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Kojic Acid is a mild inhibitor of the melanin formation. It is derived from the Japanese common name Koji, a type of fungi in Japan. It is a product of the fermentation of malt rice for sake, the Japanese rice wine. Moreover, it is used to for skin lightening in cosmetics.

While hydroquinone works by inhibiting the tyrosinase’s activity, this acid lightens the skin by suppressing the activity of the tyrosinase. It does skin whitening safely and it is known globally for its effective whitening.

Because Kojic acid is a very sensitive agent, it is only used in few applications. Even in cosmetology, it is an unstable ingredient. It is very sensitive that it slight exposure to air and sunlight would make the acid lose its essence, and it would change its color to brown. It is best preserved in glass ampoules.

What is good about this is that, it does not pose any health problem. According to the Scientific Committee on Commercial Products or SCCP, it does not cause cancer. In other words, it is not carcinogenic and genotoxic. It does not even pose problems on the human reproductive system. There may be some health threats but they are limited to 1% concentration level.

If the Kojic acid has a good side, it has a bad side also. While testing the effects of this acid, it was found out that skin exposed to the acid regularly appears to be more sensitive than the skin which does not come into contact with this skin lightener ingredient. An increase on the skin sensitivity is somehow not good because it can lead to allergic contact dermatitis.
Aside from its use in cosmetology, it is used also in other areas such as in:

· Medicine – it is use as an important material in antibiotic: antiphlogistic production, anodyne and cephamycin.

· Food Additive- It is used in color preservation of foods like meat. It serves as an antioxidant and antiseptic.

· Color-stabilizer of Cut-flowers- it is added to cut flowers to preserve and maintain the flower’s color and freshness.

· Pesticide- it is a pollution-free ingredient of some pesticides and insecticides.

Kojic acid application on skin lightening comes into the forms of whitening cream, lotions, and soap. Studies regarding the other applications of this are still on-going.

Kojic Acid is an active ingredient in skin lightening creams. Visit to catch up more about this lightening agent.