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Influence of certain ingredients on the SPF determined in vivo

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Abstract

When determined in vitro, the SPF of certain commercial sunscreen products can be lower than the SPF indicated on the label. The study of the composition of this type of product enabled us to note that the majority contained substances reputed to have anti-inflammatory properties. This effect is shown by inhibiting the erythema, without protecting the skin, which constitutes a serious public health problem. The anti-inflammatory effects of αbisabolol-, allantoin- and 18-β-glycyrrhetinic acid-based emulsions, as well as commercial sun products containing any one of these molecules, have been tested with phorbol myristate acetate on mice. The effectiveness of these sunscreens products is quantified using two indicators: SPF (sun protection factor) and PF-UVA (protection factor-UVA) by in vitro method. We were thus able to show that certain sun products have an anti-inflammatory effect, which in turn causes the SPF value shown on the product to be overestimated, indeed sometimes by considerably large margins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, MMS EA2160, FR CNRS 3473, 1 rue G. Veil, BP 53508, 44000, Nantes, France

    Céline Couteau, Eva Paparis & Laurence J. M. Coiffard

  2. Pharmacochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nantes University, Nantes Atlantique Universities, IICiMed UPRES EA 1155, Nantes, France

    Catherine Chauvet

Authors
  1. Céline Couteau
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  2. Catherine Chauvet
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  3. Eva Paparis
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  4. Laurence J. M. Coiffard
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Correspondence to Laurence J. M. Coiffard.

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Couteau, C., Chauvet, C., Paparis, E. et al. Influence of certain ingredients on the SPF determined in vivo. Arch Dermatol Res 304, 817–821 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-012-1257-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-012-1257-x

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