Kojic Acid: Does Color Matter?

Have you seen Kojic Acid listed as ingredient in your skin products? Did you know that for Kojic to really work, it really matters what color it is, and how it is packaged?

Kojic Acid is naturally derived from the making of Japanese Sake, and is a very popular skincare ingredient in Japan since it is very effective at lightening and brightening skin. Kojic acid is naturally a light gold color, but starts to breakdown and degrade when exposed to UV light. Exposure to sunlight drastically reduces the effectiveness of Kojic Acid. In our Fruit Acid 15% Gel Peel, the Kojic Acid plays a starring role in reducing melanin production in your skin, helping to fade age spots, melasma, acne scars, and all types of uneven skin tone. We package our product in a blue bottle, which acts as sun block to protect our Kojic Acid from breaking down and becoming less effective.

You can tell if Kojic acid has gone bad if the color has changed from a light gold to a deeper amber/orange.  It’s also important to look at the packaging – a product will breakdown quickly if it’s in a clear bottle, but will last longer if it’s in a tinted glass or white PET bottle. Basically if you can’t see through the bottle, sunlight can’t either!