• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.635-644
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate whitening effect of combination between arbutine and oil soluble licorice extract. Inhibitory effects of arbutin and oil soluble licorice extract against tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells were assessed in vitro to determine whitening effect. MTT assay with B16 melanoma cells showed that mixture (arbutin and oil soluble) was not each concentration. Both oil soluble licorice extract and arbutin induced dose-dependent inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase activity. Various concentrations (oil soluble extract : arbutin = 1:1. 1:1.5, 1:2, 1:2.5, 1:5) of mixtures also significantly inhibited tyrosinase activity in B16 melanoma cells by 40-51%. In addition, the mixtures reduced the melanin contents of B16 melanoma cells by more than 50% at each concentration. These results suggest that mixtures of arbutin and oil soluble licorice extract are very effective whitening ingredients.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.3 s.47
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• pp.415-418
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• 2004

Arbutin is a glycosylated hydroquinone found at high concentration in certain plants capable of surviving extreme and sustained dehydration. It has been reported to have an inhibitory effect of melanogenesis and to be hydrolyzed easily to yield glucose and hydroquinone by ${\beta}-glucosidase.$ While hydroquinone also has an anti-melanogenic effect, however, is carefully used as a topical whitening agent because of side effects. The present study was undertaken to examine the inhibitory effect of an whitening agent containing arbutin and ${\beta}-glucosidase$ on UV radiation induced pigmentation in human skin. Experimental subjects were UVB-irradiated on the back. UVB-irradiated areas were assigned to three groups: arbutin and ${\beta}-glucosidase$ treated group, vehicle control, and no-application control. Arbutin and ${\beta}-glucosidase$ treatment inhibited pigmentation by 50.17 percent, compared with the controls (N : 10: P<0.05). These results suggest that the whitening agent containing arbutin and ${\beta}-glucosidase$may be used as an agent to inhibit melanin formation induced by UV radiation.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.169-177
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• 2011

To evaluate the whitening effect of Camellia sinensis water extract (CSWE), CSWE was treated to melan-a cells. Total polyphenol contents and flavonoid contents of CSWE were 102 mg/g and 87 mg/g, respectively. The electron-donating ability of CSWE revealed a dose-dependent response, showing the excellent ability of 82% at 800 ${\mu}g$/mL, and which was higher than the arbutin (48%). The CSWE significantly (p<0.001) suppressed the melanin synthesis and the development of melanocyte dendrites was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. The CSWE significantly (p<0.001) inhibited both intra-cellular and cell-extracted tyrosinase activities. And inhibitory efficacies of CSWE on both melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity were significantly (p<0.001) higher than the arbutin. The tyrosinase protein expression was not influenced by arbutin treatment. However, CSWE treatment significantly (p<0.001) reduced it. Both arbutin and CSWE treatment did not influence on mRNA expressions of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 and tyrosinase related protein-2.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.31 no.4 s.54
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• pp.295-304
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• 2005

Recently, arbutin, oil soluble licorice extact (GLY), ascorbyl glucoside (AA2G), and ethyl ascorbyl ether (EAE) have been widely used as functional whitening ingredients. To Investigate which combination between the above agents could be more effective for whitening effect, tyrosinase activity and MSH-induced melanin production in B-16 melanoma cells were investigated. Both GLY and arbutin dose-dependently inhibited purified tyrosinase activity. The inhibitory effects of GLY with AA2A or EAE on Drosinase activity were more potent than those of GLY alone, whereas that of arbutin with other ingreadients did not show those effects. In MSH-induced melanin production in B-16 melanoma cells, the mixture of Gly and EAE more significantly reduced melanin formation than Gly alone. Stability of mixture of GLY, arbutin, AA2A and EAE exposed at the temperature of $25^{\circ}C\;or\;45^{\circ}C$ for 30 days were also investigated. All of the combinations of whitening agents did not show any critical changes in their composition stability. These data suggest that the combination of GLY and vitamin C derivatives such as AA2G and EAE may be useful for the promotion of whitening effect.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.399-408
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• 2019

Arbutin, which is used as a whitening ingredient, can produce hydroquinone, known as causing skin disease and carcinogen. Preservatives are essential to prevent microbial contamination during long-term storage and use of cosmetics, but safety issues such as toxicity and skin irritation are being raised. This study was conducted to determine hydroquinone and 21 preservatives levels in 40 arbutin-containing whitening functional cosmetics sold on-line and off-line. Result showed that 9 products contained hydroquinone. The concentrations in 7 products were ranged from 0.3 to 0.9 ppm, which were within the maximum allowed amount established by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. However, 2 products were 8.4 and 50.5 ppm and exceeded the allowed amount. Preservatives were detected 20 products. Detected items and ranges were phenoxy ethanol 0.1 ~ 0.7% (N = 15), Methyl paraben 0.19 ~ 0.21% (N = 2), Chlorphenesin 0.13% (N = 1), chlorhexidine 0.006% (N = 1), Propyl paraben 0.06% (N = 1), which were within maximum allowed amount established by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Also, in cases of functional cosmetics the phrase "functional cosmetics" should be expressed on the primary or secondary package of cosmetics by cosmetics act. However, 1 product did not state the phrase as functional cosmetics. This study suggest that preservatives were safely managed. However, hydroquinone in hydroquinone-detected products could be produced by the decomposition of arbutin. Thus, further studies on the decomposition of arbutin are required to improve the quality control of the cosmetics.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 2004

The Rhodiola Sachalinensis 5 g were mixed and extracted with methanol 150 $m\ell$ at the room temperature for 12 h. The effluents were collected and grouped into the two. Un this experimental condition, the mobile phase composition were linearly changed as follows; water/methanol : 90/10 - 30/70 (vol. %, for 5 min), 30/70 - 10/90 (vol. %, for 15 min) and an analytical column (3.9 ${\times}$ 25 em, 15 $\mu\textrm{m}$ particle size, and 300 ${\AA}$ pore size) was utilized. The performance of the extracted Rhodiola Sachalinensis as a whitening agent was not favorable, so it classifies the Rhodiola Sachalinensis extractions with two fractions and collects each fraction for whitening agent assay. For the in-vivo melanin production ratio assay that used melanin-a cell in 10 ppm concentration, it was 58.6%, the first fraction of the effluents collected between 1.0 and 4.0 min, while it was 60％ between 10.4 and 17.6 min for the second fraction, which were more efficient than that of arbutin, 45.6%.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2010

The formidable barrier property of the stratum cornemum and the high hydrophilicity of active ingredient make it difficult to permeate through the skin and reach to its site of action. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chemical penetration enhancers on the skin permeation of a hydrophilic cosmetic active ingredient, such as arbutin. The enhancing effects of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) on the permeation of a hydrophilic cosmetic active ingredient were evaluated by using Franz diffusion cell. The study indicated that NMP has considerable influence on the skin permeability. NMP was not only the most effective enhancer but also increased the skin permeability of arbutin approximately 1.3~1.5 fold compared with control without penetration enhancer. The lag time did not change with NMP, which suggested no effect of NMP on skin lipid fluidity. This suggest that arbutin co-permeated with NMP. The results indicate NMP is effective enhancer of a hydrophilic cosmetic active ingredient in penetration, with potential applications for drug delivery system.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.207-210
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• 2013

In this study, matured silkworm hemolymph was studied for inhibitory effect on melanin formation, tyrosinase activities. A matured silkworm hemolymph mass purification method was developed and some of suppressing melanin formation effects were investigated, too. As a result, the advanced purification method was higher in yield rate than existing one by 53%. A free radical scavenging activity of hemolymph was higher than sericin on the market($IC_{50}$, $202.9{\pm}33.1$) and lower than vitamin C($0.57{\pm}0.02$) by $6.4{\pm}0.3{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. An inhibitory effect on melanin synthesis was higher in hemolymph compared to Morus bark and arbutin by 9.15% and 11.56%, respectively. An inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity was higher in hemolymph than Morus bark and lower than arbutin. Effect of hemolymph $45{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ on suppressing of tyrosinase was almost 90%. Thus, these results suggest that hemolymph of matured silkworm may have beneficial properties as a material for cosmetics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2021

In today's society, functional whitening cosmetics are important to beauty. Fungi are known to produce a variety of whitening-related metabolites. In this study, we searched for tyrosinase inhibitors with metabolic products derived from Trichoderma atroviride supernatant in order to apply a material for whitening functional cosmetics. In addition, the inhibitory effect was compared to arbutin, which has already been approved as a whitening raw material by the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (KMFDS). The metabolites from the T. atroviride supernatant showed higher tyrosinase inhibitory activity than that of arbutin. Some of the tyrosinase inhibitors were stable to heat, whereas some were unstable. The heat unstable material was exhibited in the case of samples treated with little amounts, such as 0.02~0.2%. They were very unstable in acidic and alkali pHs, especially under acidic conditions. However, it was found that a weakly-acidic to neutral pH range was the optimal working pH, especially neutral pH. Since the activity of the inhibitory substances in the T. atroviride supernatant was maintained regardless of proteinase K treatment, it was assumed that the metabolites, but not the bioactive peptides, were involved in the activity. In summary, we propose that the metabolites derived from T. atroviride supernatant have strong potential as whitening raw material.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.121-125
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of applying the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) as a tool to enhance the skin absorption of arbutin, a well-known skin-whitening agent. Arbutin solution or skin formulation was applied on the back of hairless mouse skin in vivo after IPL treatment, and then the skin deposition of arbutin was determined by HPLC. IPL treatment significantly increased the amount of arbutin in the skin after 6 hours when arbutin solution was applied 20 times. IPL also enhanced the skin deposition of arbutin when arbutin formulation was applied, although it was not significantly different. Significant increase of surface skin temperature was observed by IPL treatment, which might be a mechanism of the enhanced skin absorption of arbutin. These results suggest the feasibility of using IPL as a tool to increase the skin absorption of whitening agents, although further research needs to be conducted to understand its exact mechanism.