Hexylresorcinol is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

with

local anaesthetic A local anesthetic (LA) is a medication that causes absence of pain sensation. In the context of surgery, a local anesthetic creates an absence of pain in a specific location of the body without a loss of consciousness, as opposed to a general an ...

antiseptic An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

, and

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may a ...

properties. It is available for use topically on small

skin infection A skin infection is an infection of the skin in humans and other animals, that can also affect the associated soft tissues such as loose connective tissue and mucous membranes. They comprise a category of infections termed skin and skin structure ...

s, or as an ingredient in

throat lozenge A throat lozenge (also known as a cough drop, sore throat sweet, troche, cachou, pastille or cough sweet) is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs, lubricate, and soothe irri ...

s. It is marketed as S.T.37 by Numark Laboratories, Inc. (in a 0.1% solution) for oral pain relief and as an antiseptic. Sytheon Ltd., USA markets hexylresorcinol (trade named Synovea HR).

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

uses hexylresorcinol in its

Neutrogena Neutrogena Corporation, trading as Neutrogena, is an American company that markets skin care, hair care and cosmetics owned by parent company Johnson & Johnson and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

, Aveno, and RoC skincare products as an

anti-aging cream Anti-aging creams are predominantly moisturiser-based cosmeceutical skin care products marketed with the promise of making the consumer look younger by reducing, masking or preventing signs of skin aging. These signs are laxity (sagging), rh ...

. Hexylresorcinol has been used commercially by many cosmetic and personal care companies, such as

Mary Kay Mary Kay Inc. is an American privately owned multi-level marketing company. According to '' Direct Selling News'', Mary Kay was the sixth largest network marketing company in the world in 2018, with a wholesale volume of US$3.25 billion.

Clarins Clarins is a family-run French multinational cosmetics company, which was founded in Paris in 1954 by Jacques Courtin-Clarins. In addition to manufacturing and selling skincare and makeup products, the company is also a major player in the spa and ...

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

Murad Murad or Mourad ( ar, مراد) is an Arabic name. It is also common in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Turkish, Persian, and Berber as a male given name or surname and is commonly used throughout the Muslim world and Middle East. Etymology It ...

, Facetheory,

Arbonne Arbonne (; eu, Arbona) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arbonars''Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, ''Dictionary of place names - ...

, and many small and large companies. As an anthelmintic, hexylresorcinol was sold under the brand Crystoids. A study published in ''

Chemical Research in Toxicology ''Chemical Research in Toxicology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published since 1988 by the American Chemical Society. It is currently abstracted and indexed in Chemical Abstracts Service, Scopus, EBSCOhost, PubMed, CABI, Science Ci ...

'' shows that 4-hexylresorcinol used as a

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), salt (salt ...

(E-586) exhibits some estrogenic activity, i.e. resembles action of the female sex hormone

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...

. However, recent study published in ''

Applied Sciences Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

'' shows that 4-hexylresorcinol did not change the expression of estrogen receptor-α, -β, or p-ERK1/2 in MCF-7 cells. In an ovariectomized animal model, the 4HR group showed similar levels of ERα, ERβ, and prolactin expression in the pituitary gland compared to the solvent only group, while the estradiol group showed higher levels. Serum prolactin levels were similar between the 4HR and solvent only groups. In one study, 4-hexylresorcinol increased the

shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

by reducing

melanosis Melanosis is a form of hyperpigmentation associated with increased melanin. It can also refer to: * Melanism * Ocular melanosis * Smoker's melanosis * Oral melanosis * Riehl melanosis Riehl melanosis is a form of contact dermatitis, beginning wi ...

(black spots). In mice with cancer, 4-hexylresorcinol inhibited

NF-κB Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is a protein complex that controls transcription of DNA, cytokine production and cell survival. NF-κB is found in almost all animal cell types and is involved in cellular ...

and extended their survival rate.

References

{{Anthelmintics Antiseptics Local anesthetics Anthelmintics Alkylresorcinols E-number additives Food antioxidants