Arbutin, derived from the leaves of fruits such as bearberry, pear and cranberry.
A natural skin lightening/whitening agent .It works by slowly releasing to hydrolyze hydroquinone then block the activity of tyrosinase and reduce the production of skin’s melanin (pigmentation). In cosmetics, this ingredient appears in two different forms: Alpha-Arbutin or Beta-Arbutin. Due to the patents, most skin care products contain plant extracts which contain Arbutin (e.g. bearberry, pear, blueberry), rather than pure arbutin. It is used in a variety of cosmetics, particularly ones that aiming at lightening the skin such as lotions, cremes, serums, cleansers, and spot treatments.
Though most researches strongly support the ingredient’s ability to be weakened, lighten age spots and hyper-pigmentation. It is still unclear that how much arbutin it takes to inhibit the production of melanin. Overall, the general consensus is that it works as a skin lightening agent and seems to be a promising alternative to pure Hydroquinone.
