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ChromaWhite TRx ® continued
skin health | retail products | category
dermalogica ChromaWhite TRx ® | retail products 102 dermalogica
Skin Lightening and
Hydroquinone
For years, Hydroquinone, classified
as an over-the-counter drug in the
United States, and has been used
in concentrations up to 2% within
products designed to lighten skin. While
Hydroquinone may be a popular pigment
lightener, there are many concerns
regarding its safety. It is because of
these concerns that Dermalogica
does not formulate any product with
Hydroquinone.
It has been estimated that one
third of the population is allergic
to Hydroquinone. Serious contact
dermatitis has been noted and skin may
be photosensitized with prolonged use.
Hydroquinone has been classified as
“an extreme sensitizer.” In some cases,
a condition known as onchronosis can
result, leading to hyperpigmentation
and acne-like lesions. Others report
hypopigmentation results when used
on an olive skin color. The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration in
the USA states that Hydroquinone is
“mutagenic and has cancer causing
potential.” The Addendum to the Final
Report on the Safety Assessment of
Hydroquinone published in the Journal
of the American College of Toxicology
in 1994 concludes that Hydroquinone
is a potent cytotoxic agent that causes
mutations and alterations to DNA,
and that it should not be used in any
leave-on type of product; it is safe
for rinse-off products when used in
concentrations less than 1%. Remember,
most OTC products marketed to lighten
pigmentation use Hydroquinone at a 2%
concentration. Based on the results of
these studies, it is no surprise that the
use of Hydroquinone has been banned in
many countries throughout the world.
In the USA, products formulated to
HO N H2
Tyrosine
Tyrosinase
HO
Step 1 Step 2
COOH
HO
N
H 2
L-DOPA
lighten pigmentation are classified as
over-the-counter drugs and must be in
compliance to Federal Monographs that
dictate what ingredients and claims may
be made. As of 2008, Hydroquinone
is the only ingredient recognized as
a lightening agent by the US FDA.
Consequently, any other ingredient used
to lighten skin must be referred to as a
brightening agent and not a lightener.
In the past, Hydroquinone has fallen
out of favor and even been banned in
most of the world, and there has been
an onslaught of alternative brightening
agents that are now marketed to combat
hyperpigmentation.
In 2007, the USA Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) reported that
it intended banning the use of
Hydroquinone in non-prescription
products (due to safety issues) but to
date, no new regulations have been
implemented.
For the past five years at The
International Dermal Institute we have
focused our research on understanding
the intricacies behind melanin
biosynthesis and have investigated every
new lightening agent available to the
cosmetic chemist. ChromaWhite TRx ®
is the result of this extensive research
effort and represents a complete system
for addressing hyperpigmentation.
ChromaWhite TRx ® is not just a pigment-
COOH
Pheomelanin
+Cu ++
O
O
+Cysteine
N
H 2
Dopaquinone
COOH
Eumelanin
lightening product range; it encompasses
an entire system of products designed
to optimize results by prepping the
skin, preventing hyperpigmentation and
protecting skin from future pigmentation
issues, all without compromising
skin health. Our clinical evaluations
have demonstrated that prepping by
exfoliating the pigmented area and
protecting by shielding skin from further
UV-induced pigmentation are as critical
of steps as actual treatment when
working to correct hyperpigmentation.
In addition to many key botanical
extracts known to help control
hyperpigmentation triggers on a cellular
level, the newest the newest agents
to fight melanin formation are the
peptides. Oligopeptide-34 is a state-ofthe-art
synthesized peptide shown to
brighten skin, especially sun-induced
hyperpigmentation, in half the time
when compared to other brightening
complexes.