The origin of the words Aloe Vera is majestic. Aloe vera derives from “Allaeh” (an Arabic word that means “shining bitter substances”) and “Vera” (Latin word that means “true”) (Sánchez et al).
If you live in a hot and dry place, as I do, aloe vera plants are a common garden plant. I have seen it frequently growing in Africa and the Middle East. It truly is a remarkable plant and contains over 75 different compounds, include vitamins A, C, E, and minerals such as Copper and Zinc. Unsurprisingly its found much use as a medicinal plant to treat skin problems such as inflammation and burns.
Skin lightening perspective
Aloe vera contains the compound Aloesin, which is a tyrosinase inhibitor. As tyrosinase is the principal enzyme responsible for the formation of melanin, it also reduces the formation of melanin.
In English, this means Aloesin is a skin lightener.
You won’t find Aloe Vera being sold separately as a skin lightener mainly for two reasons. First, it is been proposed that Aloe Vera works in synergy with Arbutin to reduce the activity of Tyrosinase (see below). Second, it’s a hydrophilic compound, and its moderately high molecular weight makes penetration into skin quite poor – you need a careful balance of penetration enhancers in the product.
Third, aloe vera’s other benefits to the skin are more prominent than its skin lightening function:
- Its an anti-oxidant and therefore, its free radical scavenging activity improves skin health
- Improved skin elasticity: the daily oral intake of 40 µg of Aloe sterol (cycloartenol and lophenol) for at least 12 weeks improved skin elasticity in men under 46 years exposed to the sunlight but do not use sunscreen to protect themselves (Note 2)
- Reduced facial wrinkles: in Japanese women over 40 years old by stimulating hyaluronic acid and collagen production (Note 3)
The main quoted skin lightening study….
This is such a bizarre study. First, its funded by an aloe vera company, but performed by university researchers, who had already previously shown that aloesin is a tyrosinase inhibitor.
The study involved irradiating the inner forearm of forty volunteers, 4 times a day for 15 days. Arbutin, Aloesin and a mixture of Aloesin+ Arbutin were tested separately on the subjects.
The main findings were:
- Aloesin showed 34% pigment suppression
- Arbutin was more effective and showed 43.5% pigment suppression
- Arbutin + Aloesin worked synergestically and reduced pigmentation by 63.3%
Also, increasing theh dose of Aloesin increased the pigment reduction.
Naturally, there is a disconnect between this study and the aloe vera in cosmetics. For starters, no-one is applying aloe vera four times a day on the same patch of your face. Second, this is only a 15 day study. Normal desquamation of epidermal skin takes at least 28 days and if you are older like I am, at least 40 days. You need at least 7 weeks of using the same product to figure out if its genuinely working.
Hence, its more common to see aloe vera working in conjunction with other skin lighteners and not as the primary skin lightening ingredient in skincare products…
Source
Note 1: Sánchez, M.; González-Burgos, E.; Iglesias, I.; Gómez-Serranillos, M.P. Pharmacological Update Properties of Aloe Vera and its Major Active Constiuents. Molecules 2020, 25, 1324.
Note 2: Tanaka, M.; Yamamoto, Y.; Misawa, E.; Nabeshima, K.; Saito, M.; Yamauchi, K.; Furukawa, F. Aloe sterol supplementation improves skin elasticity in Japanese men with sunlight-exposed skin: A 12-week double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Clin. Cosmet. Invest. Dermat. 2016, 9, 435–442.
Note 3: Tanaka, M.; Misawa, E.; Yamauchi, K.; Abe, F.; Ishizaki, C. Effects of plant sterols derived from Aloe vera gel on human dermal fibroblasts in vitro and on skin condition in Japanese women. Clinical. Cosmet. Invest. Dermat. 2015, 8, 95–104.
Añibarro-Ortega, M.; Pinela, J.; Barros, L.; Ćirić, A.; Silva, S.P.; Coelho, E.; Mocan, A.; Calhelha, R.C.; Soković, M.; Coimbra, M.A.; Ferreira, I.C.F.R. Compositional Features and Bioactive Properties of Aloe vera Leaf (Fillet, Mucilage, and Rind) and Flower. Antioxidants 2019, 8, 444.
Jones K, Hughes J, Hong M et al Modulation of Melanogenesis by Aloesin: A Competitive Inhibitor of Tyrosinase PIGMENT CELL RES 15: 335–340. 2002
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