As ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause sunburns, wrinkles, lower immunity against infections, premature aging, pigment darkening and photo-carcinogenesis, there is permanent need for protection from UV radiation and prevention from their side effects. Nowadays, it is necessary for all people to use sunscreen products because of their broad-spectrum protection against the harmful effects ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Herbs and herbal preparations have a high potential to prevent the UV radiation induced skin damage. Herbal sunscreens are rapidly replacing the modern sunscreen containing UV-filters due to associated side effects with UV filters.
Effective botanical antioxidant compounds are widely used in traditional medicine and include tocopherols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, nitrogen containing compounds (indoles, alkaloids, amines, and amino acids), and monoterpenes.
SUN PROTECTION FACTOR (SPF)
The efficacy of a sunscreen is usually expressed by the sun protection factor (SPF). The higher the SPF, the more effective is the product in preventing sunburn.
The SPF is a quantitative measurement of the effectiveness of a sunscreen formulation. To be effective in preventing sunburn and other skin damage, a sunscreen product should have a wide range of absorbance, viz., between 290 and 400 nm.
SPECTROPHOTOMETRICALLY CALCULATED SUN PROTECTION FACTOR VALUES OF HERBAL OILS:
NATURAL SUN BLOCKERS
The skin's natural sun blockers are proteins (the peptide bonds), absorbing lipids, and nucleotides. The high concentration of plant peptides protects the peptide bonds of the skin proteins.
The high level of squalene (from olive oil) in some products protects the skin's sensitive lipids. Squalene is the skin's most important protective lipid.
Allantoin is a nucleotide that naturally occurs in the body and absorbs the spectrum of UV radiation, which damages the cell's fragile DNA. Allantoin is an extract of the comfrey plant and is used for its healing, soothing, and anti-irritating properties.
NATURAL SOURCES OF ANTIOXIDANTS
Herbal ingredients have potent antioxidant properties due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic content to protect the skin by scavenging free radicals by donating an electron to the free radicals. It neutralizes the oxidative stress caused by free radicals to protect the skin from UV radiation. Therefore, it protects the cellular lipids from being oxidized and destroyed.