We get a lot of questions about skin lightening products like Meladerm so I thought you’d like to know that researchers say a Chinese flower holds potential as natural skin lightening ingredient.
Flowers for Algernon?
The Asian plant, Osmanthus fragrans, is already commonly used for flavoring tea and other beverages and is sought after as a fragrance ingredient. But now, according to Taiwanese scientists, it may be the next hot skin lightening technology.
Researchers led by Li-chen Wu from National Chi Nan University have shown that Osmanthus fragrans extract can potentially inhibit the action of the enzyme tyrosinase which is involved in the synthesis of melanin. Melanin is the pigment that is responsible for darkening your skin. (It also gives us sun tans.) In vitro research has shown the extract causes a reduction in tyrosinase activity and melanin formation in a dose-dependent manner. But it’s not clear if the mechanism could work from topically applied products or if it has to be ingested or injected.
Best of all, it’s evidence that natural ingredients can really work. And we all know how that upsets the Left Brain!
Source: LWT – Food Science and Technology
Volume 42, Issue 9, Pages 1513-1519
“Antioxidant activity and melanogenesis inhibitory effect of the acetonic extract of Osmanthus fragrans: A potential natural and functional food flavour additive”
Authors: L. Wu, L.-H. Chang, S.-H. Chen, N. Fan, J.A. Ho