Senior R&D Engineer, Luye Technology Group Shanghai Lurui Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

 

At present, it is mainly engaged in basic and formula development of daily chemicals. A total of 6 articles have been published, 7 patents have been applied for, and 1 patent has been granted. In 2020, won the honorary title of "Light Industry Craftsman" in Shanghai.

Food ingredients determine the quality of food, just as cosmetic raw materials determine the quality of cosmetics, especially for special cosmetics, raw materials are particularly important in highlighting product safety, stability, efficacy, etc. In recent years, with the efforts of many colleagues in the industry, some new progress has been made in specialty cosmetic raw materials. Now, it has entered the season when consumers have the strongest sunscreen effect on cosmetics - summer. The main raw material in sunscreen cosmetics - sunscreen agent, has once again become the focus of consumers' attention.

 

What new opportunities will there be for sunscreen cosmetics in 2021? What new trends will emerge in the market? This article focuses on an overview of sunscreens, in order to provide rough guidelines for the market and research and development from the perspective of raw materials.

 

trend one

 

Expansion of the concept and scope of sun protection

 

 

With the in-depth research on skin damage caused by light, people gradually realize that not only ultraviolet rays (UVA/UVB) can damage human skin, but also high-energy blue light (HEV) and infrared (IR) can cause damage to human skin. The corresponding full-band sunscreen concept has also expanded its scope: from the original ultraviolet (UVA/UVB) protection, to the current ultraviolet (UVA/UVB), high-energy blue light (HEV), infrared (IR) protection; It has developed to the protection of sunlight, electronic products (computers, mobile phones), and artificial light sources in modern times, that is, the protection objects have expanded and changed.

Trend two

 

Natural active substances become research hotspots

 

Looking for functional ingredients that can play a sunscreen effect from natural substances; natural active substances that can stabilize existing sunscreen agents; One of the directions, its advantage is that it is friendly to the human body and the environment. The above three active substances work in different mechanisms. The natural extracts that directly absorb ultraviolet rays contain benzene rings or conjugated structures, so they can directly absorb ultraviolet rays. For example: Karanja Oil, Givaudan launched, has the effect of absorbing ultraviolet rays because of its unique structure; lignin contains functional groups such as aryl groups, phenolic hydroxyl groups, ketone groups and carboxyl groups, which have the ability to absorb ultraviolet rays. Features. Although the active substances for skin repair after sun exposure cannot directly absorb and reflect ultraviolet rays, they generally reduce the production of human skin erythema and inflammatory factors through the reaction pathway of the skin after sun exposure. For example, Zhang Hao has shown through research that aloe vera gel can effectively reduce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines IL-1α and IL-8 in keratinocytes after UVB irradiation. By adding the above functional substances, the use of sunscreens can be reduced, which not only saves costs and increases the safety of the formula, but also makes the formula easier to formulate, reduces the oiliness of the formula, and can improve the safety, efficacy, sensory and cost saving. There are great comprehensive benefits. More and more sunscreen products are now incorporating natural actives with the above effects to optimize the performance of the formulation.

 

Trend three

 

Technology development and application tend to mature

 

Encapsulated chemical sunscreen

 

The encapsulated chemical sunscreen refers to the encapsulation of the chemical sunscreen by other substances. It has the following four advantages: 1. The stability of the chemical sunscreen is greatly improved, thereby improving the sunscreen efficiency of the sunscreen; 2. The hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the wall material determines the dispersion performance of the sunscreen, making the chemical sunscreen easier to disperse evenly In the formula, we can encapsulate the chemical sunscreen in the hydrophilic outer wall material, which can disperse the chemical sunscreen in water; 3. The chemical sunscreen does not directly contact the skin through the package, which can reduce the number of small molecules The transdermal absorption of sunscreen and sunscreen products after photolysis can better protect human skin; 4. By finding suitable wall materials, a better skin feel can be achieved.

 

When designing this type of sunscreen, the technical points are comprehensively considered: the safety, efficacy and stability of the sunscreen, so as to obtain an excellent encapsulated sunscreen. Yu Mingying prepared composite sunscreen microspheres. The microspheres were loaded with TiO2 and avobenzone-loaded composite microspheres, which not only protected the unstable avobenzone from light, but also improved the whitening effect of physical sunscreens. question. The following are Merck's silica-wrapped series, Sunjin's PMMA-wrapped series, and TAGRA's cellulose-wrapped series.