in accordance with the present invention , a skin - whitening cosmetic composition is provided that comprises a carrier , a skin - whitening agent , and sodium magnesium silicate . the present invention also concerns preventing the premature oxidation of skin - whitening agents in cosmetic compositions , which causes the compositions to brown and to develop an odor over time . certain skin - whitening agents are especially prone to premature oxidation . these skin - whitening agents include , but are not limited to , magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and botanical extracts such as bearberry extract , lemon extract , cucumber extract , mulberry extract , licorice extract . the cosmetic composition may contain other skin - whitening agents , whether or not those agents are prone to premature oxidation . such skin - whitening agents may include all the known whitening agents and those that may be developed in the future . although it is not possible to identify and list all known skin - whitening agents , the following skin - whitening agents may be included in the cosmetic composition of the present invention : tyrosinase inhibitors , free radical scavengers , chelating agents , and mixtures thereof . some tyrosinase inhibitors include , but are not limited to , arbutin , bearberry extract , orange extract , lemon extract , cucumber extract , mercaptosuccinic acid , mercaptodextran , kojic acid , derivatives of kojic acid , vitamin c , derivatives of vitamin c , hydroquinone and derivatives of hydroquinone , glutathione , cysteine and its derivatives such as n - acetyl - l - cysteine and those described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 296 , 500 , the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference , mulberry extract and its derivatives , licorice extract and its derivatives , rosemary extract and its derivatives , and mixtures thereof . the kojic acid or its esters are represented by the formula : wherein r 1 and r 2 are the same or different , and each is hydrogen atom or an acyl group of 3 to 20 carbon atoms . non - exclusive examples of the esters are , for instance , kojic acid monoesters such as kojic acid monobutyrate , kojic acid monocaprate , kojic acid monopalmitate , kojic acid monostearate , kojic acid monocinnamoate and kojic acid monobenzoate ; kojic acid diesters such as kojic acid dibutyrate , kojic acid dipalmitate , kojic acid distearate and kojic acid dioleate . a preferred monoester is an ester in which an oh group at 5 - position of kojic acid is esterified . esterification can improve stabilities against ph or sun light , while maintaining a melanin synthesis - inhibiting activity equal to that of kojic acid . the free radical scavengers may include , but are not limited to ascorbic acid ( vitamin c ) and its derivatives , vitamin e , superoxide dismutase , acerola cherry extracts , acerola cherry fermentates the vitamin c and its derivatives may be present in any isomeric form . for example , they can all be in cis configurations , they can all be in trans configurations , or they can be in a mixture of cis and trans configurations . non - exclusive examples of the vitamin c derivatives are , for instance , the alkyl esters of l - ascorbic acid where the alkyl portion has from 8 to 20 carbon atoms . for example , such esters include , but are not limited to l - ascorbyl palmitate , l - ascorbyl isopalmitate , l - ascorbyl dipalmitate , l - ascorbyl isostearate , l - ascorbyl distearate , l - ascorbyl diisostearate , l - ascorbyl myristate , l - ascorbyl isomyristate , l - ascorbyl 2 - ethylhexanoate , l - ascorbyl di - 2 - ethylhexanoate , l - ascorbyl oleate and l - ascorbyl dioleate , tetrahexyl decyl ascorbate ; phosphates of l - ascorbic acid such as l - ascorbyl - 2 - phosphate and l - ascorbyl - 3 - phosphate ; sulfates of l - ascorbic acid such as l - ascorbyl - 2 - sulfate and l - acorbyl - 3 - sulfate ; their salts with alkaline earth metals such as calcium and magnesium . a preferred whitener is magnesium ascorbyl phosphate . the vitamin c derivatives can be used alone or in a mixture of two or more . other skin - whitening agents may include gingko extract , carob extract , rose fruit extract , geranium herb extract , perilla extract , cinnamon extract , sweet marjoram extract , arnica extract , concha blanca extract , cola ed caballo , piri - piri , pinon negro , pinon blanco , extracts of clove , alfalfa , baliospermum montanum , melia azadirachta , convolvulus arvensis , gaiyo , sansonin , syuroyo , seimkko , soukyo , taiso , hakusempi , woodfordia fructosa , lagerstroemia speciosa , passiflorine , tepezcohite , amoule , hobiyu , baffalo uri , achote , guayule , adhatoda , cymbopogon nardus , desmodium gangeticum , murraya koenigii , smilax zeylanica , gastrodia elata , karukeija , biota orientalis , kichiascoporia , arecatachu , phyllostachys nigra leaves , atractylodes japonica , koidzumi , tila , camotede azafran , jamaica , poleo verde , navo negro , cyperus , kanzo , broussonetia , karojitsu , trichosanthis radix , dioscorea phizoma , and aquilliaria . other skin - whitening agents may include teprenone , dihydroxy - isoquinoline , indomethacin , 3 - hydroxymanule , vitamin k ( such as vitamin k1 - k7 , its homologues , salts , and derivatives ), thiazolidinone derivatives , and kynurenine and its derivatives and salts . the skin - whitening agent may be used in the cosmetic composition of the present invention in an amount of from about 0 . 001 % to about 99 %. preferably , the skin - whitening agent is present in the composition in an amount of from about 0 . 01 % to about 20 %. more preferably , the amount ranges from about 0 . 1 % to about 10 %. sodium magnesium silicate is commercially available under the trade name laponite . it is a synthetic silicate clay with a composition mainly of magnesium and sodium silicate . surprisingly , sodium magnesium silicate has the unexpected and beneficial effect of reducing the time and temperature - induced darkening effect of the skin - whitening agent in the cosmetic composition . in other words , sodium magnesium silicate prevents the premature darkening of the cosmetic composition . the results are especially impressive when the cosmetic composition includes skin - whitening agents prone to oxidation such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and botanical extracts . surprisingly , sodium magnesium silicate also improves the odor of the composition by reducing the time and temperature - induced development of foul odors as the skin - whitening agents oxidize . in other words , sodium magnesium silicate prevents the premature development of a foul odor . the results are especially impressive when the cosmetic composition includes skin - whitening agents prone to oxidation such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and botanical extracts . sodium magnesium silicate may be used in the whitening composition in an amount from about 0 . 001 % to about 99 %. preferably , sodium magnesium silicate is present in the composition in an amount of from about 0 . 01 % to about 10 %. more preferably , the amount ranges from about 0 . 1 % to about 5 %. the cosmetic compositions of the present invention may be prepared in various forms . for example , they may be in the form of a cosmetic preparation such as an emulsion , liniment or ointment lotions , creams , ( both oil - in - water , water - in - oil , and multiple phase ), solutions , suspensions ( anhydrous and water based ), anhydrous products ( both oil and glycol based ), gels , sticks , surfactant systems ( cleansers , shampoos , facial washes , etc . ), powders , masks , pack or powder , or the like . the cosmetic compositions of the present invention generally include a cosmetically acceptable or pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . the terms “ pharmaceutically acceptable ” and “ cosmetically acceptable ” means those drugs , medicaments , or inert ingredients which are suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans and lower animals without undue toxicity , incompatibility , instability , irritation , and the like , commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio . the carrier usually forms from about 1 % to about 99 . 9 %, preferably from about 50 % to about 99 % by weight of the composition , and can , in the absence of other cosmetic adjuncts , form the balance of the composition . other optional ingredients can be included in the cosmetic composition of the present invention . as a non - limiting illustration , the optional ingredients can include uv absorbers , fragrances , preservatives , thickeners , ph adjusters , etc , so long as they do not interfere with the function of the skin - whitening agent and the sodium magnesium silicate . following are examples of compositions made according to the present invention . the examples are merely illustrative ; they are not limiting . each example was compared with a “ control ” cosmetic composition that had all the same ingredients as the example except for sodium magnesium silicate . the cosmetic composition of each example was then qualitatively compared to its control cosmetic composition after exposure to the same conditions . [ 0032 ] ingredient weight percent laponite xlg ( sodium magnesium silicate ) 0 . 50 magnesium ascorbyl phosphate 3 . 00 botanical whitening complex 1 . 00 water and optional ingredients q . s . the composition of example 1 was qualitatively compared to its control composition after 30 days at 50 ° c . the control composition decomposed , changed its color to brown , and began developing a foul odor , as expected . surprisingly , the composition of example 1 maintained its pleasant odor and appearance . [ 0034 ] ingredient weight percent laponite xlg ( sodium magnesium silicate ) 1 . 00 bearberry extract 2 . 00 lactic acid 2 . 00 acerola fermentate 3 . 00 water and optional ingredients q . s . the composition of example 2 was qualitatively compared to its control composition after 30 days at 50 ° c . the control composition decomposed , changed its color to brown , and began developing a foul odor , as expected . surprisingly , the composition of example 2 maintained its pleasant odor and appearance . [ 0036 ] ingredient weight percent laponite xlg ( sodium magnesium silicate ) 1 . 00 magnesium ascorbyl phosphate 3 . 00 vitamin e 0 . 05 water and optional ingredients q . s . the composition of example 3 was qualitatively compared to its control composition after 30 days at 50 ° c . the control composition decomposed , changed its color to brown , and began developing a foul odor , as expected . surprisingly , the composition of example 3 maintained its pleasant odor and appearance . based on the above results , the addition of magnesium ascorbyl phosphate to a cosmetic composition containing a skin - whitening agent prone to premature oxidation will extend the shelf life of that cosmetic composition . magnesium ascorbyl phosphate may extend the shelf life of the cosmetic by as much as 25 %, preferably by as much as 50 %, more preferably by as much as 100 %, or most preferably by as much as 200 %. it should be understood that a wide range of changes and modifications could be made to the embodiments described above . it is therefore intended that the foregoing description illustrates rather than limits this invention , and that it is the following claims , including all equivalents , which define this invention .
a cosmetic composition includes a carrier , a skin - whitening agent , and sodium magnesium silicate . the sodium magnesium silicate is present in an amount effective to slow decomposition of the composition . a method of slowing the decomposition of a cosmetic composition containing a skin - whitening agent includes adding an effective amount of a sodium magnesium silicate to the composition .