What are the common ingredients in skin whiteners?

Does anybody know any common ingredients in skin whitening products and how these ingredients contribute to skin whitening?


This is for my Biology research project. No nonsense answers please. Thank you.What are the common ingredients in skin whiteners?
Basic info:





http://www.carefair.com/Skincare/Skin_Li…





Info from an anti-skin lightening perspective:





http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/art…





And from a more medically based site:


http://www.consultdrminas.com/eng/06_pha…





“Skin-whitening products work in various ways. Some contain acids that remove old skin to reveal newer, lighter skin underneath. Others inhibit melanin, like those with mulberry extract, licorice extract, kojic acid, arbutin and hydroquinone, an ingredient in prescription creams for blemishes as well as in photo processing materials. Some of the most effective agents are also risky — and are often the least expensive, like mercury-based ingredients or hydroquinone, which in Thailand sells for about $20 per kilogram (2.2 pounds), compared with highly concentrated licorice extract, which sells for about $20,000 per kilogram. Hydroquinone has been shown to cause leukemia in mice and other animals. The European Union banned it from cosmetics in 2001, but it shows up in bootleg creams in the developing world. It is sold in the United States as an over-the-counter drug, but with a concentration of hydroquinone not exceeding 2 percent.” http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/


world/asia/14thailand.html?ex=13052592…





Mainly the Skin Whitening Ingredients works in two ways to give you a whiter skin: 1. By absorbing the UV rays, thus preventing the sun from darkening your skin. 2. By reducing the production of melanin, the skin pigment found in your skin which is responsible for skin darkening. Here are some of the ingredients you may find in your skin whitening products:





Kojic Acid: It is used to lighten the skin in Japan. It is a tyrosinase inhibitor. That would explain how it reduces the production of skin pigment, melanin.


Licorice Extract: This absorbs the UVA and UVB rays. It also is a depigmenting agent and inhibits the production of melanin. Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera appears to absorb UV light. That would account for its mild skin lightening abilities.


Octyl-p-methoxycinnamate: This is a sunscreen. It absorbs UV light very well, preventing the UV rays from darkening your skin.


Octyl salicylate: This is a salt of the saliculic acid that is found in wintergreen leaves. It is a sunscreen, found in sun tan lotions.


Oxybenzone: This is a sunscreen chemical that absorbs UVA rays. http://www.ultimate-cosmetics.com/skin-w…





I found these sites by typing these phrases into yahoo search: ';Ingredients in skin lighteners'; and ';How do skin lighteners work?'; and ';pros and cons of skin lighteners';





Good luck. :)