42 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE
.Arbutin
+-,
--r---,-....-�..--�.---,,........,--,---,,.--,.----,-....,,.,,,."l'"�-,r�"''"'•.,-, ..,,.,.,T,·"T"'"'•'"•'"'1'"'',.,.,.... ------.0 5 10 15 20 �
Figure 3. HPLC chromatogram of a sample containing arbutin from skin-whitening cream.
Table IV
Comparison of Two Methods for Measuring Arbutin in Samples of Commercial Whitening Cream
Amounts of arbutin found (g%)
Cosmetic sample
(Arbuwhite® cream)
Average
RP-HPLC methoda
0.75
0.75
0.77
0.76
0.76
0.75
0.77
0.76
a Each value is the average of 7 determinations.
Spectrophotometric
methoda (20)
0.77
0.78
0.80
0.78
0.79
0.78
0.80
0.79
6 Calculated t-value for p =005 and six degrees of freedom is 2.44.
Calculated t-value6
1.38
and Hesperethusa crenulata (Roxb.) M. Roem. The samples were extracted with water and
methanol. Then the amounts of arbutin in the samples were determined by the
RP-HPLC method. The amounts of arbutin found in the aqueous extract were 3.50,
1.50, 1. 10, and 0.12 µg/g- 1
,respectively. The amounts of arbutin found in the methanol
extract were 0. 7 7, 0. 000 2, and 0.0012 µg/ g -1
,respectively. The method was success-
fully applied to the determination of arbutin in three commercial skin-whitening
creams. The amounts of arbutin found in the samples (Arbuwhite® cream, Super
Whitening® cream, and Shiseido® cream) were 0.76, 0.58, and 5.79 mg/g-1, respec-
tively.
CONCLUSION
The reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been de-
veloped for determining arbutin in commercial skin-whitening creams and some me-

HPLC DETERMINATION OF ARBUTIN 43
dicinal plant extracts, respectively. The method was also validated for limit of detection,
limit of quantitation, repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy. The optimum con-
ditions and analytical characteristics for RP-HPLC determination of arbutin exhibited
good resolution, short analysis time, and rather high sensitivity. In the proposed method
for determining arbutin in skin-whitening creams, the working calibration curves over
the ranges of 0.5-30.0 µg/ml- 1 were established. The method was successfully applied
to the determination of arbutin in three commercial skin-whitening creams. The content
of arbutin found in the samples (Arbuwhite® cream, Super Whitening® cream, and
Shiseido® cream) were 0.76, 0.58, and 5.79 mg/g-1, respectively. The method was also
applied to the determination of arbutin in some medicinal plant extracts. The amounts
of arbutin in Betula alnoides Buch. Ham., Clerodendrum petasites S. Moore., Curculigo
latifolia Dryand. Var. latifolia, and Hesperethusa crenulata (Roxb.). Roem in the aqueous
extracts were 3. 5 0, 1. 5 0, 1.10, and O .12 µg/ g -1, respective! y. Arbutin from these
medicinal plants can be used for the production of skin-whitening cosmetics. The
benefits of the proposed method are simplicity, convenience, rapidity, sensitivity, good
precision, and accuracy. The method is suitable for routine analysis of arbutin in com-
mercial cosmetics and raw plant materials.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors express their sincere thanks to the Graduate School and the Faculty of
Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, for financial and chemical support. Saisunee
Liawruangrath expresses her sincere thanks to the Postgraduate Education and Research
Program in Chemistry (PERCH) for partial support.
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