Comparative in vitro Sun Protection Factor (SPF) values of some herbal extracts found in Kinshasa by Ultraviolet Spectrophotometry

The purpose of this study was to determine in vitro the sun protection factor (SPF) of aqueous and ethyl acetate herbal extracts of some commonly used vegetable found in Kinshasa by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The comparative values of the calculated sun protection factor of four commonly used vegetable were evaluated using Mansur equation. Aqueous and ethyl acetate herbal extracts were obtained and after dilution with ethanol the absorbance 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  carrot  ethyl acetate extract / paba in the ratio 2000 ppm/20 ppm showed the highest SPF value  of 43.38 while the cream containing 2% of coconut ethyl acetate extract showed the lowest SPF value of  0.64. The proposed spectrophotometric method is fast, simple and cost effective for the in vitro determination of SPF values.