result last for about 3-4 months and my melasma came back now from last year i get acne as well and i am not using any type of melasma treatment right now just using simple routine cleansing , retin a and sunscreen during the day.My question is that are physical sunscreen better for melasma than chemical(l've using Mexoryl SX/XL filter La Roche Posay 50+ from last 5 years) i've reading this at so many melasma forums and dermatologist sites .Last time when i visited my dermatologis inn 2009 and i asked him he said Mexoryl SX/XL filter by La Roche Posay is the best sunscreen avialable in today's market for preventing hyperpigmention and wrinke. I am very confused about sunscreen should i switch my current Mexoryl SX/XL filter La Roche Posay suncreen to somehting like skinceutical which contain physical filter titanium and zinc oxide or stick with la roche posay one . there 's also one availabel in obagi i think that is physical sunscreen as well pls give me your recommendation.; March 15, 2010 at 9:26 AM
Anonymous said...: I read this somewhere re: Mexoryl, available as SX (water soluble) and XL (lipid soluble), is very effective for two reasons: one, because it is very stable [as a benzylidene camphor derivative], and two, because it absorbs light at a broader range of UVA wavelengths than many other sunscreens. After absorbing light from this broad spectrum, ecamsule undergoes photoisomerization, followed by photoexcitation, which means that it causes for UV light to be released as thermal energy rather than allowing for UV light to be absorbed into the skin and cause damage, as most chemical sunscreens do. is this mean that la roche posay sunscreen is superior for melama.; March 15, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Mileena said...: Hi!

Unless you are extremely sensitive or allergic to chemical sunscreens, I wouldn't think it would negatively affect your melasma. Generally, chemical sunscreen filters produce higher PPD ratings (UVA protection) and you are right - they are generally superior for melasma because of the high PPD ratings (UVA protection).

I had an exchange of e-mails with someone that found that chemical based sunscreens aggravated her melasma patches since irriation can make pigmentation issues worse. I'm not sure if that is the case with your skin. You can usually tell if you are being irritated by a chemical sunscreen by looking for excessive redness, flushing or itchiness and such.

There is also the issue, if you are applying enough sunscreen. It has to be 1/4 teaspoon to cover your whole face. That's quite a bit, but generally that is the best amount to form the ideal protective coating.

If you find it hard to use 1/4 teaspoon amount on your face (paying extra attention to melasma areas) with the La Roche Posay 50+, looking into a less greasy more cosmetically elegant sunscreen is the best.

I mentioned in my blog article about Sunscreen Etiquette that I would much rather wear a sunscreen that looked decent on me (didn't make me into a grease pit) and had a PPD of 8 over a super greasy high SPF/high PPD sunscreen. Generally higher PPD sunscreens, tend to be oilier and can give breakouts and such as well for acne prone or sensitive skin types.

Physical sunblocks can be good for senstive skin types. I would recommend Devita SPF 30 if you are looking for a change and want to see if physical sun blocks will work better.

With physical filters, there is a formation of a literal protective coating on the surface skin. Devita SPF 30 in my opinion is the best since it is a physical sunscreen primarily that goes on clear (no white case or such).

But...the La Roche Posay 50+ is still an awesome sunscreen. I'm just recommending Devita SPF 30, if you are looking for something physical as opposed to all chemical based.

Treating melasma takes time. Perhaps look into a mandelic acid/malic acid product that you can alternate Retin-A with at night (so one night use Retin-A, the other night use mandelic/malic acid). The best malic/mandelic acid product out there is the M2 Refinish. Great product, many people message me that it's helping them break up their melasma.

You can also add in a Vitamin c product like skinceuticals aox or a mild brightening Vitamin C derivative like DHC Acerola 100 right before wearing your sunscreen.

Good luck, it takes time, don't expect visible results by at least week 6 or 8 when dealing with melasma and keep up with the sunscreen. If you are applying the right amount of La Roche Posay 50+ and actually like it (the finish and look of it on your skin) then stick with it. It does have a higher PPD than the Devita.

<333; March 15, 2010 at 11:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Thank you,

Although i don't like the shiny feeling of la roche posay sunscreen on my face specailly after couple of hrs but i still use that at regular basis. Recently i found neostrata Oil Free Matifying Fluid without aha i've using this over a week and it is working great keeping my skin matifying it has 3% MICROSPONGE® Spheres. I apply that over my suncreen in the morning.
Thank you; March 15, 2010 at 1:10 PM
Mileena said...: Hey

Oh, that is awesome! The last time I tried the Neostrata Matifying Fluid (about 4-5 years) with the glycolic acid in it, I didn't see or feel any matifying quality to it.

They must have really re-formulated that non-AHA form.

<3; March 15, 2010 at 1:55 PM
Anonymous said...: ya, this is new matifying without aha its realy awesome,keeping oil away for 7-8hrs even though it says for 6hours. Do you think its ok to apply on top of la roche posay sunscreen in morning the way i am applying or will this effect on sunscreen.; March 15, 2010 at 2:27 PM
Mileena said...: Well applying anything on top of a sunscreen (makeup etc.) will compromise it's protective coating. But unless people don't wear makeup or anything, it's kind of hard not to apply anything over it to reduce shine and such. Generally primer's or matifiers are applied under, but it can be applied on top. Make sure you are waiting a full 10 minutes before layering on top. Sunscreen needs at least 10-15 minutes generally to create the protective barrier.

I like to wear matte sunscreens like Sofina UV perfect which really don't give me any greasiness at all. It's insane how amazing Japanese sunscreens are. ;); March 15, 2010 at 3:12 PM

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All About Skin Lightening

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Featured Ingredient: Arbutin

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