Development of hydroquinone free herbal gel for the management of melasma

A frequent and acquired hyperpigmented condition of the face is melasma. Although, there are numerous treatment options for melasma, their effectiveness is only moderate. They may result in serious adverse responses in some circumstances. For instance, prolonged use of the drug hydroquinone, which is frequently prescribed to treat hyperpigmentation, can result in hazardous side effects such as depigmentation, hypochromia that resembles vitiligo, or leukoderma. Hence, the hydroalcoholic extract (70%v/v) of Glycyrrhiza glabra root, Vitis vinifera fruits, Vaccinium myrtillus fruits, Citrullus lanatus seed, Phyllanthus emblica fruits, Butea monosperma flower, Nelumbo nucifera leaves, Senna auriculata leaves, Acalypha indica leaves tested for the tyrosinase enzyme inhibitory activity. All the tested extracts demonstrated comparable inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme in a dose-dependent manner when compared with standard kojic acid and a herbal gel containing the extracts of above plants was formulated and evaluated for its product performance. The herbal gel product displayed acceptable pharmacological behavior in addition to strong anti-melanogenic effects. The developed topical gel product would be a viable hydroquinone-free natural formulation candidate for clinical investigations on hyperpigmentation.