THE SUPER POWERS OF KOJIC ACID (PART 1)

Kojic Acid

Kojic acid has a long history of use in Japanese culture and is one of the main secrets of the Japanese skin care tradition. It is an organic acid obtained by a fermentation process from certain fungi, including molds of the genus Altenaria, Chaetomium, Stachybotrys, Torula Trichoderma, Fusarium, Penicillium, Aspergillus... all of which are fungal genera capable of spontaneously producing this acid. It is also present in a number of Asian fermented foods, such as soy sauce, soybean paste or rice wine. It is an excellent antimicrobial and skin lightener and can be used by most skin types, although people with very sensitive skin may wish to avoid it.

A natural lightener

Here skin lightening is done to improve cases of hyperpigmentation or excessive and uneven pigmentation visible on the skin's surface. Kojic acid is used to lighten visible sun damage, age spots and light scars. Kojic acid works by inhibiting the production of melanin in the skin. The process it uses is to inhibit an enzyme (tyrosinase) that is important for melanin production. It provokes a process of desquamation which allows to eliminate the melanin present in the upper layers of the epidermis and thus to lighten the spots by making disappear a great part of their pigments. Kojic acid can also be useful in reducing the darkening of the skin due to pregnancy.