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Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, or AAKG. As its name implies, it contains L-arginine, an essential amino acid which our bodies naturally produce.

It's most often extracted from the bearberry plant, which is a plant in the genus Arctostaphylos. It contains beneficial compounds that regulate skin's pigment. It can also be extracted from certain other plants and fruits, humectant ingredients skin care including pears, berries and those in the Ericaceae family, as well as made synthetically in a lab. You can use AA on its own - plus you'll find it in some skin care serums, masks and creams. What does alpha arbutin do to your skin? It's considered a "tyrosinase inhibitor" and a natural skin lightener. It works to improve skin's tone and texture by preventing the formation of melanin, which gives skin its pigment.

White kidney bean extract powder blocks starch, so it actually blocks alpha-amylase, an enzyme that plays an important role in digestion. Alpha-amylase, on the other hand, is required for the metabolism of starchy carbohydrates, which are found in foods such as potatoes, rice, and pasta.

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is an intermediate in heme biosynthesis and is useful in cancer treatment. It is a non-protein amino acid. 5-ALA also has applications in the field of agriculture. It is being studied as an inducing reagent for protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) dependent fluorescence diagnosis of metastatic lymph nodes. 5-ALA is used for photodynamic therapy of diseases, such as Paget's disease and HPV infection-associated cervical condylomata acuminata.