What’s Kojic Acid?

Kojic acid  is a kind of specialized inhibitor for melanin. It can prevent the tyrosinase activity through synthesizing with copper ion in the cells after it enters skin cells.

Kojic acid and its derivative has better inhibitory effect on tyrosinase than any other skin whitening agents. At present it is assigned into various kinds of cosmetics for curing freckles, spots on the skin of old man, pigmentation and acne.

What’s the Function of Kojic Acid?

1. Whitening function: By inhibiting the activity of tyrosinase, effectively hinder the formation of melanin, and then achieve skin whitening and color spots fade effect.
2. Antioxidant function: can remove free radicals in the body, reduce the damage of free radicals to cells, play a role in delaying aging and protecting cells.
3. Antibacterial function: It has an inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria and fungi, and can be used to prevent and mitigate the related problems caused by microbial infections.
4. Chelation function: It can chelate with metal ions to form a stable complex, thereby reducing the activity of metal ions.
5. Regulatory function: In the field of agriculture, it has a regulatory effect on plant growth, can affect the physiological process of plants, promote or inhibit the growth and development of plants.

What’s the Application of Kojic Acid?

1. Cosmetics: Whitening products, using kojic acid whitening function, to help consumers improve skin tone, reduce color spots. Anti-aging products, with its antioxidant function, delay skin aging. Acne products, relying on its antibacterial function, inhibit propionibacterium acnes, etc., to prevent and treat acne.
2. Food field: preservation: used for the preservation of meat, seafood and other food, through the antioxidant effect, to prevent food deterioration due to oxidation, extend the shelf life. In terms of color protection: in the processing of fruit juice, vegetable canning, etc., the characteristics of inhibiting enzymatic Browning are used to maintain the color of the product. Anticorrosion: In some sauces and pickled foods, its antibacterial function is used to inhibit microbial growth and prevent food corruption.