Talk:Sunscreen

NNPOV edits

I tried once again to remove some nNPOV content in the incipit as discussed in this previous discussion and all but one of my edits were reverted with the explanation "petrochemical uv filter is the scientific term used by agencies, scientists, environmental groups and consumers. Explanation of the term is within Wikipedia (MoS) Guidance, which is why there is organic and inorganic defined".
"Petrochemical sunscreen" is not a terminology used by the scientific community. Instead, it is a niche terminology used by certain blogs, cosmetic brands, and advocacy groups aiming to cast organic UV filters in a negative light. In addition, it has also been partially adopted by the chemophobic galaxy and the sunscreen deniers, but not by scientific agencies or researchers. A quick Google search yielded 1.7 million hits for "chemical sunscreen" and 247 for "petrochemical sunscreen"...
Regarding this specific edit, I need to state again what I wrote in the edit summary: both organic and inorganic UV filters have undergone extensive scrutiny for toxicity. Agencies such as SCCS and FDA do this, and different academic research groups have published papers covering (eco)toxicity of specific ingredients. Again, it is non-neutral to highlight the impact of organic UV filters while omitting the well-documented ecotoxicity of inorganic filters like ZnO (just two recent examples on this:here and here). Information about bans and regulations should be included in the “Regulation” section, as they currently are. I will re-enter my edits LostMyAccount (talk) 06:27, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

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• Sun cream.jpg

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"I would like to propose adding a brief mention of modern mathematical modeling updates that integrate the UVA spectrum (290–400 nm) to bridge the gap left by historical UVB-only models like Mansur."

In vivo and in vitro modeling

The sun protection factor (SPF) can be evaluated through in vivo testing on human volunteers or in vitro using a spectrophotometer to measure the actual transmittance of a formulation across the ultraviolet spectrum (290–400 nm). Early development by Sayre et al. (1979) established that spectrophotochemical methods could eliminate the subjective nature of grading clinical erythema, though early models did not account for localized environmental variables such as latitude, altitude, or seasonal variations.

Mathematically, standard analytical models calculate SPF by multiplying the solar irradiance spectrum by the erythemal action spectrum against the monochromatic protection factor (the inverse of transmittance). In 1986, Mansur et al. introduced a simplified spectrophotometric shortcut that focused exclusively on the UVB range (290–320 nm). While highly correlated with clinical sunburn prevention, the exclusive mathematical focus on UVB parameters underrepresented the risks of UVA-induced deep tissue degradation, DNA damage, and photoaging.

To unify broad-spectrum biological indices, the Lokapure equation (2026) expands standard integration limits to 400 nm using a combined biological weighting function to calculate concurrent erythemal and photoaging risk factors:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/405053180_A_New_Sun_Protection_Factor_Equation-Integrating_Erythemal_and_Photoaging_Risks_across_Biological_and_Space_UV_Exposure  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stelar26 (talk • contribs) 16:16, 1 June 2026 (UTC)

$SPF=K\int _{290}^{400}E_{\text{eff}}(\lambda )\times [1-T(\lambda )]\,d\lambda$

where $K$ represents the calibration constant, $T(\lambda )$ is the spectral transmittance of the sunscreen layer, and $E_{\text{eff}}(\lambda )$ is a composite spectral weighting function defined as $w_{1}E_{\text{ery}}(\lambda )+w_{2}E_{\text{age}}(\lambda )$ to balance independent sunburn ($E_{\text{ery}}$) and cutaneous aging ($E_{\text{age}}$) variables across terrestrial or extra-atmospheric UVC space environments. Stelar26 (talk) 16:10, 1 June 2026 (UTC)

Proposed addition: plant oils in history/research

Starting a new topic since the lycopene discussion is old and without appropriate sources.

The article doesn't address common inquiries about plant oils providing meaningful SPF. Peer-reviewed sources have measured actual values and found some to be dangerously low, and few (like raspberry seed oil) to be significant.

I'd like to propose a paragraph like this in history or research:

Although plant oils have been evaluated as sunscreens,Online interest spiked after a 2000 compositional study of raspberry seed oil was misinterpreted as measuring its SPF value between 28-50.[1] A 2024 study using standardized in vitro screening reported SPF 19.9.[2] Laboratory and human (in vivo) testing of other vegetable oils (like coconut and olive) has measured far lower values: a 2021 study of fourteen vegetable oils found UVB protection factors below 4 to be inadequate for all of them, concluding that vegetable oils are unsuitable as sunscreens.[3]

[1] Oomah BD, Ladet S, Godfrey DV, Liang J, Girard B. Characteristics of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) seed oil. Food Chemistry. 2000;69(2):187–193. doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(99)00260-5 [2] Ghosh D, Dhandha M. Investigation of Sun Protection Factor of Raspberry Seed Oil, Niacinamide and Zinc Oxide in Combination. SKIN The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine. 2024;8(5). doi:10.25251/skin.8.5.4 [3] Ácsová A, Hojerová J, Janotková L, Bendová H, Jedličková L, Hamranová V, Martiniaková S. The real UVB photoprotective efficacy of vegetable oils: in vitro and in vivo studies. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 2021;20:139–151. doi:10.1007/s43630-020-00009-3

Please let me know what you think. This is concise, but if more context would be useful, I can update. Thank you for considering.

Disclosure: I run a site about lab-measured SPF values that receives visitors searching for scientific literature on sunscreens including natural oils. T8086 (talk) 20:32, 26 August 2026 (UTC)

References

I think one sentence and the 3rd source would be enough. Zefr (talk) 22:17, 26 August 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback. I made another edit to make it more concise. ~2026-47120-39 (talk) 15:59, 29 August 2026 (UTC)