How To Mix Bulk Arbutin Powder In Cosmetics?
Why You Need To Mix Arbutin In Your Lotions?
Arbutin is a natural active substance derived from plants, integrating “green plants, safe and reliable” and “efficient decolorization” in one component.
If you search arbutin for skin, you will find many skincare products on the market.
You can see branded creams and serums for hyperpigmentation.
There are also a lot of its soaps, lotions, and masks.
Arbutin can even out your skin tone and treat acne scars.
Below are some of the arbutin benefits.
#1. One of the most effective skin-whitening agents.
Alpha-arbutin can brighten dark spots on the skin in about 3weeks.
Trust me, there are no other ingredients that can do this trick in such a short period.
Its whitening effects are 15 times that of beta-arbutin while it is only 8 times more expensive.
It can quickly penetrate the skin, without affecting the concentration of cell proliferation.
It can effectively inhibit tyrosinase activity in the skin and block the formation of melanin through its direct combination with tyrosinase.
Thus, it will accelerate the decomposition and excretion of melanin to reduce skin pigmentation and get rid of pigmentation and freckles.
#2. Safe to use alone or mixed.
Before arbutin, the most commonly used whitening agent was hydroquinone, which is harmful and irritant to the skin and was later banned for use in many countries.
While arbutin is natural and mild to the skin like kojic acid dipalmitate.
There is nothing to worry about arbutin safety. It won’t cause any irritations to your skin, even when you have sensitive skin.
Some people may worry about acne issues, then worry no more.
There are tests to show that alpha-arbutin won’t rouse any. Instead, it will treat acne scars and make them less noticeable.
Meanwhile, it does not produce toxic, irritating, sensitizing, and other side effects to melanocytes, while also having bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects. It is one of the safest and most effective whitening ingredients in vogue today and is the ideal skin-whitening active agent for the 21st century.
#3. Super compatible.
You can combine arbutin with many other whitening ingredients to achieve a better whitening effect.
Mix it with kojic acid dipalmitate, kojic acid powder, vitamin C esters, etc.
It is actually what Glenmark has been doing.
Their Demelan has both alpha-arbutin and Kojic acid dipalmitate, along with Glycolic acid.
Several Brand Cosmetics Manufacturers make arbutin into 2% alpha-arbutin solutions by combining 8% vitamin C solutions for their new shining series.
#4. Very cost-effective.
Compared to Coenzyme Q10, Glutathione reduced, some of the Vitamin C Esters, and arbutin price is lower, especially when coenzyme q10 price almost doubled by the end of 2019.
Though prices for glycolic acid and kojic acid are much lower, those 2 are irritating to sensitive skin.
Before you begin to mix it, you must know that there are two types of arbutin: alpha and beta.
The retail price for 1KG alpha-arbutin is around 300USD, 200USD for the beta type.
Know their differences before you proceed.
Alpha-Arbutin vs Beta-Arbutin
Both Alpha and beta-Arbutin are white to off-white powders commonly used in cosmetics.
Both of them are water-soluble.
They are similar in many ways: they have the same molecular weight, chemical formula, etc, they also have their differences, we have compiled the details below.
#1 More efficient
In-vivo tests proved alfa-arbutin is more effective at 1.0% than Beta-Arbutin and 9 times more effective than Beta-Arbutin in-vitro.
Its activity against melanin is 9 times of beta-arbutin and 4 times of kojic acid.
#2 More stable
Testings are showing that alpha-arbutin is chemically more stable than beta type and it has a longer shelf life too.
It is more convenient to add alpha type into whitening cosmetics than beta type.
Alpha-arbutin is the most stable when the PH value is between 3.5~6.5.
#3 More expensive but safer
Though beta-arbutin is cheaper than alpha-arbutin, it is more likely to inhibit skin cell growth.
Alpha-type is just milder.
Though alpha arbutin is more expensive, it takes less quantity to achieve better whitening effects.
Plus, most of the cosmetics manufacturers only mention ARBUTIN as the active ingredient on the label, they are using beta-arbutin, not alpha-arbutin, do not be fooled by their tricks.
#4. Water solubility
Alpha-arbutin is more water-soluble than beta type. According to the solubility tests, you can dissolve 151g of alpha-arbutin in the water of 1 liter at 20 ± 5 °C, the beta type is around 100g for 1 liter.
#5. Different specific optical rotation
The optical rotation of the alpha type is +180 degrees, while the beta type is -60 degrees.
#6. Manufacturing method
Currently, beta-arbutin can be prepared by three methods: plant extraction, plant cell culture, and artificial synthesis.
Whereas alpha-arbutin is mainly produced in a glycose-transfer reaction by microbial enzymes, allowing one molecule of glucose to combine with one molecule of hydroquinone to form alpha-arbutin.
Some Alpha-arbutin Formulation References
#1. Whitening serums
Ginseng Extract 2%, arbutin 3%, stearic acid 2%, hyaluronic acid 0.5%, glycerin 8%, propylene glycol 3%, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil 3%, methylparaben 1%, triethanolamine 0.5%, add flavoring and refined water to 100%.
#2. Whitening solutions
Hexadecyl Alcohol 4.0%, Isopropyl Myristate: 3.0%, Mineral Fat 5.0%, Hexadecyl Ethylene Oxide: 2.0%, Glycerin: 5.0%, Mineral Oil 8.0%, Octadecyl Dimethylamine Oxide 3.0%, Arbutin 5.0%, Premium Lubricant: 5.0% Propylene Glycol: 5.0%, Preservative: appropriate amounts, add distilled water to 100%.
#3. Beauty creams/eye creams/moisture creams
Hexadecyl E(20)P(2)-type polyether 1.0%, Liquid paraffin 3.0%, Propylene glycol 5.0%, Glycerol 2.0%, Ethanol 15%, Polyacrylic Acid 0.3%, Hydroxypropyl cellulose 0.3%, 2-Aminomethylpropanol 0.1%, 17-Beta-estradiol 0.0001%, Arbutin 1.0%, add flavoring and deionized water to 100%
#4. Whitening creams
Vaseline 39%, alpha-Arbutin 1%, Stearyl alcohol 15, Vitamin E oil 1%, Bee wax 15%, Fragrance 0.5%, Glycerin stearate 0.5%, water 27%, Polyethylene glycol monooleate 1%
#5.Creams for pigmentation spots
Vitamin C 3%, Arbutin 5%, Glycerin 5%, Antioxidant 0.1%, Ethanol 43.8%, Angelica sinensis 10%, Caisson 0.1%, Ligusticum wallichii 8%, Vitamin E 5%, Scutellaria baicalensis 10%, Liquorice 10%
How To Mix Arbutin Powder In Cosmeticsn Step By Step?
In our daily life, we see many cosmetics containing arbutin, below is how you should mix it to get it absorbed to the maximum.
Learn these 6 tips before you mix the pure powder.
1. Arbutin is easy to decompose under an acidic environment, make sure the pH value of creams and emulsions is controlled between 5-7. If the PH value is too low or too high, you will also feel a burn when the serum is applied to your skin.
2. Dissolve pure arbutin powder with a small amount of water at 50 degrees and add at 50 degrees when the emulsification is complete.
3. Add the right amount of antioxidants to the cosmetics to prevent discoloration
4. After the cream is emulsified, add NaHSO3 and Na2SO3 aqueous solution at 50 degrees Celsius (0.3% to 0.4% is recommended), you can skip this when doing DIY.
5. The addition of natural vegetable oils containing oleic and linoleic acid can promote arbutin’s whitening synergy.
6. The addition of 0.8-1.0% azones to the cosmetics promotes the absorption of arbutin and also prevents its precipitation on your skin.
Put the accurately-weighed arbutin powder into deionized water, and heat the mixture to 55~60 degrees for later stirring.
When the temperature is reached, stir the mixture for 10 minutes to make sure it is well dissolved, and then add the liquid into the aqueous phase of cosmetics (lotions) at 50~55 degrees, stir well and then add into the rest of the oil phase to emulsify.
The recommended dosage of arbutin is 3%~7%: if its concentration is too low, the whitening effect is reduced, once it is over 7%, it will be sensitive to light and irritant to your skin.
Moreover, long-term use of arbutin in high concentrations can reduce your skin immunity.
The volume of liquid to dissolve arbutin depends on the concentration you need, if you need 5%, it is 5g arbutin dissolved in 95g liquid, if you need 3% solution, add 3g powder into 97g liquid.
Currently, the main-stream arbutin concentration is 5%.
5% is also regarded as the safest and most effective spot-lightening concentration.
5% arbutin cosmetics act faster on spot lightening than vitamin C and the whitening effect is stable and long-lasting without irritating your skin.