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Ameann DeJohn is a versatile industry professional with vast, real life business experience and a keen understanding of the skin care business. She is currently an active consultant, author and speaker to the beauty industry, ranging from small start-ups to prominent corporations. Ameann has been featured at national conferences and industry events, held training seminars and has been featured on many major television networks providing commentary, business advice and educational services. |
Alternatives to Hydroquinone?
Posted in
Blog,
Topics,
Botanicals,
Pigmentation,
Skin Tone
As you may know, hydroquinone, a chemical used to bleach skin and thus reduce hyperpigmentation, has been banned in Europe and its use lessened in the United States due to safety reasons. As of now, U.S. manufacturers are still able to use hydroquinone up to 2 percent in over the counter beauty products and up to 4 percent in pregascription products. But with all the speculation and fears of its safety, women don’t know what to do. We want lighter, brighter, clearer skin, but not at the cost of our health. So are there any alternatives that really work?
It happens we were in the midst of developing a new mass market product, with one of the product’s goals being to lighten the skin, when I decided to tackle the question: Are there other effective, yet safe lightening ingredients out there? Turns out, there’s a lot!
Natural options:
- Amla, an Indian herb and natural form of hydroquinone;
- Arbutin, extracted from uva ursi, also called bearberry;
- Mulberry root extract; and
- Licorice root, which has long been touted for its lightening properties—finally we’re seeing it widely used.
Acids:
- Kojic Acid
- Azelaic Acid
New to the scene with clinical studies:
- Delentigo™ by Mibelle Biochemistry. It’s a combination of two powerful actives: an extract of Swiss garden cress sprouts, rich in sulforaphane, a powerful antioxidant and phytonutrient, with genistein, the biologically active form of soy isoflavone.
- B-White by UniPex Innovations. It’s a biomimetic peptide encapsulated in a liposome. It works by inhibiting the MITF cellular pathway to decrease pigmentation formation.
- Whitami by Alban Muller International. It’s comprised of a cocktail of natural ingredients that work together: Kokkai Toki extract, Bofu extract, stabilized vitamin C, pine bark OPCs, lipoic acid, papain and white clay.
It’s safe to say there are plenty of other options and exciting new products to look forward to using some of these natural alternatives. With lightening being one of the top concerns among women, you can anticipate a slew of more, innovative products to treat hyperpigmentation in the near future. See you later spots …
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