For Skin Whitening and Beauty, and Stress Reduction*
Yuzu (Citrus junos), or Japanese grapefruit, is originated in Sichuan and Yunnan, located in the upstream region of the Yangtze River in China. It was brought to Japan during the Heian period (about a thousand years ago).
Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical Co., Ltd. conducted various studies confirming that Yuzu Seed Extract is an excellent skin whitening and smoothing agent. Its revitalizing functionality in psychosomatic health is widely applicable to food and nutraceutical industries.
What we call spots is melanin pigmentation of the skin. The melanin pigmentation is caused by aging, changes in hormone balance, inflammation and exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Upon exposure to UV light, melanin-producing cells in the skin work for defense against this harmful UV light. In these calls, an enzyme called tyrosinase produces melanin as they receive the signal, causing hyperpigmentation.
These reactions are natural defense mechanisms to protect skin from harmful UV radiation. If skin is in a good health, old cells go away with melanin, and are replaced by new melanin-less skin cells in a 28-day cycle skin turn over. However, as metabolic rates decline with ageing, the turnover does not occur regularly, resulting in accumulation of melanin pigments, that is, hyperpigmentation. YUZU SEED EXTRACT is shown to stimulate fibroblast growth, enhancing growth of new skin cells, promoting turnover of new skin. It was also shown to have comparative or superior inhibitory effects on melanin formation, compared to -arbutin and vitamin C, respectively.*
Skin moisture content is also increased from 62% to 66% with oral preparation of YUZU SEED EXTRACT. Surveys revealed that YUZU SEED EXTRACT improved overall skin texture. It was confirmed that skin suppleness was greatly improved with oral YUZU SEED EXTRACT at the tested dosage. In summary YUZU SEED EXTRACT possesses excellent skin revitalizing and rejuvenating effects.*
In addition to its beauty effect, Yuzu traditionally has been used for relaxation. Relaxation effects of YUZU SEED EXTRACT were assessed by observation on brain α-wave (a relaxation index) of subjects using topography. After being subjected to stress, subjects given Yuzu exhibited strong α-wave activity. was observed within 50 minutes after stress loading when YUZU SEED EXTRACT was given. On the other hand, no α-wave was detected in the control test. Appearance of α-wave strongly suggests that YUZU SEED EXTRACT possesses anti-stress and relaxation effects.*
