Evaluation of sun protection factor (SPF) of some botanicals and fruit extracts

The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of various plant leaf extracts using ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry, a technique known for its accuracy and simplicity in determining SPF values in vitro. A total of ten different plant materials, including locally available leaves and fruits such as mentha (mint), neem, tulsi (holy basil), moringa, mango, aloe vera, green tea, eucalyptus, guava fruit, and tomato, were selected for analysis due to their known medicinal and antioxidant properties. To determine the most effective solvent for extracting photoprotective compounds, the leaves were processed using three different solvents: ethanol, methanol, and distilled water. Upon comparing the SPF values obtained from each solvent extract, it was observed that the distilled water extracts consistently showed higher SPF values across most samples. Given that distilled water is a non-toxic, universally compatible solvent and showed the best results, it was selected for further SPF calculations of all plant extracts. The SPF values were calculated using the standard Mansur et al. (1986) equation, which involves measuring the absorbance of the extracts at specific UV wavelengths. The recorded SPF values among the different plant extracts ranged from 2 to 30, indicating varying degrees of UV protection potential. The findings suggest that certain plant-based extracts, particularly when prepared with distilled water, may serve as promising ingredients in the development of natural sun-protection formulations.