The Efficacy Study of Snake Fruit (Salacca edulis Reinw Var. Bongkok) Extract as Skin Lightening Agent

Introduction: The whitening skin product market has been growing significantly in Asia Pacific. Indonesia is one of those countries that mainly think that having a white color skin is simply beautiful. Therefore, it motivates Indonesian women to buy more whitening product for their beauty needs. Objective: The purpose of this research is to find raw material for whitening product from Indonesian plants that can be useful as skin lightening agents. This study investigated the potential of snake fruit (Salacca edulis Reinw var. Bongkok) ethanolic extract as skin lightening agent. Fruits of Salacca edulis Reinw contains flavonoids which have been reported to play a part in skin depigmentation. Methods: A randomized double-blind study on 17 human volunteers showed marked skin lightening effects using cream containing 3% extract as there was a significant reduction in skin melanin index which compared favorably with the base cream (p <0,05). Results: The result strongly suggested that snake fruit ethanolic extract can be used as raw material for skin lightening agents and therefore Indonesia dependency on imported raw materials could be reduced.