Kao Corporation

Mitsuru Sugiyama

Hiroaki Saito

Yasushi Katayama

Daiki Murase

Akira Kawamata

Genji Imokawa

Koichi Nakamura

Yoshinori Nishizawa

Yoshinori Takema

Yoshiya Sugai

Masakazu Yamaguchi

Masahide Hoshino

Eiichi Nishizawa

Akiko Kawasaki

Hiroko Joukura

Shinya Kasamatsu

Tomoko Nomura

Hiroyuki Ohsu

Mamiko Kikuchi

Takaaki Hori

Tsuyoshi Ohba

Arisa Horiuchi

An inhibitor of endothelin action or a skin-whitening agent, comprising a compound represented by Formula (1) or a salt thereof as an active ingredient: 

Inhibitor of endothelin action and skin-whitening agent

The invention provides a method for inhibiting dopa oxidase activity, for inhibiting melanin production, or for whitening skin using haguro-so or an organic solvent extract thereof, or a compound of formula (I): 

Skin whitening agent

Provided is a composition which maintains apigenin stably. The present invention provides the composition containing apigenin at 3 ppm or more and dibutylhydroxytoluene, wherein the mass ratio of the content of apigenin relative to the content of dibutylhydroxytoluene is 1 or greater, or the pH value is less than 7. Also provided is a method for preparing an apigenin-containing composition, the method including combining 3 ppm or more of apigenin with dibutylhydroxytoluene so that the mass ratio of the content of apigenin relative to the content of dibutylhydroxytoleune is 1 or greater, or including adjusting the ph of the composition to a value less than 7.

Apigenin-containing composition

Singlet oxygen quenchers containing as an active component a compound represented by the following formula or (2): ##STR1## wherein each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.10 and n are as described herein, and external compositions containing these compounds are provided for the prevention and treatment of various forms of damage to living bodies caused by singlet oxygen, and are thus quite useful as antiinflammation agents, anti-aging agents, agents preventing darkening of the skin, agents preventing protein denaturation, inhibitors against formation of sunburn cells, agents preventing lipid peroxidation, agents preventing DNA damage, and particularly in the fields of medicines and cosmetics as external compositions for the skin.

Singlet oxygen quenchers and external compositions containing the same

The invention relates to UV absorbers and cosmetic compositions containing a naphthalenemethylenemalonic diester represented by the following formula (1): ##STR1## wherein NAP represents a naphthalene group which may optionally have a substituent, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrocarbon group, an alkoxyalkyl group, or an alkoxyalkylenoxyalkyl group. The UV absorbers and the cosmetic compositions of the invention exhibit excellent ultraviolet ray absorbing action, and are stable to light.

Naphthalenemethylenemalonic diesters, and UV absorbers and cosmetic

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Mitsuru Sugiyama