Determination of Sun Protection Factor (SPF) Number of Some Hydroalcoholic Vegetable Extracts

Abstract

Exposure to sunlight can trigger various biological responses ranging from sun-burn, erythema to skin cancer. Synthetic sunscreen formulations available in market pose variety of adverse effects. Therefore formulation of the herbal sunscreen formulation and evaluation of its sun protection activity is an important aspect in the cosmetic industry. The various herbal agents contain significant sun screen properties which might be useful for formulating herbal creams and lotions. Therefore evaluation of its sun protection activity is an important aspect in the cosmetic industry. The comparative values of the calculated sun protection factor of twelve commonly used vegetables were evaluated using Mansur equation. Hydroalcoholic herbal extracts were obtained and absorbances were recorded between 290-320 nm using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. It was observed that all of the tested herbal extracts showed some UV protection capabilities with hydroalcoholic extract. Hydroalcoholic extract of beet root showed highest SPF i.e. 39.48 while capsicum extract showed lowest i.e. 2.45. These plant herbals can be formulated in the form of cosmetics formulation because of their better acceptability, less irritant nature and also these are less expensive.