Sunscreen Composition with Encapsulated Oil Particles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sunscreen compositions exhibit suboptimal in vivo SPF efficiency and photostability due to interactions between UVA and UVB absorbers, requiring high concentrations of UV active compounds, which can penetrate the skin and cause instability.
Innovation Solution
A sunscreen composition featuring an oil-in-water dispersion with discrete oil particles coated with a solid material, containing UVA and UVB absorbers in specific weight percentages, separated to prevent interaction, and optionally including a photostabilizer, which maintains stability and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high concentrations of UV absorbers (10-20 wt.%) are used to achieve adequate SPF protection, then sun protection efficiency is improved, but skin penetration and interaction with living tissues increase causing instability and eye stinging
Solution Approach 1:
The sunscreen composition divides UV absorbers into separate phases: UVA absorbers are encapsulated in lipid vesicles while UVB absorbers remain in the aqueous phase. This segmentation prevents direct contact between absorbers and skin tissues, reducing penetration and harmful interactions while maintaining effective SPF protection through optimized spatial distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Lipid vesicles serve as intermediary carriers for UVA absorbers, providing a biocompatible barrier that prevents direct skin penetration. The vesicle membrane acts as a mediator between the hydrophobic UVA absorbers and the aqueous environment, enabling controlled delivery while minimizing toxic effects on living tissues.
2Adaptability or versatility
If UVA and UVB absorbers are present together in the same formulation to provide broad-spectrum protection, then photoprotection coverage is improved, but photostability deteriorates due to interactions between absorbers
Solution Approach 1:
The formulation segments UVA and UVB absorbers into distinct compartments: UVA absorbers are encapsulated within lipid vesicles while UVB absorbers remain in the external aqueous phase. This physical separation prevents destabilizing interactions between the two types of absorbers, maintaining photostability while providing comprehensive UVA and UVB protection simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
UVA absorbers are nested within lipid vesicle structures, creating a hierarchical organization where the inner compartment contains UVA protectants and the outer aqueous phase contains UVB protectants. This nested arrangement enables broad-spectrum coverage while isolating potentially interacting components.
3Stability of the object's composition
If encapsulation technologies like SLNs are used to improve photostability, then photostability is improved, but in vivo SPF efficiency deteriorates to 2.3 SPF units per 1 wt.% sunscreen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the encapsulation system by using liquid crystalline lipid vesicles with optimized size distribution (50-500 nm) and composition ratios. This parameter optimization enables both improved photostability through encapsulation and enhanced SPF efficiency (6-10 SPF units per 1 wt.%) compared to conventional SLN technologies, overcoming the efficiency-loss trade-off.
Solution Approach 2:
The formulation uses composite lipid vesicles composed of multiple lipid components including phospholipids, cholesterol, and fatty acids, creating a sophisticated encapsulation matrix. This composite structure provides superior photostability while maintaining high SPF efficiency through optimized light scattering and absorption properties of the vesicle system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves high in vivo SPF efficiency with lower concentrations of UV absorbers, preventing skin penetration and maintaining stability over time, with oil particles remaining discrete for extended periods and exhibiting enhanced photostability.
Implementation Method 1
each oil particle comprising: (i) an organic UVA absorber, (ii) an organic UVB absorber
Implementation Method 2
an oil-in-water dispersion that includes an oil phase composed of discrete oil particles coated with a solid material
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are oil-in-water dispersions and sunscreen compositions that contain them, which exhibit high in vivo sun protection factor (SPF) efficiency due to the ability of the dispersions to both absorb and scatter ultraviolet (UV) light. These high efficiency sunscreen compositions include discrete oil particles that are enclosed within a solid coating and dispersed in an aqueous phase, wherein each oil particle contains an organic ultraviolet A (UVA) and/or an organic ultraviolet B (UVB) absorbing compound, and optionally a photo stabilizer.