Similar results were also achieved in the Boissy et al. study. Using a hairless, pigmented guinea pig model, they found that topically applied deoxyarbutin exhibited a more sustained depigmenting effect than hydroquinone and the effect was completely reversible. Kojic acid and arbutin failed to induce skin lightening. Boissy et al. also evaluated deoxyarbutin in a 12-week human clinical trial. Topical treatment with 3% deoxyarbutin induced a significant or slight decrease in overall skin lightness and amelioration of solar lentigines in light skin or dark skin patients, respectively (Exp. Dermatol. 2005;14:601-8).
Recently, Hu et al. studied the impact of hydroquinone, arbutin, and deoxyarbutin on melanogenesis and antioxidation using cultured melan-A melanocytes exposed or not exposed to UVA-induced oxidative stress and also sought to ascertain whether deoxyarbutin has the potential to serve as an alternative skin whitening agent to hydroquinone and arbutin. The notable differences among the treatments were seen when the melanocytes were exposed to a nontoxic dose of UVA; increases in the cytotoxicity of hydroquinone and arbutin emerged. In addition, the production of reactive oxygen species was inhibited in association with the treatment of deoxyarbutin in comparison to arbutin and hydroquinone and the investigators identified decreased protein expression of tyrosinase only in deoxyarbutin-treated melanocytes. The three whitening agents exhibited similar dose-dependent tyrosinase-inhibiting activity, with two- to threefold reductions in comparison to the untreated control cells. The researchers concluded that deoxyarbutin indeed is a safe and effective alternative to hydroquinone, as it displays strong tyrosinase suppression, clear antioxidant potential, and reduced cytotoxicity in comparison to the long-time standard skin-whitening compound (J. Dermatol. Sci. 2009;55:179-84).
Conclusion
Arbutin has been traditionally used in Japan and recently used in the West as a skin-lightening agent that is a less effective but safer alternative to hydroquinone. A synthetic version of arbutin, deoxyarbutin, has been developed that appears to rival hydroquinone in effectiveness while maintaining a similar safety profile to arbutin.