• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.91-96
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• 2011

Deficiency of collagen regeneration, denaturalization of fibers, increased melanin synthesis and reactive oxygen species are important factors inducing deterioration of healthy skin function. They induce freckles and decrease in skin elasticity. Vitamin C, vitamin A and their derivatives have been used as cosmetic ingredients for improvement of these problems but they have various problems. We have been developing the various derivatives of these ingredients. In this study, we investigated whitening effect of 3-o-cetyl-L-ascorbic acid (VCCE), a new vitamin C derivative. The VCCE inhibited melanogenesis in a dose dependent manner(44 % at $20\;{\mu}g/mL $) and tyrosinase expression. For 8 weeks, we also investigated skin brightening effect of VCCE on pigmented spots in UV-irradiated human skin. In results, VCCE showed a statistically significant skin whitening effect by mechanical and visual evaluation. Taken together, our findings suggest that the VCCE has potential benefits as an active ingredient for whitening cosmetics.