Better informed about the damaging effects of UV light on the skin, consumers are looking for easy to apply products with increased protection.

UV filters are being incorporated more and more to everyday skin care products, particularly for the face. This trend can also be found in makeup with BB face creams and more recently BB creams for legs.

A few years ago applying sun cream was not a pleasant experience (thick texture, oily, slow to absorb or leaving white traces) Things have changed considreably since then, with lotions, sprays and products which continue to become cosmetically more acceptible.

And this is a good thing, because protection factors can be added to skincare and make-up products without compromising sensorially.

But the principle of precaution is about to reshuffle the pack.

Regulation 2017/238 of 10 Feburary 2017 modified Annexe VI (UV filtres) of the cosmetics regulation 1223/2009 to reduce the maximum authrorised content of Benzophenone-3 in cosmetic products from 10% to 6% with a ban on its use on children under the age of 10 years.

Oxybenzones (or benzophenone-3)  are chemical filters which are threatenend particularly in regions with large coral reefs

Although legal sanctions are being studied in certain countries,, it would seem difficult to impose a ban without solid scientific evidence. However, independently of any eventual ban, the debate about endocrine disruptors risks reshuffling the pack. 

Mineral Filters

It's clear that he wind is blowing in favour of physcial filters, regulation 2016/621 of 21 April 2016 modifiied its  Annexe VI to include zinc oxide and at the same time the Scientific Committe for Consumer Safety (SCCS)  gave the green light for the use of  Methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (MBBT) in nano form.

But if physical filters come back to the forefront, they bring with them difficulties in formulating high SPF sun products  all the more so withouts nanoparticules.

Fortunately, we can count on PROTECT CONTROL

Formulating a cosmetic product with a high mineral content is always a tall order.. With PROTECT CONTROL, distributed in  Europe by BRENNTAG and QUIMICA MASSO it's possible today toe reduce teh mineral content by 4 for the same level of protection.

And that's without taking into account it's anti-oxidant power; an additional property, particularly important when we take into account the fact that sun exposure is the most important exogenous cause of free radicals.

So we can view market pressure and regulatory constraints calmly.