Whitening has always been the trend of female beauty. Melanin formation is the most important cause of darker skin color. We can suppress the amount of melanin in the skin by preventing the melanin production, or by accelerating the keratinocyte layer containing melanin cells fall off. Except UV-blocking agents, whitening products currently used generally contain tyrosinase inhibitors related to melanin formation. In this paper, we list the ingredients often applied to whitening, and describe the mechanisms of tyrosinase inhibition. Also, we review several research papers of Chinese herbal medicines used in whitening, such as ginseng, licorice, mulberry leaf, aloe, angelica, and chuanxiong. All of them can reduce melanin production by tyrosinase inhibition and individually may have the effects of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, improvement of blood circulation, or to accelerate the renewal of skin surface cell for whitening.