Comparison and Quantitative Determination of α-Arbutin, β-Arbutin and Hydroquinone from Viburnum, Arctostaphylos, Vaccinium, Pyrus and Ilex Species Using HPLC-UV Method

In cosmetic preparations, plant extracts containing arbutin is widely used in skin lightening products. Arbutin refers to β-arbutin and α-arbutin. Hydroquinone has been classified as unsafe for skin lightening applications because of high incidence of ochronosis and leukomelanoderma. With the objective of discovery the occurrence of α-arbutin in nature, the possibility of conversion between α- and β-arbutin, and comparison of arbutin and hydroquinone contents in different parts from same plant, a method for quantitative determination of α-arbutin, β-arbutin and hydroquinone in different plants from genus Viburnum, Arctostaphylos, Vaccinium, Pyrus and Ilex was developed using HPLC-UV. The separation achieved by using reverse phase C-18 column material with a gradient system composed of water, methanol and acetic acid. The method was validated for solvents of sample preparation, linearity, repeatability, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ). From 50 species of genus Viburnum, Arctostaphylos, Vaccinium, Pyrus and Ilex, total 78 plant samples were analyzed, and the contents of arbutin and hydroquinone in these samples were quantitated.