Abstract

Our interaction with the sun is still equivocal, to say the least. We like its soothing influence on the body and soul, but we are afraid of its highly hazardous heating ability and the long-term skin damage that can emerge from chronic sun exposure. Scientists are consistently seeking to enhance sunblock products in accordance with a need for better skin protection from the sun. Once human skin is exposed to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), the synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) skyrockets. The influx of ROS leads to oxidative stress by mutating the natural equilibrium toward a pro-oxidative state. Alteration in proteins and lipids, stimulation of inflammation, immunodeficiency, DNA damage, and activation of signaling pathways that influence gene transcription, cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis are all illustrations of the detrimental effects of oxidative stress. This chapter provides new insight into several Phyto-products having an antioxidant activity to suppress the UV rays impact, the relationship between UVR-aging, current understanding of the regulation of constitutive human skin pigmentation and responses to UV radiation, with emphasis on physiological factors that influence those processes.