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  • naturally skin lightening product formulation

    Posted by olubunmi on August 26, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    I have benefited immensely from this network. Thanks so much Perry. My name is Ashimolowo Olubunmi. I am a lecturer in a University, (Associate Professor) but has passion for helping the less privileged. Hence, I serve as the Chairperson of Gender Development Initiative. The fact that i lost 2 friends to breast cancer this year made me to be curious at developing a beauty package that can lighten naturally with little or no adverse effect. This includes lotion, cream, facial scrub, night cream, sun block etc. I have done some trials but desire to have a product that can enter EU market. I am not satisfied with what have currently as regards formulation. I need suggestions on formulations that would be basically organic. Thank you.

    microformulation replied 8 years, 7 months ago 8 Members · 26 Replies
  • 26 Replies
  • AuroraBorealis

    Member
    August 26, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    First of all welcome! 

    Second of all, you have my sympathy for losing loved ones to cancer but cosmetics aren’t responsible for that… although the market wants you to believe that! 
    For ingredients that whiten naturally, you’re limited to very few. Google licorice and take it from there. If you’re doing the products yourself you should be able to pull some starter formulas and go from there. 

  • microformulation

    Member
    August 26, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    I have done a lot of these products and realistically you are not going to be able to do much with just plant derived actives for customers in the Fitzpatrick scale (pigmentation rating system used by dermatologists) who are a IV,V or IV. You will need to use a synthetic active. Many are avoiding hydroquinone due to fears of toxicity, but many other products use actives such as Kojic acid derivatives or Arbutin.

    There is a wide variety of botanical additives as well (Bearberry, Mulberry, Licorice, and so forth). Many of these are weak tyrosine inhibitors but in my experience they are secondary and offer marketing claims more than anything.

    @AuroraBorealis is right to point out that you can’t clearly tie toxicity or carcinogenicity to the source of the raw material be it naturally derives or synthetic.  There is no clear correlation.

  • markbroussard

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 12:06 am

    @olubunmi:

    Here’s a list for you to research:
    Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C)
    Mulberry Extract
    Daisy Flower Extract
    Niacinamide (ProVitamin B3)
    Licorice Root Extract
    Rice Bran Extract
    Bearberry Extract
    Kojic Acid can be a skin irritant and Alpha Arbutin is “frowned upon” in the Natural/Organic arena.
  • microformulation

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 12:44 am

    Arbutin is gaining some ground in the EU; here.

    Kojic acid itself is very unstable and is generally used as the fat soluble dipalmitate salt. It can be irritating and requires care. With the bias against Hydroquinone it is being used more often with Fitzpatrick IV pigmentation types.

    SAP/MAP can provide whitening but they are arguably not organic.

    As for all the other botanical actives, I have tried them for clients as a sole entity at client’s request. Without exception these prototypes were eventually evaluated as being not nearly effective enough and other more accepted actives had to be added to the product.

    Skin whitening is inherently irritating. A sunscreen should be used at the same time and treatment regimens should designed to maximize the efficacy as well as to direct the client to discontinue if marked adverse events occurred.

  • belassi

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 4:57 am

    Licorice root extract? This comes anywhere between 12% GL acid (powdered root) which is brown and intensely sweet, (200x sugar) to 95% GL acid, which is so sweet your taste buds die off so it doesn’t actually taste any sweeter. It is not that easy to come by; I imported mine from China but there actually is a ban on exports so … what I’m saying is that it’s not a material that I would want to base a continued reliable production quantity on.

    If the above isn’t enough to put you off, it has solubility issues reminiscent of salicylic acid, quite possibly has an estrogenic type activity, and has known drug effects on the body including raised blood pressure, antiviral (e.g active against hepatitis C), anti-H Pylori bacterium, and so on. In other words it is a highly complicated substance with potential side effects and with very little definitive literature to rely on. 
  • markbroussard

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 6:07 pm

    @Belassi:

    There are several sources of liquid licorice root extract that are readily available from reputable suppliers.
  • belassi

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    Liquid extract? At what percent concentration and in what solvent? The maximum possible aqueous concentration is 0.2%

  • microformulation

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 8:14 pm

    Many combinations of blends of botanicals with Licorice Root Extract as well.

  • bill_toge

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    Lonza do an extract in apricot oil that they claim is efficacious:

    http://glenncorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2014_10_ReGeniStemBrightening_TDS_lowres_final-2.pdf

  • belassi

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 9:17 pm

    Having read that paper and seen the photos, I can see no effect at all worth talking about. Also they are talking about using 2% of their solution which itself contains 0.2% extract (as I previously noted, 0.2% is cold water max solubility) i.e. the concentration available will be 2/100 * 0.2% or 0.004% which is in the realms of homeopathy and about as believable in my opinion.

  • microformulation

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 9:23 pm

    That sort of reinforces my position. Pragmatically I have always seen these botanical additives as something that might work but realistically are there so the LOI looks cool.

  • belassi

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 10:53 pm

    What happened? My comment has vanished…

  • lewhitak

    Member
    August 27, 2015 at 11:21 pm

    Well, if you’re seeking an effective licorice extract the concentration of glabridin needs to be fairly high. Purified glabridin is very expensive, but it’s the active constituent in licorice that can lighten skin.

  • olubunmi

    Member
    August 28, 2015 at 3:00 pm

    Thanks for this Iewhitak

  • markbroussard

    Member
    August 28, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    I have made several skin lightening serums and can attest that they do indeed work … all depends on your definition of “skin lightening.”  I have several age spots from sun exposure that have disappeared from use of serums with these ingredients.  They are most effective against damaged cells that overproduce melanin.

    Now, if your definition of “skin lightening” is that they will actually lighten your entire complexion, you’re probably going to be disappointed.  But, they will definitely even skin tone.

    The ingredients discussed in this thread all have different mechanism of action in inhibiting the melanin metabolic pathway, so they are best used in combination.
  • olubunmi

    Member
    August 28, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    That is interesting Mark. I will work on that

  • olubunmi

    Member
    August 28, 2015 at 3:43 pm

    I have gained so much from the discussion. Is there any guideline on product formulation?

  • bobzchemist

    Member
    August 28, 2015 at 5:07 pm

    Fortunately not. If there was, the companies we work for wouldn’t have to pay us…

  • microformulation

    Member
    August 28, 2015 at 6:23 pm

    @markbroussard What Fitzpatrick scale are you? For lightening spots you can get some effect with the botanicals in Fitzpatrick I,II or III. Scales IV, V and VI usually seek more dramatic full facial whitening and this won’t work with just the botanicals.

  • markbroussard

    Member
    August 29, 2015 at 1:02 am

    @microformulation:

    I am a Fitzpartrick I/II and I no longer have any age spots, or euphemistically, sun kisses from using my serums.
  • olubunmi

    Member
    August 29, 2015 at 4:45 am

    That woul be considered. Many thanks

  • microformulation

    Member
    August 29, 2015 at 10:54 am

    @markbroussard Then you most likely are a somewhat different scenario. I am inferring that the original poster is Fitzpatrick VI and is looking for more of a full facial whitening. Much more aggressive case. Pragmatically you are probably looking at some sort of Kojic acid derivative and managing any inflamation.

  • markbroussard

    Member
    August 29, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    @microformulation:

    The original poster indicated that he/she wanted to develop a, preferably organic, skin lightening product that could be sold in the EU market.  No mention was made that the product would be targeted to a particular ethnic skin type.  
  • microformulation

    Member
    August 29, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    True.

  • olubunmi

    Member
    August 31, 2015 at 3:59 am

    Yes. You are right about that MarkBroussard

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