Poria cocos is a fungus long used in traditional Chinese medicine, and skincare extracts are typically derived from its dense sclerotium, containing triterpenoids called poricoic acids along with polysaccharides.
In vitro and mouse melanoma cell studies show the extract suppresses melanin production by reducing expression of the enzymes and transcription factor that drive pigment synthesis. Separately, its polysaccharide fraction has shown anti inflammatory activity in other, non dermatologic tissue research, lending some plausibility to soothing claims.
The pigmentation suppressing evidence, while genuinely promising in laboratory and animal testing, has not yet been confirmed in human clinical trials.
Poria Cocos Extract References
Poria cocos Wolf extracts represses pigmentation in vitro and in vivo, 2018
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