Sunscreen protection factor enhancement through supplementation with Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L) ethanolic extract

Abstract

The use of plant bioactives in cosmetic formulations are increasing due to the search for new sustainable sources of raw materials, greater concern for safety and possible social impacts caused by the incorrect use of natural resources. Plant extracts have been the subject of several studies in several industrial areas. However, the potential use of tropical fruits extracts in cosmetic formulations remains largely unexplored. Considering the impact on public health and the possibility of using wastes from fruit processing, the aim of this work is to identify, evaluate and develop a sunscreen based on rambutan peel extracts (Nephelium lappaceum L) as a natural additive for enhancing the final product sun protection factor (SPF). The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins and flavonoids and the absence of coumarins. Even presenting a low sunscreen factor when used alone (SPF value 0.4), rambutan extract at 1.00% FTP concentration improved the photoprotective result (11.2) of the formulation containing 7.5% of ethylhexyl metoxycinnamate (EHMC) by 134%. The addition of rambutan extract in the formulation shows the potential to reduce the use of synthetic photoprotectors by about 64% of the total synthetic organic filters used to achieve the SPF value of 26.3. In addition, the sunscreen formulation supplemented with rambutan extract containing 1.00% RTP shows the potential to minimize the risk of synthetic agent toxicity and a 45% reduction in the cost of sunscreen production.