Solid emollient bases for mineral sunscreens

Personal care brands and formulators are moving in a new direction. This is due in large part to the recent proposal by the US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) to tighten regulation of over-the-counter (OTC) sun care products. The FDA studied the 16 main ingredients currently used in sunscreens, deeming only two mineral filters to be safe based on the available data: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. 

Furthermore, concerns are rising over the chemical UV filters in sunscreens because some data have shown their potential to enter the bloodstream and to pollute the oceans. Following the bans on oxybenzone and octinoxate in Hawaii, these and other chemical UV filters are increasingly being banned in other places across the world. Due to these safety concerns, while the industry awaits more data, brands are primarily using mineral rather than chemical UV filters to develop new or reformulated sunscreen products.

Sunscreen sticks have been gaining in popularity because they can deliver high performance and convenience. These stick product formulations are also changing from chemical to mineral UV filters. To enable this transition, Penreco, an industry leader in speciality hydrocarbon products, conducted a study to test mineral sunscreen sticks formulated with Versastique™ solid emollient bases, against a market-leading sunscreen stick product.