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“ The cosmetic industry claims that the UV filter acts as an "artificial melanin". But those artificial substances used in sunscreens do not efficiently dissipa
by layoutIfNeeded 6y ago
“ The cosmetic industry claims that the UV filter acts as an "artificial melanin". But those artificial substances used in sunscreens do not efficiently dissipate the energy of the UV photon as heat. Instead these substances have a very long excited state lifetime.[15] In fact, the substances used in sunscreens are often used as photosensitizers in chemical reactions. (see Benzophenone).”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoprotection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoprotection
- cinntaile 6y agoThanks for the source, I looked at some of the studies and it seems like you were correct but there appears to be a small catch. There seems to be a difference between physical blockers such as TiO2 and ZnO, which basically reflect the UV rays and UV-absorbers like mentioned in your link which convert the rays to heat. Sunscreen usually contains both components. Interesting stuff though, I thought sunscreen was mostly a solved problem but you and your reference as well as some other references made me rethink that idea.