TRI Presents at FLSCC Sunscreen Symposium, 18-20 September

TRI’s Dr Marcella Gabarra A. Leite went to the FLSCC Sunscreen Symposium in Florida to present both a poster entitled Evaluation of different formulation technologies to improve sunscreen efficacy and safety profiles using vibrational spectroscopy and a talk, The impact of external temperature on sunscreen efficacy and safety. 

Marcella’s poster focussed on the use of confocal Raman and ATR-IR spectroscopy on both ex-vivo and in-vivo skin samples to evaluate and compare different UV filters present in sunscreen formulations. This was based on work previously disclosed by Samuel Gourion-Arsiquaud on the use of 3D facial mapping to monitor sunscreen wear over a specified time period. Overall, it was shown that formulation matters – encapsulation technology, or the use of film former ingredients, improved the retention of UV filters on the skin surface, increasing the sunscreen efficacy and preventing penetration inside the skin, limiting their toxicity. 

Marcella’s talk was also well-received and outlined work TRI has undertaken to investigate how UV filters penetrate or are retained on the skin surface as a function of temperature. Overall, a clear correlation was shown between temperature and the retention of UV filters on the skin surface versus penetration into the skin: at higher temperature, retention of UV filters on the skin surface was reduced with significantly more penetration into the skin. This was suggested to be because at elevated temperature the lipid structure of the stratum corneum (SC) is more fluid, enabling more facile ingress of organic sunscreen components into the skin. Further studies are ongoing.