Credit: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (2024). DOI: 10.1039/D4CP02088J
A team of researchers led by professors Wybren Jan Buma at the University of Amsterdam and Vasilios Stavros at the University of Warwick (U.K.) have laid the groundwork for using urocanic acid and its derivatives as a novel class of sunscreen filters. Urocanic acid is a naturally occurring UV-A and UV-B absorbing compound found in the skin.
The team investigated the light-adsorbing, “sun-blocking” properties of urocanic acid and its derivatives, both in isolated molecules and in solutions. They present their results in two papers published in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
According to Wybren Jan Buma, professor of Molecular Photonics at the UvA’s Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, the two papers provide detailed insight into the light-conversion mechanism of urocanic acid.
“This is an excellent starting point for further optimization of its photoactive properties,” he says. “We envision many specific applications of urocanic acid and its derivatives, notably in safe UV filters.”
He expects that urocanic acid can meet the need for better, safer and more efficient sunscreen agents, replacing synthetic filters that are under discussion because of potential adverse effects on health and environment.
By University of Amsterdam
Article can be accessed on: phys.org
