Glabridin is an isoflavone compound found in licorice root extracts. This product belongs to the natural phenol, a member of the large family of plant-derived molecules. It is a yellow-brown powdery substance that is insoluble in water but soluble in some organic solvents. It is used as an ingredient in cosmetics because of its good whitening effect.
Glabridin is known as whitening gold. It can penetrate into the skin and maintain high activity, whitening and highly effective antioxidant. It effectively inhibits the activity of multiple enzymes in the process of melanin production, especially inhibiting the activity of tyrosinase. It also has the effects of preventing skin roughness and anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Glabridin is a whitening ingredient with good efficacy, comprehensive functions, obvious effects and good safety. It is also the main functional ingredient of high-end whitening cosmetics in the world. In addition to being widely used by cosmetics companies in Japan and South Korea, well-known brands such as Lancome, Dior, SPA, and Chanel also widely use this ingredient.
The whitening principle of glabridin
Inhibit tyrosinase
Human tyrosinase can regularly produce melanin and is an essential enzyme, such as darkening of the skin or eyes. As we all know, a series of reactions will occur when human skin is exposed to sunlight for a long time, such as darkening, reddening, and inflammation. This is actually because the phospholipid membrane of the skin tissue is destroyed by the reactive oxygen induced by ultraviolet rays. This histological change is manifested as erythema and pigmentation. Since reactive oxygen is a substance that can cause skin pigmentation, inhibiting its production can inhibit the production of melanin. Glabridin is the most expensive and effective whitening ingredient among all whitening ingredients. It is mentioned in "Compendium of Materia Medica" that the whitening effect of glabridin is 232 times that of ordinary vitamin C, 16 times higher than hydroquinone, and 1164 times that of "arbutin", so glabridin is called "whitening gold".
Anti-inflammatory effect
Chinese scientists have verified the anti-inflammatory activity of glabridin through experiments. Guinea pigs were first exposed to ultraviolet light to induce pigmentation, and then 0.5% glabridin solution was applied. It was found that glabridin solution could reduce inflammation of guinea pig skin caused by ultraviolet stimulation. The a value is used to represent erythema on the skin. By recording the a value (colorimeter reading) before and after irradiation and using glabridin, the degree of inflammation reduction can be calculated. The researchers studied the inhibitory activity of glabridin on cyclooxygenase. Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme that converts arachidonic acid into prostaglandins, which are inflammatory factors. Compared with the control group (using the current cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin), glabridin can achieve the effect of inhibiting cyclooxygenase. It is trustworthy that glabridin affects the production of arachidonic acid by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, thereby reducing inflammation.
Antioxidant effect
Glabridin has a significant free radical scavenging effect. Vitamin C, vitamin E and β-carotene are recognized as the three major antioxidants and anti-aging kings. The anti-aging ability of glabridin is comparable to that of vitamin E. It is a natural antioxidant. It is reported that its antioxidant effect is significantly better than BHA and BHT. There are literature reports that licorice can be used to reduce corticosteroids in infectious skin diseases and can enhance the effect of steroids.
Cosmetic application
Glabridin has significant anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-melanin formation effects in the industry. Therefore, it is used as an ingredient in various cosmetic skin care products (such as creams, lotions, shower gels, etc.). It can also be made into whitening creams, and such patented products have already been launched.
Dosage: In cosmetics, in order to achieve a whitening effect, it is recommended to add 0.001-3% of glabridin, preferably 0.001-1%. Add at a low temperature with glycerol at a ratio of 1:10. External use of glabridin can inhibit melanin formation and achieve a whitening effect. It has excellent tyrosinase inhibitory activity, can prevent skin tanning, lines, freckles and sun spots, and the recommended dosage is 0.0007-0.05%. Studies have shown that as long as 0.05% of glabridin, 0.3% of aloe powder, 1% of niacinamide, and 1% of AA2G are paired, the inhibition rate of melanin tyrosinase is as high as 98.97%.
Chinese scientists have also studied the preparation of glabridin liposomes and their application in beauty cosmetics. The results show that glabridin liposomes can be successfully prepared using liposome models and preparation techniques. The phospholipid bilayer membrane of glabridin liposomes is similar to biological membranes, which are easy to fuse with biological organisms, promote the penetration of effective ingredients into biological membranes, and make the efficiency of effective ingredients transporting across skin barriers and biological membranes higher, which has a positive effect in improving and enhancing its skin whitening and freckle removal effects and other auxiliary effects.