A research team from Korea, made up of scientists from Yonsei University, Dermapro Skin Research Center, and Hoseo University, developed a patch containing 4-n-butylresorcinol for skin depigmentation and say it could become useful as a functional cosmetic product.
“The DMN patch was effective and safe for skin depigmentation through targeting of melanocytes,” says the study.
“The DMN patch has potential to be an advancement in the field of cosmetics because the patch could be fabricated using various functional ingredients, such as depigmentation and anti-ageing agents, and because of their usability, safety, and efficacy.”
Efficacy and safety
For effective skin depigmentation, the functional agent must be delivered to melanocytes, where melanin is synthesized.
The safety and efficacy of cosmetic products are essential because of long-term use by consumers.
Although all of the raw materials for the fabrication of DMN are safe, the scientists say that interactions among the raw materials may induce side effects.
Likewise, DMN containing active compounds must also be evaluated for cosmetic use since the final product can cause other side effects, such as irritation or allergy reaction.
In order to carry out their tests for safety, the team selected 31 subjects for primary skin irritation test using Frosch & Kligman's method and 50 women for the cumulative irritation test and sensitization potential test using a modification of the Shelanski–Shelanski method.
For the efficacy assessment, the 4-n-butylresorcinol DMN patch was compared with a control (DMN without the functional agent) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 45 subjects by measuring two parameters: the melanin index and individual typology angle value, during 8 weeks of administration.
The results showed that the 4-n-butylresorcinol DMN patch was safe based on the results of the safety assessment and was more than two times more effective than the control patch.
“The 4-n-butylresorcinol DMN patch was effective and safe for skin depigmentation through targeting melanocytes and could be a useful functional cosmetic product,” concludes the study, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.