A review on biological assays of red algae marine compounds: An insight into skin whitening activities

Red algae or red seaweed, or scientifically known as “Rhodophyta”, is an example of a natural resource derived from marine environment and has been widely explored for its diverse biological activities. Photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms that are classified under the taxa of marine algae, their bioactive compounds were studied and found to pose anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, photoprotective and anti-melanogenic activities. Thus, the aim of this literature review was to discuss the bioactive properties of red algae, such as anti- oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-melanogenic and photoprotective activity, discuss the competency of marine-based compounds as skin whitening agents and supplement the scarce information on the skin whitening activity of red algae.