The present invention relates to a composition comprising, in a cosmetically acceptable medium, at least one ester derived from 4-carboxy-2-pyrrolidinone, of formula (I) below: in which: R1 denotes a linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl radical, R2 denotes a linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl radical that may contain a C5-C6 ring, the phenyl radical, the benzyl radical or the phenethyl radical, and at least one merocyanin-type UV screening agent. The present invention also relates to the use of at least one ester derived from 4-carboxy-2-pyrrolidinone, of formula (I), as defined above, in a composition comprising, in a cosmetically acceptable medium, at least one merocyanin-type UV screening agent, as a solvent for said merocyanin screening agent, in and/or as an agent for improving the solubility of said merocyanin screening agent in said composition or with the aim of improving the sun protection factor.
