In mammalian melanocytes, melanin synthesis is controlled by tyrosinase, the key enzyme in the pigment synthesis. In this study, to develop a new whitening agent, we have investigated the antioxidant and the inhibitory effect of Artemisia anomala extract on tyrosinase activity and melanigenesis in the B16/F1 melanoma cells. The inhibition ratio of tyrosinase activity of butanol fraction from A. anomala was higher than that of arbutin ($97.5{pm}0.5%$ at the concentration of 2 mg/ml). The butanol fraction was shown scavenging activities of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and superoxide anion radicals in a dose dependent manner. The highest inhibitory activity of melanogenesis was also butanol fraction ($25.0{pm}3%$ at the concentration of $200;{mu}g/ml$). From these results, we suggest that the A. anomala extract might be used to be a potential agent for skin whitening.