Kojic acid
On the label: Kojic Acid · Active
What it is
A compound from the fermentation of rice (sake and soy sauce), used in brightening products at about 1 percent; unstable in light.
Actives: Actives are the ingredients a product is built around: acids, retinoids, vitamins and the like.
Wikidata: Chemical compound. Q416285 →
In the research
548 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Preliminary in vitro evaluation of methanolic extracts of Laccifer lacca Kerr. Resin and Albizia lebbeck Seeds (L.) Benth for anti-melogenic activity on hTERT-immortalized dermal m · BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2026
- Arbutin/kojic acid-loaded MHA hydrogel array patches attenuate UVB-induced epidermal hyperplasia and remodeling-associated responses · Journal of applied biomaterials & functional materials, 2026
- The potential of Monascus purpureus pigments of red yeast rice for skin-lightening cosmetics: an in silico pharmacology approach towards human tyrosinase-related protein 1 and Aspe · Natural product research, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other actives
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.