As in many of the personal care sectors, consumers are expecting multifunctionality from their sun care products, as a time and cost saver. Beyond mass market, sun care products are expected to contain not only UV filters, but also active ingredients, antioxidants, vitamins, and more.


These ingredients are used in self-tanning, after sun and specialist daily care products such as lip balms, as lips contain a small number of melanocytes and are extremely susceptible to sunburn. Creams and lipsticks often include vitamins C and E, also known as the ‘vitamins of youth’. These vitamins block the processes that take place in the skin after exposure to the sun, helping to neutralise free radicals. These vitamins degrade rapidly in their natural state and so more stable and functional forms are often used instead. Examples include ascorbyl glucoside, a glucose-stabilised ascorbic acid, and raspberry seed oil / tocopherol succinate aminopropanediol esters, a ceramide-like molecule obtained from raspberry seed oil and vitamin E succinate. Using oils with naturally high levels of antioxidants as an emollient is an easy way to improve the efficacy of after sun products. A specific grade of canola oil that combines oxidative stability with high levels of vitamin E and phytosterols has been shown to reduce sunburn cell formation and soothe irritated skin.17, 18, 5, 31 


Epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG) is a primary component of green tea and a polyphenol with strong antioxidant properties. Green tea is not only a trendy ingredient, but it has the ability to regenerate DNA.19 Unfortunately, it is unstable and poorly soluble in water, which makes its use difficult, but this can be improved through modern stabilisation technology. Thanks to the use of a multistabilising microemulsion, the solubility of EGCG is improved and the stability is significantly enhanced. 


Antioxidants reduce redness and can also reduce or even repair damage caused by harmful radiation. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant and can also stabilise UV filters. Sophora japonicaflower extract is a natural source of quercetin and its dimer form shows even greater biological activity than the monomer, helping to restore the skin after oxidative stress.20, 10 


The inclusion of antioxidants and antiinflammatory ingredients in sun care products is controversial, as despite their benefits, there is an argument that by reducing the erythemal response of the skin, consumers are likely to spend more time in the sun, leading to a risk of long term damage. Delaying skin erythema in this manner also leads to a higher SPF value, which is not a true reflection of the products’ ability to protect skin from UV irradiation. 



source from https://www.personalcaremagazine.com