They small red berries grow on shrubs that bears love to snack on (hence the name!) and they are an awesome skin lightening ingredient.
The active ingredient in bearberry extract is arbutin, which is textracted from the leaves of the bearberry shrub. It has excellent astringent (or skin tightening) properties and has a long history of medicinal uses for urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and bladder infections. Bearberry has a natural whitening effect on the skin, perfect for the treatment of freckles, age spots, or vitiligo. Bearberry is often combined with other ingredients to mildly lighten problem areas without over bleaching. Bearberry is a strong antioxidant, increasing the cell turnover rate and fighting free radicals, acting as a natural sunscreen.
