Background Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the skin leads to acute inflammatory reactions, such as erythema, sunburn, and chronic reactions, including premature skin aging and skin cancer.

Aim In this study, the effects of a topical antioxidant mixture consisting of vitamin C, ferulic acid, and phloretin on attenuating the harmful effects of UV irradiation on normal healthy volunteers were studied using biomarkers of skin damage.

Subjects/methods Ten subjects (age, 18–60 years; Fitzpatrick skin types II and III) were randomized and treated with antioxidant product or vehicle control on the lower back for four consecutive days. On day 3, the minimal erythema dose (MED) was determined for each subject at a different site on the back. On day 4, the two test sites received solar-simulated UV irradiation 1–5× MED at 1× MED intervals. On day 5, digital images were taken, and 4-mm punch biopsies were collected from the two 5× MED test sites and a control site from each subject for morphology and immunohistochemical studies.

Results UV irradiation significantly increased the erythema of human skin in a linear manner from 1× to 5× MED. As early as 24 h after exposure to 5× MEDs of UV irradiation, there were significant increases in sunburn cell formation, thymine dimer formation, matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression, and p53 protein expression. All these changes were attenuated by the antioxidant composition. UV irradiation also suppressed the amount of CD1a-expressing Langerhans cells, indicating immunosuppressive effects of a single 5× MED dose of UV irradiation. Pretreatment of skin with the antioxidant composition blocked this effect.

Conclusion This study confirms the protective role of a unique mixture of antioxidants containing vitamin C, ferulic acid, and phloretin on human skin from the harmful effects of UV irradiation. Phloretin, in addition to being a potent antioxidant, may stabilize and increase the skin availability of topically applied vitamin C and ferulic acid. We propose that antioxidant mixture will complement and synergize with sunscreens in providing photoprotection for human skin.