PURPOSE: To provide a cosmetic and a whitening agent having a whitening effect.

CONSTITUTION: There is provided a cosmetic and a whitening agent respectively characteristically containing homonataloin. Homonataloin is an anthraquinone- based glycoside and obtained by extracting a kind of aloe, e.g. Aloe nyeriensis Christian or Aloe andongensis Bak. The extracted material is purified according to, e.g. the silica gel chromatography method, the preparative liquid chromatography method or recrystallization method and the resultant crystal (purified product) or coarsely purified product can be used therefor. The cosmetic can be served in the forms of a foundation, a make-up cosmetic, a bath liquid, a soap, etc. As the dosage form of the whitening agent, powder, pill, tablet, external preparation, injection, suppository, etc., can be adopted.