Protecting Skin and Seas: Innovative Sunscreen Formula Offers Hope for Coral Reefs in Crisis

Is your sunscreen doing more harm than good?

In recent years, the safety of modern sunscreens has come under scrutiny. The issue lies in the fact that the chemicals in these sunscreens can penetrate not just our skin but coral, algae and get into even our bloodstream, leading to possible hormone disruption and cellular harm.

Now, a team of scientists has developed a new prototype for sunscreens that utilizes polymerization to generate large molecules capable of efficiently shielding against UV radiation, while being safe for both coral reefs and our skin.

According to a report published in Cell Reports Physical Sciences today, the polymeric UV filter demonstrated greater efficacy in safeguarding mice against sunburn compared to currently available sunscreens.

Lei Tao, a chemist at Tsinghua University and the study’s lead author, says, “This is an initial exploration of a new strategy to design bio-friendly and coral-friendly polymeric UV filters,” and hopes this will lead to “the next generation of sunscreens.”

After visiting the Great Barrier Reef in 2010, Tao was motivated to research eco-friendly sunscreens.

“I was blown away by the beautiful coral, and ever since I learnt that sunscreen is one of the causes of coral bleaching, I kept thinking about ways to develop a coral-friendly sunscreen.”

To do this, Tao’s team first employed a chemical process to synthesize a variety of ring-shaped molecules at random that resembled the structure of the current UV filter avobenzone.

After that, they combined these ring-shaped molecules via a second chemical process to produce a variety of candidate polymers from which to pick.

By comparing the SPF ratings and UV radiation absorption capabilities of the polymers, the researchers selected the best choice.

The researchers discovered that the winning polymer was noticeably better than oxybenzone, avobenzone, and two commercial sunscreens when they examined its capacity to prevent UV-induced skin-burn in mice.

It was also safe. The polymer didn’t get into the mice’s bodies through their skin, and their skin didn’t get red or hurt in any other way.

The polymer UV filter also seems to be safe for coral and algae, two types of organisms that are hurt by chemical sunscreens that are currently on the market.

When the team grew algae and coral in small amounts of the polymer, the algae and two common types of coral did not change. After being exposed to oxybenzone for 6 and 20 days, these same corals turned white and died.

Due to the chemical nature of the UV filter’s backbone, it is not biodegradable. Nevertheless, according to the researchers, this is simply the first step in building the next generation of ecologically friendly UV filters.

Tao suggests that there are alternative non-random polymerization techniques that could be merged with the chemical group established in this investigation to produce a UV filter that is eco-friendly and effortlessly biodegradable.

“Meanwhile, we will try to work with companies to test the current polymer and see whether it can be used in sunscreens.”

Source:10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101308

Image Credit: Getty