Chemistry & Life Sciences

Everything Under The Sun

Modern Sun Protection Solutions

18.12.2009 -

UV Protection  - The "isn't sunscreen enough?" days are long gone. Consumers need more than only UV-filters to protect their skin against the sun. State of the art protection against the sun sees skin as a complete entity - and offers a complete range of products to match.

UV-filters must be able to prevent UV-A and UVB rays from harming the skin. Additional radical scavengers and products that groom the skin are essential in modern sun care cosmetics. Across-the-board protection - it's here to stay. What does that mean? As we continue to discover how our skin reacts to the sun, we must be able to develop solutions to meet our skin's changing needs. Thanks to extensive research, we know that damage doesn't stop at sunburn, induced by UVB-rays. UVA rays are responsible for faster aging of the skin. Effective ingredients to stop these rays are necessary. There's more to it than that. UVA- rays are responsible for the production of radicals. These radicals must be combated or prevented to be built. Skin exposed to the sun must be groomed simultaneously. Modern sun protection solutions must combine all these characteristics. So any competitive range of products will need to offer complete protection.

Comprehensive Protection from One Source

Merck developed a variety of ingredients and additives that do precisely this. As well as blocking UV rays, they counteract the build-up of free radicals and help shield skin's living cells from further damage. Eusolex UV-Pearls are the first line of defense against UVA and UVB radiation. They work like sunglasses for the skin, screening out UV radiation at its first point of contact. They also offer greater flexibility in formulation - by combining the pearls in the aqueous phase with other filters in the oil phase.

Invisible to the naked eye, these UV filters are entrapped in a shell of sol-gel silica glass. The filters remain on the top layers of the skin, and the highly stable capsules will not dissolve. The capsules also avoid direct contact of active ingredients with the skin and will not mix with other substances that might be incompatible. Using these capsules, lipophilic UV filters can be deployed into the formula's aqueous phase and even be combined with other UV filters in the oil phase. Exaggerated UV irradiation is known to prematurely age skin and damage DNA.

Radicals induced by UV-rays may harm the skin during the skin is exposed to the rays but as well after the exposure radical production is going on. Therefore radical scavengers which are effective during day and night are the most powerful protectants. Ronacare AP (4-Hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzyl-malonate) can achieve such a tireless attack on free radicals

It is much more than a highly stable antioxidant. This colorless and completely transparent cosmetic oil works to neutralize free radicals. Its advanced efficacy mechanism is especially appropriate for those radicals caused by UV exposure. Likewise, when Ronacare AP is converted to its oxidized form upon radical scavenging, it successively provides ongoing protection from the negative effects of the sun. It dims oxidative stress during the day, it prevents from free radicals after the sun has set, and provides protection from free radicals during the night.

UV radiation can penetrate the skin's upper layers, creating free radicals and other reactive species that may lead to damaged DNA and skin cancer sooner or later. Thanks to its brilliant efficacy conjugated with its remarkable long-term stability, Ronacare AP outperforms conventional antioxidants like Vitamin C or Tocopherol. It works day and night, functioning much longer than conventional sun protection products.