At the September dinner meeting of its Midwest chapter, Craig Bonda from the personal care ingredient producer, Hallstar, will be discussing recent developments in the company's research into the deactivation of chromophores in sunscreens.
Chromophores, the parts of molecules within UV filters, which absorb the energy in ultraviolet radiation (UVR), sometimes become useless after converting UVR into electronic excitation energy. This means that sunscreens lose their protective powers against harmful rays shortly after application.
Hallstar is working to find ways of encouraging chromophores in UV filters like Avobenzone to continue to absorb UVR after other UV filters would have become ineffective.
As well as explaining the science, Bonda will go on to cover the developments stemming from the research, most of which are not yet commercially available. The presentation will also seek to clear up some persistent sunscreen mysteries.
Research projects aiming to improve the quality of sunscreen are much needed at the moment as a number of reports raise questions about the safety and effectiveness of such products.
The EWG has recently published a report claiming that 84 percent of sunscreens either did not provide adequate protection against the sun's harmful rays or contained potentially harmful chemicals. A study from Keele University published this month said that aluminum salts commonly found in sunscreens are potentially harmful.
However many disagree strongly with these claims, suggesting that assertions over the danger of sunscreens are not scientifically reliable and may lead to consumers preferring to go unprotected - especially dangerous as skin cancer rates are still rising.
For more details on the event, which is taking place on September 11 in Illinois, go to http://www.midwestscc.org . The title of Bonda's presentation is 'Research Pathways to New Performance Additives for Broad Spectrum Sunscreens'.