In   the   cosmetics   sector   and   the   pharmaceuticals   industry   there   is   an   increasing  demand  for  innovative  natural  ingredients  with  a  skin  lightening  function. The project aims to exploit the potential of malt and by-products of malt processing as well as beer production for the cosmetics industry. The intention is not to discard malt flours and so far unused residues from the processing of malted cereals as low-value residues or to feed them to cattle and pigs, but to redefine and evaluate them in order to develop new powerful active ingredients for the cosmetics industry.The primary goal is to identify and extract bioactive substances from malt and by-products and to test whether these compounds can be used to efficiently inhibit  melanin  synthesis  in  the  skin.  Based  on  this,  innovative  malt-based  extracts  and  complexes  of  active  agents  with  novel  functionalities,  such  as  tyrosinase  inhibiting,  melanin  reducing  and  antioxidative  properties,  are  developed.In the first and second year of the project, the focus was on the procurement of raw materials, the correct sample preparation and sample preparation as well  as  the  optimization  of  the  extraction  process  with  subsequent  extract  characterization.  A  strong  correlation  between  the  polyphenol  content  and  the  antioxidative  capacity  of  the  extracts  could  be  observed.  In  in  vitro  experiments,  this  effect  leads  to  a  proven  inhibition  of  tyrosinase,  which  was  also  confirmed  by  cell  culture  analyses  on  melanocytes  carried  out  by   the   service   provider   of   VivaCell   Biotechnology   GmbH,   Denzlingen.   Further properties that have been demonstrated by tests on cell cultures are melanogenesis-inhibiting and partially anti-inflammatory effects