Comparative Study on Depigmenting Agents in Skin of Color

Objective: Skin lightening agents are popular in southern Asia, but there is dearth of evidence on their effectiveness on Fitzpatrick IV/V skin types. This study was designed to assess the depigmenting efficacy of commercially available and specifically formulated ointments using the Mexameter (MX 18).

Methods: This single center prospective study was performed to test five commercially available preparations (Eldopaque, Aziderm, Garnier Dark Spot Corrector, Ban a Tan Cream and Neostrata Pigment Lightening Gel) on 28 healthy female volunteers in Phase 1, while five single active ingredients in lipophilic dispersion (hydroquinone 4%, ascorbyl palmitate 1%, resveratrol 1% arbutin 5% and azelaic acid 20%) were tested on a different group of 26 healthy female volunteers in Phase 2. The test agents were applied twice a day for five days per week and continued for six weeks in both study phases. Weekly Mexameter measurements were obtained from test sites and negative controls.

Results: Significant hypopigmentation when compared to untreated controls was observed with Aziderm cream (<0.05, MWU) and the Neostrata Pigment Lightening Gel (<0.05, MWU). All formulated preparations showed significant reduction in pigmentation; however, only the arbutin (5%) containing formulation revealed significant attenuation of pigmentation in comparison to the inactive control (<0.05, MWU).

Conclusion: All applications containing active ingredients showed significant skin lightening; however, only arbutin was able to demonstrate significant diminution of pigmentation when compared to the inactive control.