Trial reportJournal of cosmetic dermatology2025
Effect of a New Skin-Lightening Cosmetic Containing Cordyceps Extract in the Treatment of Melasma: A Clinical Trial.
Trial report in Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Effect of a New Skin-Lightening Cosmetic Containing Cordyceps Extract in the Treatment of Melasma: A Clinical Trial.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCordyceps is a valuable Chinese herbal medicine known for its various components with antioxidant properties, which may theoretically improve melasma. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a new skin-lightening cosmetic containing Cordyceps extract (referred to as Cordyceps essence) in treating female patients with melasma.
methodsSixty-two women with melasma were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups for 12 weeks of treatment. Group A received oral tranexamic acid (TXA) combined with topical hydroquinone cream, while Group B received oral TXA combined with topical Cordyceps essence. Changes in the Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI), melanin index (MI), and erythema index (EI) were monitored and assessed before and after treatment. Patient-reported satisfaction and adverse events were also recorded. Additionally, a metabolomic analysis was conducted on 15 randomly selected patients from Group B.
resultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment, intra-group comparisons revealed that MASI scores, MI, and EI significantly decreased in both Group A and B compared to baseline (p < 0.05). However, inter-group comparisons showed no statistical differences in MASI scores, MI, or EI between the two groups after treatment (p > 0.05). Adverse reactions occurred in 4 people (13.8%) in Group A and 1 person (3.3%) in Group B. Patient satisfaction with treatment was similar in both groups. The metabolomic analysis identified significant differences in 29 metabolites and 15 metabolic pathways after treatment (p < 0.05).
conclusionsOur study demonstrated that both oral TXA combined with hydroquinone cream and oral TXA combined with Cordyceps essence significantly improved melasma in women. However, the incidence of adverse reactions was lower with topical Cordyceps essence than that with hydroquinone cream. Cordyceps essence appeared to be a promising alternative for patients intolerant to hydroquinone cream. Metabolomic analysis revealed that modulation of melanogenesis-related metabolites, enhanced antioxidant activity, and improved skin barrier function collectively contributed to the clinical improvement in melasma severity. The improvement of melasma with oral TXA and topical Cordyceps essence may be closely linked to changes in endogenous differential metabolites in the skin and the regulation of amino acid metabolic pathways.
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