Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Scutellaria baicalensis root extract comes from a flowering plant native to China, where it’s been used for years as one of the many herbal preparations within the field of Chinese medicine. In China, the extract is known as Huang-Qin or golden herb, because the root is a golden yellow color.
It’s primarily used in cosmetics for its promising ability to interrupt the creation and transfer of excess pigment; however, these scientific studies were done in vitro on skin cells, not intact skin on people struggling with dark spots, so what seems exciting in a lab setting may not hold as much promise for topical use. The other issue is the current lack of agreement on how much of this root extract is needed to visibly fade skin discolorations; some say 0.1% is enough, others recommend at least a 1% concentration is necessary, and some blends with this ingredient encourage amounts of 3-10% if the goal is visible improvement of skin color.
The root is more exciting because it contains baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A, all of which are flavones, a type of antioxidant that lend color to various plants and are known to be soothing. Scutellaria baicalensis root can help skin better withstand environmental aggressors that can worsen the look of many common skin concerns, so it certainly has value.
Testing on mouse, rabbit, and guinea pig skin revealed that a standardized extract of this ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing, even when the skin was compromised. The conclusion was that Scutellaria baicalensis is a viable option for sensitive skin struggling with signs of uneven skin tone or just in need of soothing.