BackgroundTyrosinase, a copper‐containing metalloenzyme with catalytic activity, is widely found in mammals. It is the key rate‐limiting enzyme that catalyzes melanin synthesis. For humans, tyrosinase is beneficial to the darkening of eyes and hair. However, excessive deposition of melanin in the skin can lead to dull skin color and lead to pigmentation. Therefore, many skin‐whitening compounds have been developed to decrease tyrosinase activity. This study aimed to identify a new tyrosinase inhibitory peptide through enzymatic hydrolysis, in vitro activity verification, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation.ResultsA tri‐peptide Asp‐Glu‐Arg (DER) was identified, with a ‘‐CDOCKER_Energy’ value of 121.26 Kcal/mol. DER has effective tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Research shows that its half inhibitory concentration value is 1.04 ± 0.01 mmol L−1. In addition, DER binds to tyrosinase residues His85, His244, His259, and Asn260, which are key residues that drive the interaction between the peptide and tyrosinase. Finally, through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation, the conformational changes and structural stability of the complexes were further explored to verify and supplement the results of molecular docking.ConclusionThis experiment shows that DER can effectively inhibit tyrosinase activity. His244, His259, His260, and Asn260 are the critical residues that drive the interaction between the peptide and tyrosinase, and hydrogen bonding is an important force.DER from Spirulina has the potential to develop functional products with tyrosinase inhibition.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.