https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In a significant breakthrough for the cosmetics industry, researchers have developed a new type of sunscreen using lignin, a naturally abundant polymer, and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The study, led by Yarong Li and Zhiguang Tang, was published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts and details the innovative use of a dual-modified lignin sub-microsphere to enhance the SPF and improve the color of sunscreens. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-lignin-based-sunscreen-natural-high.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:09:39 EDT news646585773 Choosing which sunscreen to use can be mind-boggling. Should you choose one with the highest sun protection factor (SPF) or another with "reef-safe" or "coral-friendly" credentials? Is it best to opt for a spray or a lotion? What's the difference between a mineral or chemical-based formula? https://phys.org/news/2024-08-sunscreens-marine-environment-healthy-sea.html Environment Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:10:04 EDT news642080885 On April 8, North America will experience a total solar eclipse, stretching across parts of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, with approximately 31.6 million people living in the path of totality. According to NASA, every contiguous state in the U.S., along with parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will witness at least a partial solar eclipse. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-safely-total-solar-eclipse.html Space Exploration Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:47:53 EDT news631194470 Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing sun protection in cosmetics, offering superior UV-blocking capabilities compared to soluble lignin oligomers. However, the effects of the chemical structures of constituting lignin oligomers in LNPs and the particle size distribution of LNPs need further investigation. Additionally, the raw materials used in these works were mainly technical lignin, whose structures significantly changed during the extraction process, making them unsuitable for studying the structural effect of UV-blocking. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-harnessing-nature-shield-sun-lignin.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 11 Mar 2024 13:41:29 EDT news629383287 New research, presented at the SEB Centenary Conference 2023, reveals that sunscreen contamination may be less harmful to wildlife than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-sunscreen-leaching-poses-minimal-threat.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:07:03 EDT news607781222 Researchers have developed a prototype for coral-reef-friendly sunscreens by using polymerization to create large molecules that still block UV radiation but are too big to penetrate our skin, coral, and algae. The polymeric UV filter, presented in the journal Cell Reports Physical Sciences, was more effective at preventing sunburn in mice than existing sunscreens. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-coral-friendly-sunscreen-shown-uv-options.html Polymers Wed, 01 Mar 2023 11:15:03 EST news596891701 Many summer days start with slathering on sunscreen to prevent sunburn, skin damage, and skin cancer. A common ingredient in sunscreens is avobenzone, which works by absorbing the sun's ultraviolet rays. https://phys.org/news/2022-06-quest-sunscreen.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 23 Jun 2022 10:16:39 EDT news575198196 You can love something to death. That is one way of thinking about a new Stanford University study that reveals how a common component of many sunscreens worn by coral reef-exploring tourists may hasten the demise of these endangered ecosystems. The surprising findings, published May 6 in Science, could help guide the development and marketing of effective, coral-safe sunscreens. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-sunscreens-coral.html Ecology Thu, 05 May 2022 14:00:04 EDT news570965018 For the sixth time in the last 25 years, the Great Barrier Reef is bleaching. During bleaching events, people are quick to point the finger at different causes, including sunscreen. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-sunscreen-chemicals-great-barrier-reef.html Environment Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:08:54 EDT news567680931 Sunscreen that includes zinc oxide, a common ingredient, loses much of its effectiveness and becomes toxic after two hours of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, according to a collaboration that included Oregon State University scientists. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-hours-sunscreen-zinc-oxide-effectiveness.html Materials Science Thu, 14 Oct 2021 03:48:58 EDT news553402133 People can continue using mineral-based aerosol sunscreens without fear of exposure to dangerous levels of nanoparticles or other respirable particulates, according to Penn State research published in the journal Aerosol Science and Engineering. https://phys.org/news/2020-12-nanoparticle-field-sunscreens.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 02 Dec 2020 15:35:59 EST news526145755 Swansea University research has provided a new insight into the behavior of nature's own UV sunscreens when they are exposed to other parts of the light spectrum. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-reveals-nature-uv-sunscreens.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 30 Nov 2020 15:11:44 EST news525971502 Palau's pioneering ban on "reef-toxic" sunscreens took effect Wednesday as the tiny Pacific island nation introduced strict environmental measures that also include one of the world's largest marine sanctuaries. https://phys.org/news/2020-01-palau-reef-toxic-sunscreen.html Ecology Wed, 01 Jan 2020 03:31:28 EST news497071882 Beachgoers are becoming increasingly aware of the potentially harmful effects UV filters from sunscreens can have on coral and other marine organisms when the protective lotions wash off their bodies into the ocean. Now, researchers have studied how sunscreens release different compounds—trace metals and inorganic nutrients—into Mediterranean seawater, with unknown effects on marine ecology. They report their results in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-sunscreens-metals-nutrients-seawater.html Environment Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:00:01 EDT news484986959 Environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers increasingly are working to bar the sale of sunscreens that may damage coral reefs, but the bans are dividing a surprising group: coral scientists. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-sunscreens-corals.html Environment Fri, 15 Mar 2019 10:30:02 EDT news471861084 Many families will soon escape the winter to seek warmer, sunnier climes. Swimsuits and sunglasses will invariably find their way into suitcases, but one common item might be giving people a little more pause than it once did: sunscreen. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-beaches-sunscreens-coral-reefs.html Environment Tue, 05 Mar 2019 08:50:01 EST news470997099 In the face of persistent heatwaves, Australians are reaching for the sunscreen. But you might have heard some mixed messages about its harm to the environment – specifically to coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2019-02-insufficient-evidence-sunscreen-coral-reefs.html Environment Tue, 05 Feb 2019 08:50:01 EST news468577773 Officials in Key West took the initial steps toward banning the sale of sunscreens containing two ingredients that could be harmful to coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-key-west-sunscreens-reefs.html Environment Wed, 16 Jan 2019 10:04:32 EST news466855445 Although sunscreen is critical for preventing sunburns and skin cancer, some of its ingredients are not so beneficial to ocean-dwelling creatures. In particular, sunscreen chemicals shed by swimmers are thought to contribute to coral reef decline. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry say that one such chemical, octocrylene (OC), which is also in some cosmetics and hair products, accumulates in coral as fatty acid esters that could be toxic to the marine organism. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-sunscreen-cosmetics-compound-coral-fatty.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Jan 2019 10:47:51 EST news466253255 The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau will ban "reef-toxic" sunscreens from 2020 in what it claims is a world-first initiative to stop chemical pollution killing its famed corals. https://phys.org/news/2018-11-palau-sunscreen-coral.html Environment Thu, 01 Nov 2018 03:30:10 EDT news460261804 New research in Hong Kong has found that UV filters commonly used in sunscreen are polluting surrounding waters and could endanger human health, one of the city's leading universities said Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2018-10-hong-kong-sunscreen-health.html Environment Thu, 04 Oct 2018 09:44:04 EDT news457865037 Scientists have found that sunscreen from bathers releases significant quantities of polluting TiO2 (titanium dioxide) into the sea. This has the potential to harm marine life. This work, which comes from research on beaches in the South of France, was presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Boston (see below). https://phys.org/news/2018-08-scientists-titanium-dioxide-sunscreen-polluting.html Environment Fri, 17 Aug 2018 10:29:59 EDT news453720590 For most people, a trip to the beach involves slathering on a thick layer of sunscreen to protect against sunburn and skin cancer. However, savvy beachgoers know to reapply sunscreen every few hours because it eventually washes off. Now researchers, reporting in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, have detected high levels of sunscreen chemicals in the waters of Shenzhen, China, and they also show that the products can affect zebrafish embryo development. https://phys.org/news/2018-08-sunscreen-chemicals-fish-embryos.html Environment Wed, 01 Aug 2018 08:00:02 EDT news452326954 Lignin, the natural polymer that gives tree trunks their strength, could be the source of a new range of skincare products, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-polymer-plant-based-sun-rays.html Materials Science Wed, 16 May 2018 08:43:58 EDT news445679030 As the temperatures rise and Americans swarm to the beach, they slather on sunscreen to protect against the sun's harmful UV radiation that causes skin cancer. As they splash and swim, few give thought to whether the chemicals in the lotions and sprays are safe for marine organisms such as the fish and corals living in these coastal zones. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-cleaner-greener-environmentally-safe-sunscreen.html Materials Science Mon, 07 May 2018 09:00:03 EDT news444901374 Many sunscreen makers could soon be forced to change their formulas or be banned from selling the lotions in Hawaii. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-hawaii-poised-sale-sunscreens-coral.html Environment Thu, 03 May 2018 02:20:01 EDT news444532695 Although it's been a tough winter for many people in the U.S., summer is coming. And that means backyard barbeques, fun on the beach and, of course, slathering on sunscreen. But one particular environmentally friendly sunscreen ingredient has been difficult to obtain—that ingredient, shinorine, could only be harvested from nature. Scientists now report in ACS Synthetic Biology the laboratory production of that compound. https://phys.org/news/2018-01-ready-summer-sun-green-sunscreens.html Materials Science Wed, 31 Jan 2018 12:16:34 EST news436623384 The University of Arizona has licensed a new, non-penetrating sunscreen to MexiAloe Laboratorios, S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of Novamex. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-ua-invented-sunscreen-aloe-vera-supplier.html Other Fri, 08 Sep 2017 09:38:36 EDT news424082306 An estimated 6,000-14,000 tons of sunscreen are deposited into coral reef areas of the sea every year. The chemicals we rub onto our skin might help prevent skin cancer but we're only just beginning to understand the environmental impact of sunscreen – and the initial assessments are not looking good. But early stage research suggests that nature might provide a solution to this emerging problem if we can mimic the way that some plants and animals protect themselves from the sun. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-sunscreen-polluting-ocean-algae-natural.html Materials Science Fri, 01 Sep 2017 09:01:39 EDT news423475291 Why use regular sunscreen when you can apply a DNA film to your skin? Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a coating made out of DNA that gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun, and it also keeps your skin hydrated. https://phys.org/news/2017-07-dna-sunscreen-longer.html Materials Science Wed, 26 Jul 2017 05:00:02 EDT news420259568