PURPOSE: Artemisinic acid, its derivative and their pharmaceutically acceptable salt are provided to be able to be usefully used in cosmetic materials, medicine or food for skin whitening as artemisinic acid, its derivative and pharmaceutically acceptable salt are safe materials and have a higher melanogenesis inhibitory effect than vitamin C, which is a main ingredient of the existing whitening agent. CONSTITUTION: A cosmetic composition for skin whitening includes artemisinic acid, its derivative or their pharmaceutically acceptable salt as an active ingredient. The derivative of artemisinic acid is dihydroartemisinic acid. The composition has a formulation selected from the group consisting of solution, suspension, emulsion, paste, gel, cream, lotion, powder, soap, surfactant-containing cleansing, oil, powder foundation, emulsion foundation, wax foundation and spray. A pharmaceutical composition for skin whitening includes artemisinic acid, its derivative or their pharmaceutically acceptable salt as an active ingredient. Artemisinic acid, its derivative or their pharmaceutically acceptable salt is included at 0.001 to 10 weight% to the whole composition.본 발명은 피부 미백용 조성물에 관한 것으로서, 본 발명에 따른 피부 미백용 조성물은 아테미신산(Artemisinic acid) 및 이의 유도체를 유효성분으로 포함하는 것을 특징으로 한다. 아테미신산 및 이의 유도체를 포함하는 조성물은 피부에 대한 부작용 없이 안전하게 사용될 수 있을 뿐만 아니라, 멜라닌 생성을 억제하여 색소 침착 저해 효과가 뛰어나므로 이들을 유효성분으로 함유하는 조성물은 기미나 주근깨 개선 및 피부 미백에 매우 효과적이다.
