Ultraviolet transmittance spectrophotometer provides a fast, accurate way to determine the in-vitro Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of sunscreen formulations
Pro-Lite has released an updated UV-1000S ultraviolet analyser from Labsphere.
The UV-1000S is an ultraviolet transmittance spectrophotometer which provides a fast, accurate way to determine the in-vitro Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of sunscreen formulations.
The UV-1000S is updated for 2005 with version 3.0 sunscreen analysis software.
This incorporates revised algorithms to calculate the mean UVA to UVB transmittance ratio in accordance with the 2004 Boots star rating system.
The UV-1000S now reports sunscreen transmittance (250-450nm), SPF, critical wavelength, UVA ratio and the 2004 Boots star rating.
The UV-1000S is an innovative, dual beam, transmittance spectrophotometer based on a diode array spectrometer with Spectralon integrating sphere collection optics.
In-vitro SPF results obtained using the UV-1000S correlate closely with the final in-vivo measurements that are necessary for product labelling prior to release to market, says Pro-Lite.
The UV-1000S reduces development costs and time to market and is used in all phases of sunscreen product development and formulation, as well as in routine production QA testing.
Key to the close correlation with in-vivo SPF measurements is the UV-1000S's use of an integrating sphere.
High SPF sunscreen formulations typically employ so-called physical filters in their formulation, such as titanium dioxide.
Unlike organic (mostly transparent filters), TiO2 introduces a high degree of scatter to the transmitted light.
The integrating sphere used in the UV-1000S fully captures all of the scattered light.
Without a sphere, a spectrophotometer would under-record the degree of transmittance which would in turn lead to a significant over-recording to the SPF factor.
The xenon flashlamp used in the UV-1000S, combined with the diode array spectrometer lead to sample measurement times of the order of a few seconds.
This compares with sample processing times running into minutes using traditional scanning instruments.
The UV-1000S's higher measurement speeds provide for an increased sample throughput and improved measurement uncertainties as a result of being able to average more scans per sample.
Pro-Lite is able to supply SPF version 3.0 software as an upgrade for existing UV-1000S users who wish to update their instrument for compatibility with the Windows 2000/XP operating systems as well as the latest Boots star rating system.
The software upgrade is provided free of charge to those users returning their UV-1000S instruments to Pro-Lite for annual recalibration.
