Consumers are educated about the damaging effects of excessive UV radiation on the health and appearance of skin. This has driven the medical community and consumers to demand increasing levels of protection from sun care products, in addition to improved emollient and anti-inflammatory properties.1–4
UVA and UVB radiation causes the direct absorption of photons by DNA and subsequent structural changes, in addition to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in lipid peroxidation. Moreover, UV radiation impairs the human immune response by increasing the activity of suppressor T-cells.5 The effects of UVA and UVB radiation have created the need for sunscreen products. For example, several studies show that both UVA and UVB increase the production of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) four- to five-fold, resulting in the remodelling and degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM).6–9
