Development of hydroquinone free herbal gel for the management of melasma

A frequent and acquired hyperpigmented condition of the face is melasma. Although, there are numerous
treatment options for melasma, their effectiveness is only moderate. They may result in serious adverse
responses in some circumstances. For instance, prolonged use of the drug hydroquinone, which is frequently
prescribed to treat hyperpigmentation, can result in hazardous side effects such as depigmentation,
hypochromia that resembles vitiligo, or leukoderma. Hence, the hydroalcoholic extract (70%v/v) of
Glycyrrhiza glabra root, Vitis vinifera fruits, Vaccinium myrtillus fruits, Citrullus lanatus seed, Phyllanthus
emblica fruits, Butea monosperma flower, Nelumbo nucifera leaves, Senna auriculata leaves, Acalypha
indica leaves tested for the tyrosinase enzyme inhibitory activity. All the tested extracts demonstrated
comparable inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme in a dose-dependent manner when compared with standard
kojic acid and a herbal gel containing the extracts of above plants was formulated and evaluated for its
product performance. The herbal gel product displayed acceptable pharmacological behavior in addition
to strong anti-melanogenic effects. The developed topical gel product would be a viable hydroquinonefree natural formulation candidate for clinical investigations on hyperpigmentation