Abstract
Skin whitening has become one of the aesthetic problems among humans around the world, especially on women which is highly attention to skin beauty and whitening. Many of the plant extracts in oral energy drinks have whitening effects and good taste, which can support the health of the skin. We use the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) as a search engine to find literatures about skin whitening, oral plant extracts. This review mainly introduces the mechanism of skin whitening and the application of oral plant extracts in skin whitening. Skin whitening at melanin synthesis, melanosome transport, metabolism, oxidative stress, UV stimulation, other environmental stimulation inseparable. Many oral plant extracts are natural tyrosine inhibitors. The review concludes the melanin synthesis and transporting, pathway of melanin synthesis, whitening mechanism and the function of whitening on Green tea polyphenols, Rose Petal Extract (Rosa gallica), Pears, Peony, Rosa roxburghii Tratt, Olive (Olea europaea L.), Pomegranates, Phyllanthus emblica L., Mulberry extract, Açaí berry, saussurea involucrate flavonoids extract, etc. These will provide a strong foundation for the application of oral plant extracts in skin whitening. Furthermore, the mixture with function of skin whitening/ skin anti-aging / anti-inflammatory antioxidant oral plant extract can be a good candidate for further development on skin care product.
Keywords:
skin whitening; oral plant extracts; melanin; melanosome; reactive oxygen species