Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Feb:110:582-593.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.12.006. Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Kojic acid applications in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations

Majid Saeedi  1 , Masoumeh Eslamifar  2 , Khadijeh Khezri  3
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Kojic acid applications in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations

Majid Saeedi et al. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Skin color disorders can be caused by various factors, such as excessive exposure to sunlight, aging and hormonal imbalance during pregnancy, or taking some medications. Kojic acid (KA) is a natural metabolite produced by fungi that has the ability to inhibit tyrosinase activity in synthesis of melanin. The major applications of KA and its derivatives in medicine are based on their biocompatibility, antimicrobial and antiviral, antitumor, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-speck, anti-parasitic, and pesticidal and insecticidal properties. In addition, KA and its derivatives are used as anti-oxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, radio protective and skin-lightening agent in skin creams, lotions, soaps, and dental care products. KA has the ability to act as a UV protector, suppressor of hyperpigmentation in human and restrainer of melanin formation, due to its tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Also, KA could be developed as a chemo sensitizer to enhance efficacy of commercial antifungal drugs or fungicides. In general, KA and its derivatives have wide applications in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: Cosmetic; Health brightening products; Hyperpigmentation; Kojic acid; Melanin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources