Rapid and Specific Fluorescence Method for the Quantification of Arbutin in Cosmetics

Arbutin is used in cosmetics as a whitening ingredient. However, due to its potential to form the irritant hydroquinone upon degradation, its concentration in formulations has been restricted. In this study, a rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive method was established for the quantification of arbutin in cosmetic products. The innovation of this work is to use sodium hypochlorite to oxidize the arbutin phenolic group for rapid and specific determination. Excitation and emission wavelengths of 285 nm and 317 nm were employed. The solvent, pH, reaction time, and NaClO:arbutin ratio were optimized. The fluorescence intensity varied linearly with the arbutin concentration from 0.4 to 44 µg mL−1 with a detection limit of 0.1 µg mL−1. The validity of the method was characterized by the spike and recovery measurements; the recovery was from 96 to 106%. The method was employed for the analysis of marketed cosmetis containing arbutin.