Influence of purple sweet potato extracts on the UV absorption properties of a cosmetic cream

Abstract

Anthocyanins were added to a cosmetic cream to provide additional protection against UV radiation. The influence of anthocyanins on UV absorption ability was carefully evaluated. Anthocyanins were successfully extracted from TNG73 purple sweet potato using acidic ethanol and acidic water. Acidic ethanol-extracted anthocyanins had better radical scavenging ability, higher total phenolic content, and stronger reducing ability than acidic water-extracted anthocyanins. The cosmetic cream with 0.61 mg of total anthocyanins (per 100 g cream) absorbed approximately 46% of the incident UV radiation. Although the anthocyanins absorbed both UV-A and UV-B radiation, they were particularly effective against UV-B rays. This study demonstrates that the addition of anthocyanin extracts of purple sweet potato to a cosmetic cream improves the cream's UV absorption ability.