Throughout history, nearly every culture in the world has revered the sun as a life-sustaining force imbued with mystical powers. Personified in mythology and religion as a god or goddess, a mother or a father, the sun gave life, and to primitive people, an eclipse that darkened the sun even for a moment was a terrifying omen of death and destruction.

Our scientific and spiritual relationship with the sun has evolved over time, and along with it, our preferences for exposure to it. Prior to the industrial revolution, most human labor was performed outdoors and being in the sun was a natural part of day to day life. In many cultures, sun exposure was a way to differentiate the classes, because slaves and laborers toiled outdoors and their sun-darkened skin easily identified their lower status. To assure there would be no mistaking the haves from the have-nots, the elite stayed indoors and went to great pains to lighten their skin with cosmetics to guarantee that their superior status would be recognized. This preference for light skin among the upper classes prevailed for centuries, until suntans became popular somewhere around the time when women's fashions began revealing more skin.

Once again, our relationship with sun changed, and instead of hiding under parasols, hats and veils, tanned skin became a sign of health as well as beauty. Sunburn was only a minor concern, viewed as a necessary evil at the beginning of every tanning season, and manufacturers started producing sunburn creams as remedies rather than preventatives. Some say the founder of L'Oreal, Eugene Schueller invented the first actual sunscreen in 1936, and other stories credit a pharmacist named Benjamin Green who developed a sunscreen to protect soldiers in World War II. In 1980, when the dangers of UV exposure became widely known, Coppertone developed the first UVA/UVB sunscreen, and from that day forward manufacturers have scrambled to offer newer, more effective sunscreen products.

So what's new and unique in sunscreen technology? An array of chemicals, processes and applications that will add sunscreen chemistry to our soaps and shampoos and even our clothing.

Aquea Scientific Corporation in Ventura, California recently announced the launch of its patented Aquea Delivery System,™ which combines active ingredients such as sunscreens with other personal care products such as soaps and shampoos. Products containing the company's proprietary ingredient -- which provides sun protection without substantially affecting the appearance and lathering qualities of body washes, shampoos, or conditioners -- will start rolling out in the latter half of 2006.

Another new technology, which boasts earth-sustainability qualities, is a patented sunscreen made from soy. Licensed by the USDA in October 2005, "Soyscreen" is a biodegradable sunscreen derived from soybean oil, which owes its sunburn-preventing properties to ferulic acid, an antioxidant in rice, oats and other plants. In sun-protection-factor tests SoyScreen filtered out harmful ultraviolet light as well as four chemical UV absorbers: oxybenzone, dioxybenzone, octyl methoxycinnamate and padimate-O. SoyScreen was developed at the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill., where 100 full-time scientists explore innovative new ways to create value-added products from U.S. crops.

WHAT ARE NANOPARTICLES AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN MY SUNSCREEN?

But enough about saving the planet. Let's talk about nanoparticles.

A nanoparticle is defined as "a microscopic particle [about a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair] whose size is measured in nanometers. Often such particles in nanoscale are used in biomedical applications acting as drug carriers or imaging agents."

Without a degree in physics it's difficult to comprehend what this means, but in terms of sunscreens, it means that the most effective sunblock of all, zinc, has very large particles and appears thick and unsightly when applied to skin. It's cosmetically unattractive, which is why it's only used in very small quantities in most sunscreens. Scientists have now found a way to shrink the zinc particles into much smaller nanoparticles, so that more zinc can be used in sunscreen products without the undesirable thickness. "Nanotechnology" helped create a better zinc, but it also has other sunscreen applications.

"The sunscreens commonly sold in supermarkets or drug stores are absorbed into the skin and the protection comes from a reaction between the sunscreen chemistry and the body's chemistry," explains Bryan Johns, president of Innovative Skincare. "But there's evidence that this absorption could actually produce free radicals, which may result in cellular damage. Several years ago manufacturers started nano-encapsulating the chemical actives so that the substance would stay on the surface of the skin rather than be absorbed. Modern advances have made the integrity of these capsules stronger and smaller, allowing for better spreadability and integrity."

Nanotechnology aside, research indicates that for ideal protection it's important to use a penetrating antioxidant before using sunscreens, but realistically, nobody's going to take time to do that before going out into the sun. So how can deliverable antioxidants and proven healing ingredients be combined with sunscreen formulations? Innovative Skin Care combined alpha Tocopherol (pure Vitamin E), Olive Leaf extract, and Centella Asiatica with micronized zinc oxide and new advanced nano-encapsulated organic Octinoxate. One of the company's studies showed that these sunscreens were so therapeutic that even if applied after exposure, a 50% average reduction of sunburn (erythema) was achieved.

SUN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Adding sunscreens to fabric is an idea that's generated a lot of buzz in Austraila, where skin cancer rates are extremely high. It would seem that the clothing itself would protect from the sun. So why add sunscreen to fabric?

According to Coolibar, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of "sun protective clothing," most regular summer clothing rates below a SPF 30 sunscreen in terms of UV protection. A study published in BioMed Central in 2001 examined the level of UV protection provided by 236 different articles of clothing and found that fewer than half the fabrics provided as much protection as a SPF 30 sunscreen. They concluded it was difficult for sun-aware consumers to choose the "right" garments unless they were tested and labeled in accordance with appropriate standards. Coolibar's clothing complies with a vast alphabet soup of testing standards, and the company even has research to substantiate the importance of needing higher than SPF 30 protection in clothing to guard against skin cancer.

But do we really need that much protection?

Dr. J. Frank Nash, principal scientist for Proctor & Gamble Beauty doesn't think so.

"When you hear about levels of protection much above SPF 30, except for people who have photosensitive disorders, this level of protection should be adequate for most consumers."

But the view is different from the other side of the globe. According to Coolibar's representative, sun protective clothing is very common in Australia, and the market for sun protective clothing is actually 4 times larger than the sun screen market. More that 2 million items are shipped from Coolibar's catalog each year.

Bryan Johns sees a lot of validity to clothing treated with a sunscreen coating, but says that consumers should still take precautions in terms of what they choose to wear outdoors.

"The additive most often used in sun-protective clothing is a titanium dioxide, a physical coating which adheres to the weave and acts reflectively. But even without sunscreens in the fabric, there are plenty of things one can do for protection in terms of clothing. Darker fabrics are more protective than lighter ones. A tighter weave, a heavier weight, and the less stretch the better. Also, wet clothes stretch and open the weave, allowing more UVA through, so dry clothes are safer than wet clothes."

But sunscreen-coated clothing may give some consumers a false sense of security, says Jan Marini, president and CEO of Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc.

"How many washings will this clothing can they tolerate? Will some people be allergic to the chemical coatings? For full-spectrum protection, the coating should protect from UVA, not just UVB. In a long sleeve, lightweight t-shirt you're only getting about an SPF 2-4. You won't burn wearing this clothing, but you'll still be getting UVA damage. Choosing the tighter weave and the heavier weight fabrics is always the safest choice."
For consumers to make wise choices about sun protection, it's important that they understand the science behind it, Marini cautions. The two types of ultraviolet light -- UVA and UVB -- are measured in wavelengths. UVA has a longer wavelength, about 400 nanometers, and UVB is shorter, at about 320 nanometers. UVB is variable according to weather conditions and other factors. It's strongest in summer, especially between 10 am - 3 pm, and it doesn't penetrate through clothing or your car windshield.

"But UVA is different," explains Marini. "It has the same intensity all year round, and penetrates through clothing. It's responsible for wrinkles, changes in connective tissue, roseacea, pigmentary changes, immune compromises and skin cancer. Consumers should make sure the clothing protects from UVA waves of 400 nanometers."

SUN HAPPENS

The point of effective sun protection is to block the entire spectrum, up to 400 nanometers, so when choosing a sunscreen, consumers need to look for the phrase "broad spectrum."

Sounds easy enough, but there's a catch.

"The FDA does not allow us to put a double rating that includes UVA and UVB,' says Marini. "The SPF ratings only refer to UVB, which is the least damaging. The term 'broad spectrum' indicates that the sunscreen goes beyond 320 nanometers, but legally it doesn't need to reach 400 nanometers, which disregards the damaging UVA waves of between 320 and 400 nanometers. So the point is, with most sunscreens you're still getting large amounts of the most damaging rays."

So what's the solution? Protective clothing, antioxidants, staying out of the sun altogether or lobbying the FDA are all possible scenarios, but those require a lot of effort for the average person. P & G's Dr. Nash offers an excellent answer to the overall sunscreen question.

"The trick is to develop a product that not only provides broad spectrum protection, but appeals to consumers enough so they'll actually use it. The real breakthrough these days is that people are getting educated about the photo aging effects and other 'bad' aspects of UV exposure, and they're actually learning to use the products properly and consistently."