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Right Brain reports…
Kojic acid based skin lightening products, like Meladerm, have provided benefits to many people and it’s effectiveness is supported by the American Academy of Dermatology. In Europe, it is thought to be a safer alternative to hydroquinone (an ingredient banned in Europe).
Kojic acid is also a natural by-product from the fermentation stage of sake production. Scientists believe it helps lighten the skin by blocking an enzyme crucial in the production of skin melanin. Anecdotal reports by Meladerm customers would support this view.
Overall, it seems like a great ingredient.
Or maybe not.
According to a report from the European scientific body, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP), kojic acid used at the maximum 1% concentration level may pose a health risk.
Kojic Acid Good news
On the plus side, the SCCP found that kojic acid is not genotoxic or carcinogenic. (It won’t cause cancer). It also did not exhibit any reproductive toxicity.
Kojic Acid Bad news
On the other hand, with patch tests on real human volunteers they found that skin exposed to kojic acid on a regular basis became more sensitive. This led them to conclude kojic acid may induce skin sensitization and they want to classify it as such. Skin sensitization is bad because it could lead to allergic contact dermatitis.
Kojic Conclusions
This report illustrates a few important points about the chemicals in cosmetics.
1. There is debate among scientists about chemical safety. Reasonable people can disagree. Regulatory agencies in Europe and the US can look at the same safety data and come to completely different conclusions (banning hydroquinone for example).
2. Animal testing of cosmetics is still done. Even in Europe.
3. There is risk when you expose yourself to any chemical even if it has a history of safe use. If you are worried about things like this, your contact with all chemicals should be minimized. It doesn’t matter if naturally derived or not since these can be skin sensitizers too.
Beauty Brains Bottom Line
Results from this report are not conclusive so more testing and data collection will be done by cosmetic makers who use kojic acid. Unfortunately, few ingredients actually provide a skin lightening benefit so if that’s what you want, you’ll have to continue to use these products. But until more data is collected, you might want to apply just a little less.
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SCCP just released a new assessment of Kojic acid. It’s in The Rose Sheet this week. You might want to follow up with those results for a later post.
I was curious about kojic acid and am so glad I found you. I’ll share this with my readers too.
i am a mnufacturer of human skin whitening cream with the help of
Arbutin 4 % and Kojic acid 1% and i was preparing it with ill heatedly because i came to know from one of my collgue that the kojic acid is carcinogenic. so i searched on net for this purpose and found from your website that it is not carcinogenic, now i want to make sure for both arbutin and kojic acid that whether they are safe to use. kinldy guide me.
Thanks and regards
i look forwark for heaing from you soon
I’m confused. Is it bad when it’s removed from its natural source (Japanese sake) and inserted into cosmetics or potentially unsafe overall? It is well-known that Geisha used to take sake baths, which is supposed to be very good for the skin.
Kojic acid is not a carcinogenic skin whitening agent. Hyrdoquinone is the ingredient you are thinking about qazi. This ingredient works, but is potentially cancerous. This is why Europe banned it.
Thax for the inf om kojic.am glad 2 know its best than hydroquinone.hve searched the website bt cant find where to exactly get the products.am in Nairobi ,kenya.plse help am desparate
@Christine Muriithi.You can find the products at Lyntons Pharmacy, Hilton building. Talk to a Mr. Ndung’u
hae,can i find meladerm @ lyntons pharmacy?am desperate plz help am in kenya,nairobi.
CORRECTION: Hydroquinone is not banned in Europe (or Japan, for that matter). It is sold all over the EU (at 2.5% concentrations) and is sold as a cosmetic in Japan and Mexico. HQ has been on the market for 52+ years and is considered safe and effective by the FDA and the gold standard for treating hyperpigmentation, PIH, melasma/chloasma, and the like. There are no published reports showing HQ is toxic in humans (animal studies were conducted on rats/mice who were given ORAL doses of HQ, not topical). And kojic acid is often added to other ingredients (i.e. hydroquinone, arbutin, etc.) to boost their “whitening” effects.
Hi
please help, where can i find a safe skin bleaching cream with safe ingredients like kojic acid,arbutin etc and please advise on the best creams with their names too. Am in Nairobi Kenya
where can i find meladerm cream in Kenya
hi irene.im in kenya too and luking for meladerm.any luck yet?
meladerm can be found at a website call Civant however the number is 8883civant
LoveSkin, Wikipedia says hydroquinone is banned in the member states of the European Union: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroquinone
Hi Irene n Pauline.Am in Kenya too n looking for meladerm.Do u know where i can get the cream? Please lemmi know
Does lyntons sell meladerm
Does lyntons sell meladerm.help i realy need it
I don’t know. Maybe you could find it on their website.
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