M. Sohn, S. Kruś
While the demand for products with higher SPF and UVA protection is rising, the regulatory landscape for UV filters is shifting towards stricter safety and environmental standards. Given the uncertain future of several UV filters due to regulations and the potential impact they may have on human and/or environmental health, sunscreen manufacturers are actively seeking new ways to maintain and even enhance UV protection. This trend holds true regardless of the region. Two principal levers are driving their efforts: maximizing the effectiveness of the UV absorbing system by combining different UV filter technologies, and leveraging specific formulation excipients and formulation properties. Regarding the UV filter system, a practical, high-impact approach rests on three core principles: ensuring a minimum level of UVA protection, prioritizing photostability, and exploiting synergistic combinations such as pairing water- and oil-dispersed UV filters and/or adding particulate filters. Excipients and formulation properties offer additional benefits: scattering particles increase the optical path length and thereby enhance filter efficacy, and film-formers improve the homogeneity and thereby the effectiveness of the applied sunscreen layer. This article outlines a synergistic approach to enhancing sunscreen performance by combining these two complementary strategies, enabling formulators to develop highly effective sun care products while limiting the overall UV filter concentrations to better meet evolving consumer expectations.
