Hydroquinone

What is Hydroquinone?

Hydroquinone is the subject of intense debate. The skin bleaching agent is applied to freckles, age spots, hyperpigmentation and melasma to impact the dark pigment melanin. Hydroquinone is sold in prescription and non-prescription strengths in the US.   The chemical is also used in film developing. The FDA proposed a ban on hydroquinone in skin care products, as the European Union and Japan have done. The American Academy of Dermatology objected, calling hydroquinone the gold standard for pigmentation disorders such as hyperpigmentation. The FDA ultimately limited hydroquinone to very small amounts in skin care products.

The argument centers on a link to cancer. Hydroquinone is a derivative of the chemical benzene, which is a carcinogen. A study on animals associated hydroquinone with development of cancerous cells. Hydroquinone skin lighteners must be used repeatedly over significant periods of time. The U.S. Cosmetics Ingredient Review Panel indicates that hydroquinone is unsafe in products left on the skin. In addition to concerns about long-term toxicity, hydroquinone may cause a skin condition called ochronosis in which the skin becomes dark and thick.

Hydroquinone & Cancer

Lastly, debate involves skin cancer. Hydroquinone affects melanin, which protects skin from overexposure. That absence of protection would increase exposure to UV rays which cause cancer. However, a Journal of Investigative Dermatology study found no evidence of that link. Yet the same study produced potentially more damaging results, which call into question how hydroquinone is promoted to work. The researchers found it did not inhibit production of melanin. They found it merely encourages cells to disperse melanin, which happens naturally.

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