Sunscreen Balance

Even with the standards and regulations by ISO and the European Committee for Standardization for sunscreen products, industry observers still finds manufacturers of this cosmetology product in need of improvements for their products. 

The right formula for sunscreens is hard to come by given the competing considerations of high sun protection factors (SPF), photostability, pleasant sensory properties, and stringent regulations—as every beauty professional with a cosmetology/beauty license or cosmetology CE credentials will tell you.

First, it has to contend with regulations. The regulatory framework for beauty lines, including sunscreens, is currently being strengthened with the participation of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Committee for Standardization.

Industry observers, however, point out that the products of the two groups are currently not harmonized, throwing off efforts of sunscreen manufacturers to deliver innovative, effective products to the market quickly.

Formulations for solar products, for instance, may differ depending on the used protocols—hence the need for the creation of harmonized international and European standards which will facilitate the efforts of formulators.

Second, there is the requirement to be efficient against both ultraviolet B rays (UVBs) and ultraviolet A rays (UVAs), which have different effects on the skin, thus requiring different strategies. UVBs cause sunburns while UVAs, because they penetrate the skin deeper, cause accelerated aging and predispose the skin to develop tumors.

In the United States as well as in Europe, this has resulted in a requirement for a UVA to UVB ratio of 1/3 with a critical wavelength of 370nm, a challenging balance to achieve.

Sun protection, however, goes beyond UVAs or UVBs. Brands must now also contend with formulations that offer sun protection using chemical filters (as in the case of Dermoprotectyl), infrared radiation blockers (Unipex), and synthesized antiaging molecules (Sereniks).

For many sunscreen brands, it is a tricky balancing act to get the right balance for sunscreens.