Kojic acid is chemically named 5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4H-pyran-4-one.
Kojic acid powder is white and crystalline, easily soluble in water, alcohol, acetone, and slightly soluble in chloroform.
Kojic acid is a secondary metabolite derived from microorganisms and is non-toxic.
Industrially produced kojic acid is produced by fermentation of Aspergillus candida strains and is obtained through filtration, concentration, decolorization, crystallization and other steps.
It is unstable, sensitive to light and heat, easily oxidized in the air, and can form chelates with metal ions.

Kojic Acid Powder

Items	Specification		Results
Appearance	Off-White Crystalline Powder		Off-White Crystalline Powder
Assay(Test by HPLC)	≥99.0%		99.6%
Melting point	150-154℃	153.3℃
Odor	Characteristic		Complies
Loss on drying	≤ 3%		1.96%
Ash	≤ 0.5%		0.32%
Residual solvents	Negative		Complies
Residual pesticides	Negative		Complies
Chemical Analysis
Heavy Metal	≤10ppm		Complies
Arsenic (As)	≤1ppm		Complies
Lead(Pb)	≤2ppm		Complies
Cadmium (Cd)	≤0.5ppm		Complies
Mercury (Hg)	≤0.1ppm		Complies
Microbiological Analysis
Total Plate Count	≤1000cfu/g		95cfu/g
Yeast & Mold	≤100cfu/g		33cfu/g
E.Coli	Negative		Complies
S. Aureus	Negative		Complies
Salmonella	Negative		Complies
Pesticides	Negative		Complies
Conclusion	Conform with specification

What does kojic acid do for your skin?

Kojic acid can inhibit tyrosinase activity in the process of melanin production, and has a significant whitening effect without inhibiting other enzymes.
In the early 1990s, Japan took the lead in adding kojic acid to cosmetics as a whitening ingredient. It was mainly used to whiten and reduce spots, such as chloasma, and achieved good results.
The mechanism of kojic acid whitening:
(1) By inhibiting tyrosinase. Kojic acid is similar to VC and can chelate copper ions, that is, combine with copper ions to inactivate tyrosinase.
(2) By inhibiting the production of melanin oxidation intermediates. Kojic acid can be oxidized by the intermediate product dopaquinone, thereby reducing the chain reaction substrate and inhibiting the conversion of the melanin intermediate product from the dopaquinone form to the final melanin.

What is kojic acid powder used for?

1. Kojic acid powder has antibacterial, antioxidant, and metal ion chelating properties, so it can be used as a preservative and freshness-preserving agent in food.

2. It is widely used in daily chemical products such as whitening products, cosmetics, and toothpaste.

Reference

[1].Saraei M,Zarrini G, Esmati M. Novel functionalized monomers based on kojic acid:snythesis, characterization,polymerization and evalution of antimicrobial activity [J] . Designed Monomers& Polymers,2017 ,20( 1 ) :325 - 331.

Kojic acid