Evaluation of sun protection factor (SPF) value of essential oils and its application in sunscreen cream

Abstract Essential oils contain terpenes compounds that have antioxidant properties, making them suitable for use as additional ingredients in sunscreen cream formulations. The objectives of this study were to determine the SPF values of 9 types of essential oils, to investigate the process of making sunscreen creams with added essential oils, and to analyze the quality characteristics of the resulting sunscreen creams. The study consisted of two stages. The first stage aimed to screen of 9 types of essential oils with the highest SPF value. The second stage aimed to apply the essential oil with the highest SPF value in the manufacture of sunscreen cream. The first factor was the type of essential oil with the highest SPF, which consisted of 2 levels, namely M1 = essential oil 1 and M2 = essential oil 2. The second factor was the concentration of essential oil, namely K0 = 0%, K1 = 0.3%, K2 = 0.6%, and K3 = 0.9%. The analysis carried out on sunscreen cream was SPF value, pH, homogeneity, spreadability, and hedonic organoleptic. The results showed that 2 types of essential oils that have a high SPF values are jasmine oil with an SPF value of 36.4 (high protection category) and fresh lilac oil with an SPF value of 24.4 (medium protection category). The pH value of the sunscreen cream met SNI 16-4399-2016, which is in the range of 4.5-8. The cream preparations were homogeneous, evenly distributed, and showed no coarse grains. The sunscreen cream that was preferred by the panelists was the cream with the addition of essential oil at a concentration of 0.3%.