Boo YC · Antioxidants · 2021Review
Reviews arbutin's anti-pigment mechanism, clinical studies alone and in combination, and safety: dermatitis is rare, but caution is advised because hydroquinone may be generated during product use.
A hydroquinone-glucose compound that slows pigment production. Gentler than hydroquinone and allowed in cosmetics, with modest, small-study evidence.
Arbutin is hydroquinone joined to a sugar. It inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme that makes melanin, more weakly than hydroquinone and without its toxic effect on pigment cells. Alpha-arbutin is a manufactured form that is more potent in lab tests; plain (beta-) arbutin occurs naturally in bearberry leaves.
The EU's scientific safety committee considers alpha-arbutin safe up to 2% in face creams and 0.5% in body lotions, provided free hydroquinone stays at trace levels. Arbutin can release hydroquinone as a product ages or on skin, which is why those limits exist.
Lab studies consistently show it inhibits melanin production. Clinical evidence is a scattering of small trials, often of combination products, showing modest lightening; rigorous placebo-controlled trials of arbutin alone are few.
Reviews arbutin's anti-pigment mechanism, clinical studies alone and in combination, and safety: dermatitis is rare, but caution is advised because hydroquinone may be generated during product use.