WHITENING AGENT CONTAINING CRYSTALLINE MOLECULAR COMPLEX OF HYDROQUINONE WITH SURFACTANT

摘要

It is intended to provide a hydroquinone-containing whitening agent showing a high storage stability and the sustained-release of hydroquinone, a process for producing the whitening agent, and a method of whitening the skin with the use of the whitening agent. The above-described whitening agent is characterized by containing a crystalline molecular complex comprising hydroquinone or its derivative with a surfactant and, owing to the formation of the molecular complex, the storage stability to heat, oxygen or light of the hydroquinone-containing whitening agent as described above being improved and hydroquinone being released in a sustained state so that the whitening effect of the whitening agent can be sustained.