Skin Care

Kojic Acid is a mild inhibitor of the melanin formation. It is from from the Japanese common name Koji, a specie 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 whitening 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 efficient lightening .

Because Kojic acid is a very sensitive agent, it is only used in few fields . Even in cosmetology, it is an unstable component . It is very sensitive that 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 sealed vials .

What is good about this is that, it does not pose any health threat . According to the Scientific Committee on Commercial Products or SCCP, it discovered that skin exposed to the acid regularly appears to be more sensitive than the skin which does not come into contact with this lightening component . 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 ingredient 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 care comes into the forms of whitening cream, lotions, and soap. Researches about the other uses of this are still on-going.