Spanish researchers from the University of Malaga, together with the Cantabria Labs laboratory, have discussed how to make sunscreens better. And they published it in Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences.
It turns out that the key to a stable SPF lies in rooibos. The South African bush Aspalathus linearis, from which a decaffeinated red tea is brewed when you want to fall asleep.
Researchers have found that when rooibos extract is added to standard chemical sunscreens, it acts as a “biological booster.” Jose Aguilera, one of the researchers, calls it a “two-in-one” molecule. The extract not only boosts the UV protection factor by almost 50 percent, but also acts as a powerful antioxidant shield.
But what do these lab tests actually mean for the tubes sitting in our bathrooms?
The thing is that classic sunscreens have one sad property: they break down when exposed to light. That is, the sun, from which the cream is supposed to protect you, kills you. It is because of this that the instructions on the packages require you to renew the layer of cream every two hours, turning any trip outside in the summer into a constant check to see if your face is dripping.
It is worth clarifying here. There are also physical filters (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) – and these are minerals. They are naturally photostable, the sun does not destroy them, so there is no need to stabilize them. But mineral ones often leave a white cast on the skin and are heavy. Therefore, most modern creams are made on the basis of chemical filters, and it is their degradation in the sun that has remained a problem for developers.
Rooibos has been shown to stabilize these filters. It slows down degradation and makes the cream last longer on the skin. What's more, it slows down skin damage.
The authors of the study say their goal is not to completely replace synthetic filters with natural herbs, but to make creams better. The focus is less on simply building a chemical wall between the skin and the sun, and more on helping cells withstand radiation.
Although the tests themselves were conducted in a laboratory, these are not just “tests in a test tube.” Cantabria Labs, whose employees are co-authors of the study, has already patented a complex based on rooibos extract and released the first creams with it on the market.
So the future of sunscreen is here. And the very thought that the industry no longer needs to increase the concentration of synthetic ingredients in creams, but can simply combine them with plant-based antioxidants, leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
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