A basic Review on herbal plants for Sunscreen preparation

Payal N. Vaja¹*, Hiral S. Popaniya², Chintankumar J. Tank³, Piyush V. Tank⁴,

Khushbu H. Parmar⁵, Chetan H. Borkhataria⁶

¹Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, Dr. Subhash University, Junagadh (362001), Gujarat, India.

²Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, Dr. Subhash University, Junagadh (362001), Gujarat, India.

³Professor, School of Pharmacy, Dr. Subhash University, Junagadh (362001), Gujarat, India.

⁴Research Scholar, School of Pharmacy, Dr. Subhash University, Junagadh (362001), Gujarat, India.

⁵Research Scholar, School of Pharmacy, Dr. Subhash University, Junagadh (362001), Gujarat, India.

⁶Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, B. K. Mody Government Pharmacy College,

Rajkot (360003) Gujarat, India.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: payalvaja55@gmail.com, hpopaniya@gmail.com, chintankumartank@gmail.com, piyushtank199@gmail.com, khushbuparmar7920@gmail.com, chetanborkhataria@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Sunburn is a skin condition caused by excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds. It results in red, painful, and inflamed skin. Protecting the skin from sun exposure is crucial to prevent sunburn, as it can increase the risk of skin damage, premature aging, and skin cancer. Sunburns are common, especially in young people, with between 50% and 75% of children younger than 18 having sunburns each year. Global warming and ozone layer breakdown increase UV exposure, leading to increased sunburn cases and associated diseases like skin cancer. The current review describes the detail information about sunburn, types of sunburn, cause of sunburn, its mechanism, and herbal remedies to cure the sunburn. Further, here is a comparison of synthetic and herbal sunscreen, advantages and disadvantages of both synthetic and herbal sunscreen. synonym, biological source, chemical constituent and uses found in herbs that can be used to cure sunburn. Topical sunscreens, made from natural resources, are popular treatments for sunburn due to their milder side effects, ease of use, lower cost, and availability. Herbal sunscreens are particularly beneficial for hyperallergic skin, as they are less irritant and more easily adjustable. The concept of complementary medicine is growing, and herbal remedies are increasingly being used to control ageing. Herbal sunscreens are easily available, have no side effects, require no special equipment, are made from renewable resources, and are more affordable than synthetic chemical sunscreens.

KEYWORDS: Sunburn, Herbal Sunscreen, Excessive Ultraviolet, Cosmetic.

INTRODUCTION:

Sunburn is a skin condition that occurs when the skin is exposed to excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds.

It typically results in red, painful, and inflamed skin. It’s important to protect your skin from excessive sun exposure to prevent sunburn, as it can increase the risk of skin damage, premature aging, and even skin cancer. Using sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, and seeking shade during peak sun hours are essential for sunburn prevention. Therefore, by fully understanding the cause, treatment, and prevention of sunburns, patients can drastically decrease their risk of skin cancers. This will improve their quality of life. Additionally, by preventing sunburn, patients can reduce the solar effects of aging, which can lead to better cosmetic results^1,2.

Types of sunburn:

There are three main types of sunburn:

First-Degree Sunburn:

This is the mildest form of sunburn. It causes redness, slight swelling, and pain in the affected area. The skin may feel warm to the touch, and there might be mild peeling as it heals. This usually heals on its own in a few days to a week³.

Second-Degree Sunburn:

Third-Degree Sunburn:

This is very rare and requires emergency treatment. It severely damages all layers of your skin, including the fat layer beneath your skin. It can also destroy nerve endings³.

Figure 1.Types of sunburn⁴

Epidemiology:

Sunburns are very common, especially in young people. Between 50% and 75% of children younger than 18 have sunburns each year. More than half of adults ages 18 to 29 reported having one or more sunburns in 2015.

Sign and Symptoms:

Inflamed skin, which appears pink or red on white skin and may be harder to discern on brown or black skin. The skin may feel warm or hot to the touch, accompanied by pain, tenderness, and itching. Swelling and small fluid-filled blisters may also develop, which can rupture. In severe cases, symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea, and fatigue may occur. Additionally, eyes may feel painful or gritty⁵.

Etiology:

Sun or artificial sources, such as sunlamps and tanning beds. UVA is the wavelength of light that can penetrate to the deep layers of skin and lead to skin damage over time⁶.

Table 1. Ultraviolet Radiation Classification, Characteristics and harmful effects^6,7

Ultraviolet Radiation Classification, Characteristics and harmful effects
Class of UVR	Characteristics	Acute Harmful Skin Effects	Chronic Harmful Skin Effects
Ultraviolet A radiation (UVA) 315 to 400 nm	Is not filtered by the stratospheric ozone layer in the atmosphere 90–99% reaches the earth’s surface Can penetrate deeper into the skin	Immediate pigment darkening Tanning	Photoaging: skin elasticity reduction and increase wrinkling. Immunosuppression
Ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) 280 to 315 nm	Filtered by the stratospheric ozone layer in the atmosphere 1–10% reaches the earth´s surface Can penetrate the upper layers of the epidermis	Edema, erythema, darkening, sunburns. Thickening of the epidermis and dermis	Photoaging Immunosuppression Skin cancer
Ultraviolet C radiation (UVC) 100 to 280 nm	Completely filtered by the stratospheric ozone layer in the atmosphere Major artificial sources are germicidal lamps	Burn	Skin cancer

Mechanism of Sunburn:

UVA radiation is responsible for immediate skin tanning or darkening, premature aging and the suppression of immunologic function. This type of radiation penetrates deeply into the skin, directly damages DNA and indirectly harms other biomolecules (i.e., nucleic acids, proteins, and membrane lipids) through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can potentially lead to oxidative damage of DNA, lipid peroxidation and to the cross-linking of proteins such as collagen. Furthermore, UVA initiates a cascade of inflammatory cytokines via the activation of protein-1 (AP-1) and NF-kB pathways. These last transcription factors upregulate the biosynthesis of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs). The MMP enzymes degrade elastin and collagen, resulting in skin elasticity reduction and increased wrinkling.

Figure 2. Mechanism of sunburn⁶

UVB radiation acts mainly on the epidermal basal layer of the skin and is 1000 times more capable of causing sunburns and harmful skin effects than UVA. The reactions induced by UVB radiation are immediate and include the release of inflammatory mediators (e.g., histamine, serotonin, and prostaglandins) that lead to the development of edema and erythema. In addition, UVB radiation activates numerous signaling pathways that increase the production and activity MMPs, decrease collagen production, induce the accumulation of senescent cells and increase apoptotic cell death and the defective degradation of elastic fibers. Moreover, it has been reported that UVB radiation causes a depletion of the cutaneous defense system and skin cancer. Figure 2 visually demonstrate the different mechanisms in which UVR causes skin damage.

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the mechanisms of its main biological effects on the skin. UVC (100–280 nm) cannot penetrate the ozone layer.

Benefits of Herbal Sunscreen:

A number of people with sensitive skin, such as those suffering from skin hypersensitivity refuse to use chemical sunscreens due to Concern about skin exposure to unknown Chemicals. Although a variety of hypoallergenic cosmetic products have been introduced for customers with sensitive skin, there are still limited options in sunscreen agents. Now, however, researchers have claimed that cosmetics having herbal components are more suitable for hyperallergic skin because they are less irritant and more easily adjustable to skin⁸.

Herbal cosmetics must have one or more active sunscreening agent with antioxidant properties in order to achieve good photoprotection effect. The concept of complementary or alternative medicine is increasingly becoming more widely accepted and there is a corresponding rising interest in herbal remedies. Recently, the role of herbal drugs, herbal products and certain phytochemicals in the control of ageing has been shown^9,11,12. In table no. 2 mentioned difference between herbal and synthetic sunscreen.

Table 2. Difference between Herbal and Synthetic sunscreen¹³

Herbal Sunscreen	Synthetic Sunscreen
Easily available	Not easily available
No side effects	Have some side effects like skin allergic reactions, radness, rashes, worsen acne etc.
No special equipment needed for preparation	Special equipment and machines are required to preparation
Renewable resources	Non-renewable resources
Botanical ingredients are easily available	Synthetic chemical ingredients are not easily available
They are inexpensive	They are expensive

Herbal sunscreens are easily available and have no known side effects, while synthetic sunscreens are not easily available and may cause skin allergic reactions, redness, rashes, and worsen acne. Herbal sunscreens do not require special equipment for preparation and are made from renewable resources, whereas synthetic sunscreens require special equipment and are made from non-renewable resources. Botanical ingredients for herbal sunscreens are easily available, making them inexpensive, while synthetic chemical ingredients for synthetic sunscreens are not easily available, making them expensive.

Classification of Sunscreen:

Figure 2. Classification of sunscreen^,10

Table 3. Scientific Classification of plants

Plants	Kingdom	Division	Class	Order	Family	Genus	Species
Marigold¹⁴	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Asterids	Asterales	Asteraceae	Tagetes	T. arecta , T. patula, T. tenuifolia
Green Tea¹⁵	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Theales	Theaceae	Camellia L.	C. sinesis
Neem¹⁶	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Rutaled	Meliaceae	Azadiractha	A.indica
Amla¹⁷	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Euphorbiales	Euphorbiaceae	Phyllanthus L.	P.amelia, P.emblica
Turmeric¹⁹	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Liliopsida	Zingiberales	Zingiberaceae	Curcuma	B.longa
Suffron²¹	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Liliopsida	Asparagales	Iridaceae	Crocus	C.sativus
Aloe vera²²	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Liliopsida	Asparagales	Asphodelaceae	Aloe	A.vera
Avocado²³	Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Laurales	Lauraceae	Persea	P.americana

Various Plants: Applications in Cosmetics, Culinary Delights, and Pharmaceutical Formulations for Medicinal and Beyond

1. Marigold:

Figure 4. Structure of Apigenin²⁴

The commercial source of Apigenin is marigold (Tagetaserecta L.) flower, as fresh petals, extracts, or dried powder²². It is belonging to the Asteraceae family. Marigold contains Apigenin which a flavonoid. This bioactive molecule present multiple biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antivirul²³.

Uses:

Apigenin effective in the prevention of UVA/UVB (Ultraviolet A/B) induced skin disease. In addition, both apigenins present an absorption spectrum that matches the UVA and UVB ranges, so both effect, antioxidant capacity and UV-absorption, contribute to reducing harmful effects of radiation on cell viability^23,25.

2. Green tea:

Green tea comes from the plant camelia sinesis. Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all made from the same plant but are prepared using different processing methods.It is belonging from Theaceae family. The main chemical constituent of green tea is Epigellocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, and is a type of

Catechin²⁶.

Figure 5. Structure of Epigellpcatechin gallate²⁷

Uses:

Topically green tea applied to human skin provide a photoprotective effect, reduce the number of sunburns skin cells, protecting the epidermal cells from UV damage, and reduced the DNA damage that formed after UV radiation^23,28.

3. Neem:

Neem consists of fresh or dried leaves and seed oil of Azadirachta indica²⁹. It is belonging to Meliaceae family. The chemical constituents of neem are Nimbin, Azadirachtin, Azadiradione²⁹.

Figure 6. Structure of Nimbin

Uses:

It is used as Anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, gives cooling effect on burn and hence can be used to treat sunburn and other skin infection²³.

4. Amla:

Amla consists of dried, as well as fresh fruits of the plant Emblica officinalis (Phyllanthus emblica Linn.), belonging to family Euphorbiaceae³⁰. The main chemical constituents which can used to treat sunburn is B-glucogallin (1-O-galloyl-β-d-glucopyranose)²³.

Figure 7. Structure of B-glucogallin³¹

Uses:

Amla juice can be applied directly to the sunburned skin. Its antioxidant properties may help soothe the skin and reduce inflammation. Amla oil can be applied to the sunburned skin to moisturize and soothe it. Its antioxidant properties may also help protect the skin from further damage²³.

5. Turmeric:

The Rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is obtained from the deied, as well as fresh rhizomes of Curcuma longa linn. Tha main chemical constituent of turmeric is curcumin.³²

Figure 8. Structure of Curcumin³³

Uses:

Curcumin can prevent UV irradiation- induced apoptotic changes in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. Additionally, Curcumin possess anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, and antioxidant properties²³.

6. Saffron:

Saffron is the dried stigma and styletops of Crocus sativus linn., belonging to family Iridaceae. The chemical constituent is homosalate.

Figure 9. Structure of Homosalate

Uses:

Saffron can be used as a natural UV absorbing agent²³.

7. Aloe vera:

Aloe vera is the dried juice collected by incision, from the bases of the leaves of various species of Aloe vera Linn. It is belonging from Asphodelaceae family. It’s chemical constituent is Aloin.³³

Figure 10: Structure of Aloin

Uses:

Aloe vera has a property to protection against negative effects of sunray exposure. It can increase SPF value of sunscreen up to 20%. It has a unique effective moisturizer, and work as a healing agent for the skin^23,34.

8. Avocado:

Avocado oil can be obtain by the fruit of Persea americana. It is belonging from Lauraceae family. Linoleic acid, Oleic acid, Palmitic acid, Omega 3 fatty acid and vitamins A, D and Beta carotene or Lecithin are chemical constituents of Avocado fruit²³.

Figure 11. Structure of Oleic acid

Uses:

Avocado oil is very easily absorbed by the human skin and keeping it. Avocados may help to protect the skin from harmful UV radiation^23,35.

CONCLUSION:

These days, sunburn is one of the most common skin conditions because of rising global temperatures and an increase in worming. Furthermore, the primary source of incident UV (UVA and UVB) radiation on Earth is due to depletion of the ozone layer. In the past ten years, these two variables have been the main causes of sunburn. Here, a comparative analysis of natural and synthetic sunscreen is conducted in an effort to lower the incidence of sunburn as well as the cost and side effects of commercial synthetic sunscreen. Herbal plants are used to create sunscreen that is both cost-effective and beneficial, with the lowest possible side effects. This review papers includes the information about the potential plant that that can be used for sunburn, such as Rhizomatous herbaceous, Azadirachta indica, Tagetes erecta, Camellia sinensis, Aloe vera etc. When applied directly to the skin, most herbal medicines used in sunscreen seem to be harmless. They could lessen the likelihood of developing sunburn-related symptoms including redness, swelling, burns, itching, etc.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The authors have no conflicts of interest regarding this investigation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors express their sincere thanks to Dean, Staff of School of Pharmacy, Dr. Subhash University, Junagadh, Gujarat, India for providing guidance and support to this review work.

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Received on 11.01.2024 Revised on 20.06.2024

Accepted on 03.10.2024 Published on 05.12.2024

Available online on December 28, 2024

Research J. Topical and Cosmetic Sci. 2024; 15(2):125-130.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5844.2024.00020