Kojic acid is sometimes used in health and beauty products to lighten the skin. It may be used to treat skin conditions, such as sun damage, scars, and age spots. The science behind how kojic acid works as a lightening agent involves its effect on melanin production.
Kojic acid is produced by bacteria used in the fermentation of rice for the production of sake. It's a popular ingredient in Asian skin care products thanks to its whitening and anti-aging properties . (Whitening is a term many Asian skin care brands use to refer to decreasing hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone.)
Kojic acid is not cytotoxic (that is not harmful to living cells) and therefore cannot permanently lighten your skin tone.
Over time, long-term use of kojic acid may make your skin more susceptible to sunburn. Keep this in mind, and be particularly mindful of using sunscreen or wearing protective clothing. You should never use kojic acid on damaged or broken skin.
For as long as kojic acid skincare is used, a person's natural skin tone can be lightened. This brightness will not reverse as soon as you stop using kojic acid skincare, but instead will take months to return.
Hydroquinone and kojic acid are often used in skin bleaching creams.
#2 Turmeric with Aloe Vera
It contains Vitamin C that is good for skin lightening. And the aloe vera is a powerful natural ingredient for skin healing, brightening and anti-aging. Mix half tablespoon of turmeric with two teaspoons of Aloe Vera as a mixture. Apply it and let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then wash it off.
Skin whitening creams only give you temporary results and do not have very lasting effects however, laser surgery as well as chemical peel treatment methods promise to give permanent solutions.
Tranexamic acid (TXA) is commonly being used to reduce melanin synthesis in patients with melasma and also used as a raw material for functional whitening cosmetics, although its action mechanism is poorly understood.
In the clinical studies, niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use. Conclusions: The data suggest niacinamide is an effective skin lightening compound that works by inhibiting melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes.
There is no safe or reliable way to lighten someone's skin tone. Products or DIY recipes that claim to do so carry numerous risks. Even legal and over-the-counter options, such as hydroquinone creams, can sometimes lead to permanent discoloration.
Prescription skin-lightening creams
Powerful skin-lightening creams are available on prescription from a doctor. These usually contain one or both of the following medicines: hydroquinone. corticosteroids (steroid medicine), such as hydrocortisone.
Kojic acid is similar to a chemical called hydroquinone. They are both effective treatments for hyperpigmentation. Treatment with kojic acid isn't immediate. For significant improvement, you'll need to use a kojic acid cosmetic for up to three months in some cases.
So, how long does it take for Kojic Acid to brighten skin? Good question! On a cellular level, the acid suppresses hyperpigmentation in melanocytes within only a few minutes after application. However, visible results of the treatment can take anywhere from 8-35 days.
Typically, it takes 1-3 months for people with light-medium brown skin to see some lightning effects of glutathione. For people with dark brown skin, glutathione takes 3-6 months to lighten the skin. However, people with very dark skin may see the lightning effect of glutathione in 6-12 months.
Conclusion: The results of the study show that 4% Hydroquinone cream is a better topical hypopigmenting agent with rapid rate of clinical improvement when compared to 0.75% Kojic Acid cream.
Kojic acid was not a toxicant in acute, chronic, reproductive, and genotoxicity studies. While some animal data suggested tumor promotion and weak carcinogenicity, kojic acid is slowly absorbed into the circulation from human skin and likely would not reach the threshold at which these effects were seen.
Despite its "acid" moniker, kojic acid is safe to use — though we wouldn't recommend any of the products designed to completely lighten your complexion as your overall skin tone shouldn't be tampered with; it will eventually shift back to its natural state once you discontinue use.
As a mild acid, Vitamin C is better for exfoliating and brightening skin than niacinamide.
Niacinamide is a great ingredient for its tolerability, preventing skin aging and treating inflammation and pigmentation. Most results take 8–12 weeks.