Formulation and Development of Tremella Fuciformis Whitening Gel

Abstract

Cosmetics found in the market are frequently labelled as plant-based or 'chemical-free,' highlighting the absence of any potentially dangerous excipients such as paraben. However, most of them contain synthetic excipients in it, only the herbals were natural. As such, hydroquinone is used as a skin-lightening agent in most whitening products whereby it may cause undesirable side effects. Skin hyperpigmentation is a dermatological condition in which the skin's color darkens due to an increase in melanin production. In this innovation, the natural formulation of gel was developed and characterized for the treatment of hyperpigmentation. Natural excipients and preservatives were used to improve the stability of the innovation. Tremella Fuciformis (TF) is a species of fungus that is often used in food preparation in Chinese cuisine. TF has great skin-brightening properties and can be used to replace hydroquinone. The maceration extraction process was used to produce TF aqueous extract. The antityrosinase activity of the aqueous extract was determined using the tyrosinase inhibition test and it showed 86.04% inhibition at 10 mg/ml concentration. Besides, the gel formulation showed maintained its integrity after 3 months of stability testing at various temperatures. Therefore, a novel polyherbal gel was successfully developed. The TF extract showed great anti-tyrosinase activity. It can be concluded that T. fuciformis extract is a potential candidate for skin whitening formulations and warrants further studies.