Development and in vitro evaluation of A new skin whitening cream formulation

According to the sales data of pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, brown spots on the skin are the most disturbed issue of patients and cosmetic users. Various options have emerged for this purpose with the development of formulations with different active substances to overcome this stain problem which is also known as melasma. Groups such as tyrosinase inhibitors, melanosome transfer reducer agents, chelating active ingredients with copper ions and chemical peelers offer very effective results in the melasma treatment. Some active ingredients in these groups are vegetable origin and the others are synthetically developed and designed by the investigation of the effects/side effects. Arbutin acts as a tyrosinase inhibitor like hydroquinone with few side effects. In this context, the action mechanism, side effects and carrier systems development studies of active substances of both synthetic and plant origin ingredients are vital for the problem solution. In addition, acidic substances such as retinoic acid, which accelerate the skin regeneration make patient harmony difficult despite the whitening of the skin. All these reasons necessitated the development of a new formulation that does not irritate the skin and increases patient compliance. The purpose of this study is to develop a new formulation containing an herbal origin active ingredient Arbutin. This standard formulation with alkaline pH structure can be used as an alternative to the skin regenerative (desquamation) acidic formulations. Keywords: Arbutin, Melanin, Tyrosinase Inhibitor, Melasma, Skin Blemish, Cream.