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Abstract Introduction Blue covarine is a pigment that promotes optical changes in dental surfaces, providing whitening. Objective To evaluate in vitro the effect of bleaching dentifrices containing Blue covarine in nanoparticulate composite resin subjected to artificial darkening. Material and method One hundred sixty (160) specimens (PBs) of FILTEK Z350XT nanoparticulate composite resin were randomly divided into two experiments: Experiment I - 8 groups (n=10) submitted to brushing with an electric toothbrush for 1 month; Experiment II - 8 groups (n=10) submitted to simulated brushing for 6, 12 and 24 months. Groups were distributed according to the solution/dentifrice tested: CG (distilled water) and 7 test groups (GT1- Coltene Herjos, GT2- Colgate Total 12 Clean Mint, GT3- Colgate Luminous White Brilliant Mint, GT4- Oral B 3D White Perfection, GT5- Close Up White Now Glacier Fresh, GT6- Close Up White Attraction Diamond and GT7- Sorriso Xtreme White Evolution). Result In Experiment I, there was greater ∆E in GT6 in relation to CG, GT2, GT4 and GT5, with no differences among them. In Experiment II, after 24 months of brushing, there was greater ∆E in groups GT6 and GT7. After 24 months of simulated brushing, there was no change in roughness or loss of mass in any group. Conclusion The whitening effect promoted by dentifrices containing the agent Blue covarine seems to be related to the association of this agent with the abrasives present in the formulations of whitening dentifrices.

This study aimed to systematically compare licochalcone A (LicA) and glabridin (Gla) (whitening agents) release and permeation from Carbomer 940 (CP) hydrogels with different enhancers, and evaluate the relationship between the quantitative enhancement efficacy and structures of the enhancers. An in vitro release study and an in vitro permeation experiment in solution and hydrogels using porcine skin were performed. We found that the Gla–CP hydrogel showed a higher drug release and skin retention amount than LicA–CP due to the higher solubility in medium and better miscibility with the skin of Gla than that of LicA. Enhancers with a higher molecular weight (MW) and lower polarizability showed a higher release enhancement effect (ERrelease) for both LicA and Gla. The Van der Waals forces in the drug–enhancers–CP system were negatively correlated with the drug release percent. Moreover, enhancers with a higher log P and polarizability displayed a higher retention enhancement effect in solution (ERsolution retention) for LicA and Gla. Enhancers decreased the whole intermolecular forces indrug–enhancers-skin system, which had a linear inhibitory effect on the drug retention. Moreover, C=O of ceramide acted asthe enhancement site for drug permeation. Consequently, Transcutol® P (TP) and propylene glycol (PG), seven enhancers showed a higher retention enhancement effect in hydrogel (ERhydrogel retention) for LicA and Gla. Taken together, the conclusions provide a strategy for reasonable utilization of enhancers and formulation optimization in topical hydrogel whitening.

With the public’s growing interest in skin whitening, lightening ingredients only used under dermatological supervision until recently, are more and more frequently incorporated into cosmetic formulas. The active agents that lighten skin tone are either natural or synthetic substances, and may act at various levels of melanogenesis. They are used to treat various skin pigmentation disorders or simply to obtain a lighter skin tone as whiter skin may be synonymous of wealth, health, youth, and/or beauty in different cultures. However, recent studies demonstrated the adverse effects of some of these ingredients, leading to their interdiction or restricted use under the European Directive and several other international regulations. After an overview of skin whitening practices and the associated risks, this article provides insight into the mechanisms involved in melanin synthesis and the biological assays available to attest the lightening activity of individual ingredients. The legislation dealing with the use of skin lighteners is then discussed. As traditional depigmenting agents such as hydroquinone and corticosteroids are of safety concern, the potential of natural extracts has been investigated more and more; finally, a synthesis of three years of research in our laboratory for such plant extracts will be given.